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The Secret Sharer
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A young man sets out on his first voyage as captain, aboard a vessel and among a crew that are equally unfamiliar to him. A mysterious night-swimmer climbs aboard, and, in keeping the presence of this fugitive a secret, the skipper risks both his captaincy and the safety of his ship. A test of nerve in the Gulf of Siam ensues.
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Paperback, 64 pages
Published
September 9th 2007
by FQ Publishing
(first published September 1910)
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The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad is a short story / novella of less than 100 pages, yet in it Conrad demonstrates as many great writers do, the simple, elegant power of the short work. Here the writer can succinctly deliver a forceful message in economic fashion.
The Secret Sharer is like many of his works (most?) about the seas and a man’s command of a vessel. Also like many of his works, the setting is in the South Seas and we find our narrator taking his first command near the Gulf of Siam. ...more
The Secret Sharer is like many of his works (most?) about the seas and a man’s command of a vessel. Also like many of his works, the setting is in the South Seas and we find our narrator taking his first command near the Gulf of Siam. ...more

"I rejoiced in the great security of the sea as compared with the unrest of the land, in my choice of that untempted life presenting no disquieting problems, invested with an elementary moral beauty by the absolute straightforwardness of its appeal and the singleness of its purpose."
A fine trio of stories by the poetic sea-dog Conrad.
"Youth" is the other story to feature Marlow, of "Heart of Darkness" fame, tells of his early years aboard a doomed but persistent ship.
"Typhoon", one of Conrad's f ...more
A fine trio of stories by the poetic sea-dog Conrad.
"Youth" is the other story to feature Marlow, of "Heart of Darkness" fame, tells of his early years aboard a doomed but persistent ship.
"Typhoon", one of Conrad's f ...more

One of my all-time favorite authors is Joseph Conrad. His exploration of the human condition as reflected by the men who toil at sea is as profound as any philosophical dissertation by any name philosopher. His theme is man against nature or man against men, His yarns are full of events both in the inner and outer worlds of journeyers at sea or water. "The Heart of Darkness" of course is essential to his success and esteem as an author/adventurer. But he has many other tales that I've read and a
...more

Late update appended.
(I actually read this novelette in a combined edition with Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but thought I'd switch to this edition for a full review.)
The Secret Sharer is a peculiar story. It is quick -- the whole thing is only a few dozen pages long, and can be read in something like an hour. And it is certainly not complex: the plot is very basic.
Conrad's prose is a pleasure to read, as always. Despite the fact that it was written towards the end of the Edwardian period, an odd ...more
(I actually read this novelette in a combined edition with Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but thought I'd switch to this edition for a full review.)
The Secret Sharer is a peculiar story. It is quick -- the whole thing is only a few dozen pages long, and can be read in something like an hour. And it is certainly not complex: the plot is very basic.
Conrad's prose is a pleasure to read, as always. Despite the fact that it was written towards the end of the Edwardian period, an odd ...more

There must have been some glare in the air to interfere with one’s sight, because it was only just before the sun left us that my roaming eyes made out beyond the highest ridges of the principal islet of the group something which did away with the solemnity of perfect solitude. The tide of darkness flowed on swiftly; and with tropical suddenness a swarm of stars came out above the shadowy earth, while I lingered yet, my hand resting lightly on my ship’s rail as if on the shoulder of a trusted fr
...more

New Skipper Saves Swimmer, Shows Moxie
Joseph Conrad wrote a number of classic novels. This is one of them. Like some sort of literary health tonic packed full of vitamins, minerals, and health-restoring properties, , THE SECRET SHARER contains enough symbolism, ideas, and plot to keep analysts busy for centuries. It is full of sea lore, the nature of flat, tropic seas. It is hard to find an original thing to say in review, so much has been already written. The author operated at three levels. He ...more
Joseph Conrad wrote a number of classic novels. This is one of them. Like some sort of literary health tonic packed full of vitamins, minerals, and health-restoring properties, , THE SECRET SHARER contains enough symbolism, ideas, and plot to keep analysts busy for centuries. It is full of sea lore, the nature of flat, tropic seas. It is hard to find an original thing to say in review, so much has been already written. The author operated at three levels. He ...more

How do British and American writers avoid being overwhelmed with feelings of envy and shame when reading Joseph Conrad? He was, after all, one of the English language's greatest prose stylists, and it wasn't his first or even second language. (Polish came first and French second for the novelist born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski.) "The Secret Sharer," given its brevity, would be a fine introduction to anyone unfamiliar with Conrad. It's also more approachable than "Heart of Darkness," which
...more

