What do you think?
Rate this book
Falk: A Reminiscence
The book, "" A Reminiscence "", has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.
66 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1901
About the author
Joseph Conrad
3,353 books5,002 followersJoseph Conrad was a Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language and, although he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he became a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. He wrote novels and stories, many in nautical settings, that depict crises of human individuality in the midst of what he saw as an indifferent, inscrutable, and amoral world.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—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 profoundly explore the human psyche.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—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 profoundly explore the human psyche.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 7, 2023
“Falk” fu pubblicato in volume nel 1903; il suo autore, Joseph Conrad [1857-1924], noto per aver spesso scelto l’Estremo Oriente come scenario dei suoi racconti e dei suoi romanzi, racconta una originale storia d’amore tra Falk, un uomo di mare scontroso ed eccentrico e una ragazza tedesca tanto appariscente fisicamente quanto silenziosa e discreta: lui è il capitano irascibile e litigioso di un rimorchiatore che fa la spola tra il porto e la foce di un fiume accompagnando navigli che potrebbero incagliarsi in quelle acque basse e infide, lei è un’orfana che sulla nave dello zio Hermann fa da balia ai cuginetti. Il corteggiamento silenzioso e discreto di Falk, che tutte le sere, a fine giornata, trascorre un po’ di ore sul vascello di Hermann, lo zio della timida fanciulla, sembrerebbe andare a buon fine, nonostante tutto, se Falk non decidesse, sua sponte, di confessare un’azione deplorevole, da lui compiuta molti anni prima su una nave alla deriva senza più viveri….
Con una narrazione basata soprattutto sulla contrapposizione caratteriale e sull’introspezione psicologica dei personaggi, animata da molti dialoghi e suggerimenti indiretti piuttosto che sull’azione, nell’atmosfera opprimente e stagnante dei tropici, quest’opera avvince e ammalia pagina dopo pagina fino alla liberatoria conclusione.
Con una narrazione basata soprattutto sulla contrapposizione caratteriale e sull’introspezione psicologica dei personaggi, animata da molti dialoghi e suggerimenti indiretti piuttosto che sull’azione, nell’atmosfera opprimente e stagnante dei tropici, quest’opera avvince e ammalia pagina dopo pagina fino alla liberatoria conclusione.
October 3, 2023
Un racconto breve che si doveva leggere tutto d'un fiato, in un'oretta e mezza, ho impiegato più di una settimana per portarlo a termine: se non è proprio blocco del lettore, è un qualcosa che gli assomiglia molto da vicino. E così è andata che non me lo sono goduto quanto avrei voluto - eppure anche così frammentato e sbocconcellato, si percepisce ugualmente bene che la qualità, sia dello stile che dei contenuti, è proprio la stessa che ho trovato poco tempo fa in Amy Foster: un lavoro fine, cesellato, ricercato nel senso più positivo del termine. Mettendo insieme Amy Foster e questo Falk, sono molto felice di aver ritrovato un po' quel qualcosa di cui ero rimasta orfana dopo il ventesimo ed ultimo O'Brian: l'aria salmastra. Di ricorrere a Conrad non ci avrei mai pensato, eppure era cosa così scontata. Con Falk non si ha solo una ulteriore dimostrazione del valore di Conrad ma si scopre un suo nuovo lato tutto "shakespeariano": saper tenere sul palcoscenico, in contemporanea, un personaggio cupo e drammatico ed uno comico, saper farli interagire e non perdere nemmeno una briciola di credibilità del racconto. Last but not least: la vecchia edizione Marsilio targata anni novanta, ripescata in fondo a chissà quale magazzino, contribuisce all'assommarsi di buone sensazioni.
February 1, 2015
Falk begins as does so many Conrad books, with a group of salty travelers gathered together and swapping seas stories.
It occurs to me that Conrad’s uniquely observant narrative style was no doubt learned, practiced, and honed to perfection in the slow, monotonous long watches at sea where a keen mind will find a story and a way to tell well a story in the slow pace of a mariner’s life.
Falk is subtle and minimalistic and maybe only a writer of Conrad’s great still could pull this off; a staid, introspective tale that is nonetheless worth reading. But like The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance is that rarest of westerns, a chamber piece set in the wild west, so too is Falk, a charming romantic tale that has Conrad’s usual dark, psychological meanderings but also is an evocative but truthfully pedestrian story about the merchant marine ... with a dark, primeval twist (this is after all Conrad).
