The Portable Conrad

CONRAD Joseph Conrad (born Konrad Korzienowski) spoke no language but his native Polish until his early twenties, when he embarked on mercantile ships to find himself. In short order, he acquired not only a facility with English, but a genius for distilling the human experience into a few short paragraphs. In "The Nigger of the Narcissus," he examines both the alientation of a minority member , and the insularity of shipboard life in the 19th Century. It is impossible to read a page of Conrad without being absorbed into the Scenario. For instance: "Men stood around very still and with exasperated eyes. It was just what they had expected, and hated to hear, that idea of a stalking death, thrust at them many times a day like a boast and like a menace by this obnoxious nigger. He said to take a pride in that death, which so far, had attended only upon the ease of his life. ....Was he a reality - or was he a sham... this ever-expected visitor...? The short novel is a demanding genre, of which Conrad is a master. "Typhoon," "Benito Cereno" , "Heart of Darkness" and "The Secret Sharer" are other classics. "Typhoon" contains some of the most vivid descriptions of a storm at sea as have ever been written. "It was something formidable and swift, like the sudden smashing of a vial of wrath. It seemed to explose all round the ship with an overpowering concussion and a rush of great waters, as if an immense dam had been blown up to windward. .... A fuirious gale attacks him like a personal enemy, tries to grasp his limbs, fastens upon his mind, seks to rout his very spirit out of him." "Benito Cereno" is a study in suspended animation... the action takes place below the surface. And "Heart of Darkness" explores the very nature of evil. In all...this is an excellent collection, with an outstanding introduction by Morton Dawen Zabel. (Five Stars)

I was amazed to see that I am the first to review this classic book. I borrowed this book and brought it with me to read while helping deliver a yacht. The trip was a memorable one, for many reasons, not least among them was finishing "The Nigger in the Narcissus" a story of a dying black man's anger during last days of life aboard a ship, "Typhoon" the story of a steam trapped in a hurricane, and "Youth" the story of a second mate's trip to Asia on a dilapidated ship.I especially enjoyed the descriptions of the storms in "Narcissus " and "Typhoon".It is said that truth is stranger than fiction. Conrad's stories may be fiction, but they evoke a sense of realism that no other author manages to capture.Conrad, a Pole, is arguably the best English writer of all time. His characters are unique and real, and the stories are real world, challenging situations that are unpredictable and yet follow the laws of human nature, and are therefore somewhat more than real. This book is a nice compact size and print in type that is also easy to read. There is enough material here to carry with you on your voyage, wherever that may be. If you want to bring only one book with you on your next trip, this would be a good choice.