Joseph Conrad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joseph Conrad
Conrad in 1904 by George Charles Beresford
Born	Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski (1857-12-03)3 December 1857 Berdychiv, Russian Empire
Died	3 August 1924(1924-08-03) (aged 66) Bishopsbourne, Kent, England
Resting place	Canterbury Cemetery, Canterbury
Occupation	Novelist, short-story writer
Nationality	Polish
Citizenship	British
Period	1895–1923: Modernism
Genre	Fiction
Spouse	Jessie George
Children	2
Signature

Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language, though he did not speak English fluently until his twenties. Conrad wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that represented the trials of the human spirit in the centre of what he saw as an unexpressive, mysterious universe.

Conrad is considered an early modernist, though his works contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced numerous authors, and many films have been adapted from, or inspired by, his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that Conrad's fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have predicted later world events.

Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad used, among other things, his native Poland's national experiences and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that deeply explore the human psyche.

On 3 August 1924, Conrad died at his house, Oswalds, in Bishopsbourne, Kent, England. He was interred at Canterbury Cemetery, Canterbury. Conrad's modest funeral took place amid great crowds.

Memorials

Joseph Conrad Square, San Francisco

An anchor-shaped monument to Conrad at Gdynia, on Poland's Baltic Seacoast, features a quotation from him in Polish: "Nic tak nie nęci, nie rozczarowuje i nie zniewala, jak życie na morzu" ("There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea".

In Circular Quay, Sydney, Australia, a plaque in a "writers walk" commemorates Conrad's visits to Australia between 1879 and 1892. The plaque notes that "Many of his works reflect his 'affection for that young continent.'"

In San Francisco in 1979, a small triangular square at Columbus Avenue and Beach Street, near Fisherman's Wharf, was dedicated as "Joseph Conrad Square" after Conrad. The square's dedication was timed to coincide with release of Francis Ford Coppola's Heart of Darkness-inspired film, Apocalypse Now.

In the latter part of World War II, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Danae was rechristened ORP Conrad and served as part of the Polish Navy.

A plaque commemorating "Joseph Conrad–Korzeniowski" has been installed near Singapore's Fullerton Hotel.

In April 2013, a monument to Conrad was unveiled in the Russian town of Vologda, where he and his parents lived in exile in 1862–63. The monument was removed, with unclear explanation, in June 2016.

Images for kids

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  Conrad's writer father, Apollo Korzeniowski

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  Nowy Świat 47, Warsaw, where three-year-old Conrad lived with his parents in 1861. In front: a "Chopin's Warsaw" bench.

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  Tadeusz Bobrowski, Conrad's maternal uncle, mentor, and benefactor

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  Barque Otago, captained by Conrad in 1888 and first three months of 1889

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  Roger Casement, befriended in the Congo

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  Torrens: Conrad made two round trips as first mate, London to Adelaide, between November 1891 and July 1893.

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  John Galsworthy, whom Conrad met on Torrens

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  Conrad, 1916 (photogravure by Alvin Langdon Coburn)

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  Time, 7 April 1923

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  In 1914, Conrad stayed at the Zakopane pension Konstantynówka, operated by his cousin Aniela Zagórska, mother of his future Polish translator of the same name.

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  Aniela Zagórska, Conrad's future Polish translator, with Conrad, 1914

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  Aniela Zagórska (left), Karola Zagórska, Conrad's nieces; Conrad.

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  Conrad's grave at Canterbury Cemetery, near Harbledown, Kent

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  Joseph Conrad, 1919 or after

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  T. E. Lawrence, whom Conrad befriended

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  Conrad's friend Cunninghame Graham

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  Caricature of Conrad by David Low, 1923

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  Monument to Conrad in Vologda, Russia, to which Conrad and his parents were exiled in 1862

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  Anchor-shaped Conrad monument at Gdynia, on Poland's Baltic seacoast

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  Plaque commemorating "Joseph Conrad–Korzeniowski", Singapore

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  Lady Ottoline Morrell

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  Bertrand Russell