Conrad does display an astute and erudite understanding of womanly psyche, not too far afield from the author of Heart of Darkness. The innkeeper Shomberg joins Marlowe as a recurring character in Conrad’s canon, together with his scraggly wife and her one blue tooth, as they were both in Victory as well.
It occurs to me that Conrad’s uniquely observant narrative style was no doubt learned, practiced, and honed to perfection in the slow, monotonous long watches at sea where a keen mind will find a story and a way to tell well a story in the slow pace of a mariner’s life.
Falk is subtle and minimalistic and maybe only a writer of Conrad’s great still could pull this off; a staid, introspective tale that is nonetheless worth reading. But like The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance is that rarest of westerns, a chamber piece set in the wild west, so too is Falk, a charming romantic tale that has Conrad’s usual dark, psychological meanderings but also is an evocative but truthfully pedestrian story about the merchant marine ... with a dark, primeval twist (this is after all Conrad).
Conrad does display an astute and erudite understanding of womanly psyche, not too far afield from the author of Heart of Darkness. The innkeeper Shomberg joins Marlowe as a recurring character in Conrad’s canon, together with his scraggly wife and her one blue tooth, as they were both in Victory as well.
November 17, 2017
For those who did not like Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, don't let it stop you from reading Falk . You might be surprised of how much you will like it.
June 2, 2026
I DID IT!!🥳🥳 I more or less finished reading this, not without any trouble. Don’t get me wrong, Conrad is undoubtedly a fantastic writer and it would be nonsense to say otherwise. However, it does seem I'm not interested in the sea and maritime storytelling enough to be fond of his works. I still have three books of his left on my tbr (Victory, Lord Jim and the Shadow Line), but I'm not sure they'll be staying on my tbr... This time I did force myself to finish that one (and it’s not even long, that’s the thing so I can't even imagine some others that are 400 pages long...) because I'm definitely not a quitter and having already read half of the thing, might as well finish it to be able to say I've read two Conrads. I would have liked to be able to brag saying I've read 5 and be able to talk about those, but the thing is that I don't even hate reading them so much as to be able to slant them😅 soooo...it’s pretty useless for me to keep on.. Anyway, if you love the sea and boats and maritime tales and captains and whatever sea-related, go ahead, you certainly won't be disappointed. As some have pointed out in the comments, he has most definitely worked on his writing because it is too perfect to just exist on its own from the start.
Deeply sorry to all Conrad’s fans for this poor review:(
Deeply sorry to all Conrad’s fans for this poor review:(
April 3, 2022
Another one of those typical sea stories, that are so suitable to be told by an old captain in a candlelit tavern over a bottle of rum.
Joseph Conrad is so good in retelling those tales! Loved it!
Joseph Conrad is so good in retelling those tales! Loved it!
January 15, 2012
First sentence: "Several of us, all more or less connected with the sea, were dining in a small river-hostelry not more than thirty miles from London, and less than twenty from that shallow and dangerous puddle to which our coasting men give the grandiose name of 'German Ocean'."
Last sentence: "I should not wonder if Schomberg's tongue had succeeded at last in scarin Falk away for good; and, indubitably, there was a tale going about the town of a certain Falk, owner of a tug, who had won his wife at cards from the captain of an English ship."
Plot Summary:
A young mariner takes charge of a ship in the far east (Bangkok) when the previous captain dies. The crew are sickly and unfriendly, the ship has no provisions, and there are delays in getting under way. He befriends Hermann, the captain of the Diana, a German ship which is moored nearby. Hermann lives on board with his wife, his four children, and his niece – who is a simple but physically attractive young woman. Also passing time with this family is Falk, the captain of a tug with a monopoly of navigation on the river leading out to the coast.
Falk is a remote, taciturn, and rather forbidding figure who is not popular with the local officials and traders. When the young captain’s and Hermann’s vessels are ready to depart, the young captain is annoyed to discover that Falk takes the Diana out first, damaging Hermann’s ship in the process. The captain tries to hire the one possible alternative navigator, but discovers that Falk has bought him off.