Tantalizing. I usually have an initial barrier as I dive into a Conrad work, but the Secret Sharer drew me right in. Such a wonderful story which ultimately left me brooding about life and existence itself.
Conrad's language has its own flavors and I'm starting to suspect that it has to do with his Polish core in terms of language. He writes in English, but there is something else there in terms of syntax. Perhaps it is my imagination? Blended with the realm of the sea, sail ships and nautical t ...more
Conrad's language has its own flavors and I'm starting to suspect that it has to do with his Polish core in terms of language. He writes in English, but there is something else there in terms of syntax. Perhaps it is my imagination? Blended with the realm of the sea, sail ships and nautical t ...more

Dark psychological sailing story
A classic tale of a new captain, unfamiliar and unpopular with his crew, and the naked murderer, Leggatt, found overboard, a doppelganger for the unnamed captain in mind and appearance. The book opens with long descriptive sentences, a overflow of words to set the scene.
Leggatt comes aboard in the middle of the night, unseen for the entire short story by any but the captain. The psychological drama of the interaction between the two men reminds me of Poe's writin ...more
A classic tale of a new captain, unfamiliar and unpopular with his crew, and the naked murderer, Leggatt, found overboard, a doppelganger for the unnamed captain in mind and appearance. The book opens with long descriptive sentences, a overflow of words to set the scene.
Leggatt comes aboard in the middle of the night, unseen for the entire short story by any but the captain. The psychological drama of the interaction between the two men reminds me of Poe's writin ...more

2013 has definitely been my year of doppelgänger books. 'The Secret Sharer' belongs on the shelf next to Doestoevsky's 'the Double', Nabokov's 'Despair', Highsmith's 'The Talented Mr. Ripley', and Roth's 'Operation Shylock' and probably 'the Epic of Gilgamesh' too.
These are all great doppelgänger books, and Conrad's 'Secret Sharer' is not inferior to any of them. Conrad constantly delivers on the nuance of his language, his thought, and his absolute control of the English language.
Conrad's lit ...more
These are all great doppelgänger books, and Conrad's 'Secret Sharer' is not inferior to any of them. Conrad constantly delivers on the nuance of his language, his thought, and his absolute control of the English language.
Conrad's lit ...more

The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad is often a companion piece to other Conrad tales, usually Heart of Darkness, and so the years have passed and I never read this story until tonight because the headline story always caught my attention.
The Secret Sharer is a story, not a novella, though it’s a long one, and it’s a perfect example of Conrad using the setting of the southeast Asian seas as a kind of metaphysical symbol for the totality of existence. He depicts beauty, tranquility, boredom, discip ...more
The Secret Sharer is a story, not a novella, though it’s a long one, and it’s a perfect example of Conrad using the setting of the southeast Asian seas as a kind of metaphysical symbol for the totality of existence. He depicts beauty, tranquility, boredom, discip ...more

Conrad's unusual style very much lends itself to this sort of mysterious tale where we aren't sure if we inhabit a world of ghosts or our own. At times I kept thinking to myself Poe would have recognized this story since so much of the tension is happening in the captain's mind.
Unlike a lot of Conrad, however, The Secret Sharer is not trying to be obtuse in how it handles its theme - identity in this case (though that's always Conrad's theme). Nostromo, Heart of Darkness, and especially Lord Jim ...more
Unlike a lot of Conrad, however, The Secret Sharer is not trying to be obtuse in how it handles its theme - identity in this case (though that's always Conrad's theme). Nostromo, Heart of Darkness, and especially Lord Jim ...more

May 21, 2013
Victoria Yang
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
Fans of Joseph Conrad, or people who want to read a Conrad work shorter than HoD
Shelves:
owned-books,
classics
My eyes caress the delicate words strewn across the page, tasting the sweet nectar and experiencing the literary pleasure only a skilful painter of words can bring, the existence of the words intertwining with the essence of my being, stroking my heart and stoking the fire of my mind...
Uhmmmm... bleh. I'm sorry you read that. :/
Now that I've gotten my rather sorry attempt at being the next Joseph Conrad out of my system, I'll keep going with this review. ;)
The Secret Sharer is the second Joseph ...more
Uhmmmm... bleh. I'm sorry you read that. :/
Now that I've gotten my rather sorry attempt at being the next Joseph Conrad out of my system, I'll keep going with this review. ;)
The Secret Sharer is the second Joseph ...more

