The Arrow of Gold

This is, as another reviewer put it, a different Conrad at work. Contrasted to the detached narration of the classic Nostromo or even Marlowe's insightful presence in Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness, and Chance, Conrad delves much deeper into the story here with a protagonist first person narration. And, this tale of first love seems deeply personal. If you ever thought that there is more to love than three simple words, then read this book. Nowhere else, to my knowledge, has Conrad shared so much of his own views on the mystery and power of love. And, he does so with so many beautiful passages. Or, as Henry James described, so many meandering discourses that surround a thought or idea from all angles, but ultimately fails to fully identify it. Whereas in the Rescue Conrad paired a love story with high adventure, the love story here is the main event. Although the protagonist is running guns, such is only recounted in passing. Consequently, the reader is left with a bare view of the romance (at least from the man's perspective), and I think Conrad's ideas on love come across better than in the Rescue. As with that novel and to a lesser extent Conrad's stories A Smile of Fortune and the Planter of Malata, the reader is left wondering why some things cannot seem to be resolved in Conrad's world between two lovers. In Chance, love conquered the circumstances and personalities, so we know Conrad thought it possible, but the Arrow of Gold suggests his opinion that this is the exception and not the rule. And, maybe that is for the best sometimes. Characteristically, the novel is a slow starter, but once you make it through the first hundred pages or so, you'll be drawn into the psychological, romantic adventure. The dialogue is quite dramatic by today's standards, but it never bothered me. Rather, I was struck by the thoughtfully deliberate speech of the characters. The art of conversation, I suspect, is lost on modern generations, with so much entertainment around us all of the time. The themes and message in The Arrow of Gold rank with Conrad's best efforts, though the dramatic presentation is not as sophisticated or groundbreaking as in Nostromo or Lord Jim. So, while it is not Conrad's masterpiece in terms of the novel itself, I found it to be very powerful narrative worthy of more attention than it has received, which hopefully will change now that the Arrow of Gold is back in print.

After the masterpieces had all been written Conrad began writing a purer kind of adventure story. These late books are interesting and though not masterpieces themselves there is something in each one that makes them well worth your while. The young man in Arrow of Gold has fallen under the allure of old Europe in the form of the lovely Spaniard Dona Rita (Conrads most complete and most attractive portrait of a woman) and finds himself involved in her schemes to smuggle guns to her countrymen from Marseilles. High adventure ensues, including a breathtaking boat chase, but every cause and every ideal is corruptible and Conrad with this book contrasts the heady ideals of youth with worldly experience and wisdom. In these last books(Rescue, Arrow of Gold, Rover) it feels as though Conrad felt he had already tackled his great themes so there is a calm in the writing of them that is very pleasing and one imagines he is enjoying the writing of them in his retired captains easy chair as much as we enjoy the reading of them. The arrow is a gold pin, a rich symbol, the fate of which must be left unknown to potential readers. The historical setting of 1870's Marseilles is one Conrad knew well as that is the port from which he set off to sea for the first time and the gun running episode as well as the boat(especially the boat)Conrad spoke of with great fondness in his memoirs.

The Arrow of Gold is a must for Conrad fans, as it is based on one of the most interesting and obscure periods of the Polish-English writer's life. Action happens in the 1870's in Marseilles, France, where a young and naif sailor, back from West Indies, is engaged by a couple of conspirators to smuggle guns and ammunition for the Carlist army, with the idea of putting King Carlos back in the throne of Spain. All this is almost exactly what happened to Conrad, all which is partially narrated in the "Tremolino" chapter of his beatiful book The Mirror of the Sea, as well as in the souvenir book entitled Some Reminiscences. The Arrow of Gold is a book of Conrad's maturity. It was not well received in his time and Conrad himself was not fully happy with it. But it is a deeply moving and funny novel, full of adventures, fascinating ladies, charming crooks, bizarre characters and sharp descritions of places and milieu. All this in a neat prose, now free from the philosophical statements or stylistic refinements that at times burden some of the works of the great Master. In summary, a rather forgotten book by the author of Lord Jim, Nostromo and so many masterpieces, which deserves to be "discovered" by old and new Conrad devotees.