It transpires that Falk has taken this precipitate action because he is consumed with a passionate desire for Hermann’s voluptuous niece, and thinks the young captain is a rival. The captain confronts Falk, reassuring him that he has no designs on the girl. Falk asks for his diplomatic assistance in re-establishing good relations with Hermann, so that he can propose to the niece.
The young captain opens negotiations, and Hermann very reluctantly allows Falk to plead his case. But Falk explains that there is one thing the niece should know about him if she is to accept his offer of marriage.
Last sentence: "I should not wonder if Schomberg's tongue had succeeded at last in scarin Falk away for good; and, indubitably, there was a tale going about the town of a certain Falk, owner of a tug, who had won his wife at cards from the captain of an English ship."
Plot Summary:
A young mariner takes charge of a ship in the far east (Bangkok) when the previous captain dies. The crew are sickly and unfriendly, the ship has no provisions, and there are delays in getting under way. He befriends Hermann, the captain of the Diana, a German ship which is moored nearby. Hermann lives on board with his wife, his four children, and his niece – who is a simple but physically attractive young woman. Also passing time with this family is Falk, the captain of a tug with a monopoly of navigation on the river leading out to the coast.
Falk is a remote, taciturn, and rather forbidding figure who is not popular with the local officials and traders. When the young captain’s and Hermann’s vessels are ready to depart, the young captain is annoyed to discover that Falk takes the Diana out first, damaging Hermann’s ship in the process. The captain tries to hire the one possible alternative navigator, but discovers that Falk has bought him off.
It transpires that Falk has taken this precipitate action because he is consumed with a passionate desire for Hermann’s voluptuous niece, and thinks the young captain is a rival. The captain confronts Falk, reassuring him that he has no designs on the girl. Falk asks for his diplomatic assistance in re-establishing good relations with Hermann, so that he can propose to the niece.
The young captain opens negotiations, and Hermann very reluctantly allows Falk to plead his case. But Falk explains that there is one thing the niece should know about him if she is to accept his offer of marriage.
November 1, 2021
Un récit au goût authentique, sans doute grâce à des éléments biographiques du premier commandement de Joseph Conrad. Cela commence par une affaire maritime assez futile ; le monopole d'un remorqueur. L'auteur qui a l'habitude de fouiller dans les tréfonds des âmes perdues parviendra à en extraire une histoire d'amour peu commune, et puis surprise, l'horreur. Loin de tout manichéisme, même le personnage exécrable de Falk a une histoire qui explique son comportement. La dernière partie, récit doublement imbriqué, n'atteint pas les sommets sanguinolents qu'on aurait pu en attendre, Conrad préférant l'elipse, mais sa pudeur sera pardonnée par l'élégance et le propos.
August 2, 2020
I was rooting for Falk.
I was still rooting for him even after I found out he was a .
This story was a yarn inside a yarn inside a yarn, narrated by a verbose busybody sea captain.
The only action and suspense was in the innermost yarn.
I was still rooting for him even after I found out he was a .
This story was a yarn inside a yarn inside a yarn, narrated by a verbose busybody sea captain.
The only action and suspense was in the innermost yarn.
November 5, 2020
Nail-biter of a climax. Amazing final sentence. This book is a real joy to read.
May 26, 2021
Långnovell. Karaktärsdriven, som oftast hos Conrad, driven av ett etiska frågor. Eftersom jag nyligen läst 'Lord Jim', tänker jag på likheten, att första halvan av historien handlar om berättarens och läsarens förvirring inför huvudkaraktärens, här bogserbåtskapten Falk, underliga sätt att bete sig. Tills vi får veta hans olyckliga förhistoria. Då blir denna text plötsligt Conrads version av kanibal-temat, hur svält under sjönöd kan leda till att överlevnadsinstinkten tar över.
Liksom Lord Jim, dömer Falk sig själv, att han blev vegetarian på kuppen gör det lätt för mig att sympatisera med honom, även om hans omgivning, som inte förstår skälet, anklagar honom för att vara 'snål' - att han vägra köpa kött, steka kött. De få som får veta vad som hänt möter honom med avsky. Bara berättaren själv, menar att man inte ska vara så pjoskig, åtminstone inte att man ska döma utan att ta reda på omständigheterna. Berättaren säger diplomatiskt: "In all these tales, there is always a good deal of exaggeration."