A nice quick read yet I wished the plot was a bit more complex. It's my first Joseph Conrad read and definitely not the last for I very much enjoyed his writing style.
...more

It's very interesting how one can so intimately relate to someone who is an absolute stranger - Conrad captures this so unbelievably well, to the point of the narrator's potential self-destruction. The man is entirely willing to sacrifice his livelihood, his career, the opinion of his men, and even the ship of which he is captain... for the sake of a complete stranger.
But it's also a selfish act. As much as the narrator believes this stranger to be a mirror of his own self, as much as he feels s ...more
But it's also a selfish act. As much as the narrator believes this stranger to be a mirror of his own self, as much as he feels s ...more

Second reading--Conrad' s tale of a novice sea captain viewed with uncertainty by his crew who, alone on-deck one night, discovers a naked "man from the sea" clinging to his boat. The man, Leggat, is a killer, but the narrator, unnamed, keeps him as a stowaway out of an instinctual affection for Leggat, and the knowledge that he is capable of the same crime. The choice to name one but not the other is significant, as the two take on a sometimes overly obvious dual role, with Leggat (named, hence
...more

Jan 10, 2018
Holly McKie
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
university,
classics
Meh. Wouldn't have finished this if it wasn't for uni.
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This short, 35 page short story took me 2 1/2 hours to read. Not because it was dense, but because for every minute I read, I spent at least 5 minutes staring off into space... And while I admit the scenery was lovely (lake, the rainbow in the fountain, the tiny dog that wouldn't have known what to do with that duck if he'd managed to catch it, etc) I see that scenery all the time, and had no trouble concentrating on either of the books I read earlier in the afternoon. If staring off into space
...more

A short story from Conrad's 'Twixt Land and Sea published as a Penguin 60s Classic.
An amusing and well constructed short story about a sea captain, new to his vessel, who takes on board in the dead of night a man from a ship anchored nearby.
Keeping the man's presence a secret from the crew leaves the captain looking eccentric and somewhat foolish.
Not much more to say without spoiling the story. An enjoyable short read. 4 Stars. ...more
An amusing and well constructed short story about a sea captain, new to his vessel, who takes on board in the dead of night a man from a ship anchored nearby.
Keeping the man's presence a secret from the crew leaves the captain looking eccentric and somewhat foolish.
Not much more to say without spoiling the story. An enjoyable short read. 4 Stars. ...more

Short enough that I should have finished it in one sitting, but it did not keep my attention. Psychologically there is much more going on in the story than I caught upon this first reading. The story is one of the duality of the self, I think; as the captain changes from an uncertain commander to a better captain.

Conrad knew Melville’s novels and didn’t like them. I don’t know if he had read Billy Budd but this “tale” (a format favored by the American as well as Hawthorne which the Secret Sharer also resembles) but the similarity in theme is uncanny, except in reverse. In Budd, Captain Vere does his duty despite his sympathy for the sailor. In Conrad, the instant bond between the inexperienced captain and the runaway leads the former to NOT do his duty, including to the crew who he confuses and endangers
...more

this is....the most romantic book I've ever read. and I read it all in one sitting. Atmospheric and exciting and perfect when you've got cabin fever from being in quarantine for a month
...more

Apr 22, 2020
Rahul Tirumalareddy
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
post-high-school-reading
Let me tell you a secret — this book isn’t very good.

I read it without introductions or commentaries. To tell you the truth I had no clue about Conrad too. The nautical terms were a challenge, but the narrator did manage to take you along his nerve wracking dilemma. I never did imagine if the sharer could have been a ghost but somehow could understand the instant connection and empathy that you feel with a stranger that is so irrational but may have a subconscious reason perhaps of a shared emotion, situation, an expression or even the helplessnes
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Catching up on Cl...: The Secret Sharer Discussion SPOILERS | 1 | 57 | Aug 26, 2011 09:34AM |
Joseph Conrad (born
Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski
) was a Polish-born English novelist who today is most famous for Heart of Darkness, his fictionalized account of Colonial Africa.
Conrad left his native Poland in his middle teens to avoid conscription into the Russian Army. He joined the French Merchant Marine and briefly employed himself as a wartime gunrunner. He then began to work aboard ...more
Conrad left his native Poland in his middle teens to avoid conscription into the Russian Army. He joined the French Merchant Marine and briefly employed himself as a wartime gunrunner. He then began to work aboard ...more
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"Nice little saloon, isn't it" I said, as if noticing it for the first time.
"At noon I gave no orders for change of course, and the mates whiskers grew much concerned and seemed to be offering themselves to my unduly notice.”