Men 'Falk' är också till största delen en passionshistoria. Falks hunger efter kärlek är starkare än hungern efter mat. Han vill gifta sig med en ung kvinna han förälskat sig i, men vill inte dölja vad han varit med om, men tiden går för han har svårt att komma fram med sanningen. Risken är stor att han därmed förlorar sin kärlek. En liv utan kärlek är den utstöttes hunger jämförbar med fasan över att ha ätit människokött.
Men berättaren medlar, och Falk och den unga kvinnan (som bara talar tyska) tycks dras till varann som tvillingsjälar, menade för varann, hon är medkännande i hans olycka, mer än någon annan.
Liksom Lord Jim, dömer Falk sig själv, att han blev vegetarian på kuppen gör det lätt för mig att sympatisera med honom, även om hans omgivning, som inte förstår skälet, anklagar honom för att vara 'snål' - att han vägra köpa kött, steka kött. De få som får veta vad som hänt möter honom med avsky. Bara berättaren själv, menar att man inte ska vara så pjoskig, åtminstone inte att man ska döma utan att ta reda på omständigheterna. Berättaren säger diplomatiskt: "In all these tales, there is always a good deal of exaggeration."
Men 'Falk' är också till största delen en passionshistoria. Falks hunger efter kärlek är starkare än hungern efter mat. Han vill gifta sig med en ung kvinna han förälskat sig i, men vill inte dölja vad han varit med om, men tiden går för han har svårt att komma fram med sanningen. Risken är stor att han därmed förlorar sin kärlek. En liv utan kärlek är den utstöttes hunger jämförbar med fasan över att ha ätit människokött.
Men berättaren medlar, och Falk och den unga kvinnan (som bara talar tyska) tycks dras till varann som tvillingsjälar, menade för varann, hon är medkännande i hans olycka, mer än någon annan.
August 17, 2024
Falk: A Reminiscence
One great fear of mine is that one day I'll run out of Joseph Conrad stories to discover. That will be sad. No one, except perhaps Graham Greene, writes more powerful adventure stories of distant backwaters than the old master. And don't talk to me about your Hemingway. Couldn't even come close. Jack London? Maybe a distant runner-up at his best.
Starts as a mystery where nothing is as it seems. At a miserable Asian backwater port, the local riverboat tug captain refuses to take a newly minted young captain's ship down river because he thinks the young guy is a rival for a girl. (He isn't.)
Unable to navigate across the treacherous river sandbars, the young captain searches the town slums for a drunken ex-pat first mate who might be able to help him. But the tug captain is one step ahead of him. He knows the bum will never work so long as he has a couple of dollars in his pocket for his next day's drinking... and keeps him supplied with just enough loose change.
So the mystery turns into comedy.
But the tug captain, an enormous, bluff slob of a man is too painfully shy to declare himself to the girl, and carries in him a dreadful secret – and its revelation turns the tale into a horror.
And so forth
I enormously appreciate Joseph Conrad, but this novella might be my favorite. A couple of quotes:
"He who hath known the bitterness of the Ocean shall have its taste forever in his mouth....."
"I have known the sea too long to believe in its respect for decency....."
"By pretending hard enough, we come to believe anything – anything to our advantage....."
October 18, 2019
English review below the Greek one...
3½/5
Είχα διαβάσει αυτή την ιστορία πριν χρόνια, αλλά δεν θυμόμουν και πολλά. Η αρχή είναι μάλλον αρκετά αργή και το πιο ενδιαφέρον σημείο είναι το τέλος. Δεν υπάρχει πολύ δράση παρά μόνο μετά τα μισά και μάλλον είναι ένα διήγημα που βασίζεται κυρίως στους χαρακτήρες του παρά στην πλοκή. Σε πολλά σημεία παραδείχνει την εποχή που γράφτηκε, όχι μόνο με τις αναφορές περί ανωτερότητας των λευκών ανάμεσα στους υπανάπτυκτους ντόπιους, αλλά κυρίως με τους γυναικείους χαρακτήρες και τον τρόπο που παρουσιάζονται.
Υπάρχουν κάποιες ανατροπές στην πλοκή, αλλά ιστορία μέσα στην ιστορία είναι νομίζω το σημείο που κερδίζει τον αναγνώστη περισσότερο από όλα.
I've read this short novela many years ago but I wasn't recalling much. The start is too slow, without much happening while some action occurs after the middle of the book. I think this story is mostly character driven rather than very plot-driven. The stupid beliefs of the era are too obvious and quite annoying sometimes, not only the white superiority stuff, but most importantly the way Joseph Conrad portrays the female characters. Dull, spineless creatures with no much to say, even when their lives are concerned.
There are some interesting plot twists, but I think the most interesting passage is the story within the story...
3½/5
Είχα διαβάσει αυτή την ιστορία πριν χρόνια, αλλά δεν θυμόμουν και πολλά. Η αρχή είναι μάλλον αρκετά αργή και το πιο ενδιαφέρον σημείο είναι το τέλος. Δεν υπάρχει πολύ δράση παρά μόνο μετά τα μισά και μάλλον είναι ένα διήγημα που βασίζεται κυρίως στους χαρακτήρες του παρά στην πλοκή. Σε πολλά σημεία παραδείχνει την εποχή που γράφτηκε, όχι μόνο με τις αναφορές περί ανωτερότητας των λευκών ανάμεσα στους υπανάπτυκτους ντόπιους, αλλά κυρίως με τους γυναικείους χαρακτήρες και τον τρόπο που παρουσιάζονται.
Υπάρχουν κάποιες ανατροπές στην πλοκή, αλλά ιστορία μέσα στην ιστορία είναι νομίζω το σημείο που κερδίζει τον αναγνώστη περισσότερο από όλα.
I've read this short novela many years ago but I wasn't recalling much. The start is too slow, without much happening while some action occurs after the middle of the book. I think this story is mostly character driven rather than very plot-driven. The stupid beliefs of the era are too obvious and quite annoying sometimes, not only the white superiority stuff, but most importantly the way Joseph Conrad portrays the female characters. Dull, spineless creatures with no much to say, even when their lives are concerned.
There are some interesting plot twists, but I think the most interesting passage is the story within the story...
February 1, 2020
This is a novella by Conrad that I read in the collection Typhoon and Other Tales, and it is better than the other novella, Typhoon, in that collection. It is a fun little character piece about the titular Falk concentrating on his personality and amorous exploits and ending with a harrowing story of Cannibalism. In other words a typical Conrad story. There is something almost light and breezy about it compared to Conrad's other works. It is clever and insightful. It's almost a five star story, but I do not think that it is as good as the three or four Conrad novels that I rate at five stars. None-the-less, it is well worth reading. I do not really have the ability to describe what makes it so great, but it is as if Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness as a drawing room comedy.
Anyway, anyone who likes Conrad is going to like this. Conrad is one of those writers who was incapable of writing anything mediocre.
Anyway, anyone who likes Conrad is going to like this. Conrad is one of those writers who was incapable of writing anything mediocre.
August 7, 2019
Falk will perhaps be the most memorable character ever spun by Conrad. Pitiless resolution, endurance, cunning, and courage, Falk is the complete classical hero package.
His unfortunate incident at sea is told in brief yet packs a whole lot of punch. Marooned on a debilitated ship in the southern Pacific, he battles every despair from boiling his boots for soup to depraved cannibalism and comes out the only survivor. You can't really deprive this man of anything, yet when he falls in love he confesses to never have suffered so much in life (in want of his beloved). A weird love story of sorts, much loved reading this.
His unfortunate incident at sea is told in brief yet packs a whole lot of punch. Marooned on a debilitated ship in the southern Pacific, he battles every despair from boiling his boots for soup to depraved cannibalism and comes out the only survivor. You can't really deprive this man of anything, yet when he falls in love he confesses to never have suffered so much in life (in want of his beloved). A weird love story of sorts, much loved reading this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2017
Falk, a tugboat operator in an obscure Asian port is the ultimate lowlife. He knows he has a monopoly on tug operations and uses his commercial power rithlessly. Meanwhile, he has the social graces of a doorknob and the personality of a dead leaf. He’s the sort of person for whom you might reflexively add the suffix “ . . . F*ck him” to every verbsl utterance of his name.
Or maybe not quite. This fascinating novella challenhes readers to re-think notiops of what it means to be a civbilized human in ways that differ from Conrad’s better kn own “Heart of Darkness.”
Or maybe not quite. This fascinating novella challenhes readers to re-think notiops of what it means to be a civbilized human in ways that differ from Conrad’s better kn own “Heart of Darkness.”
October 30, 2024
This is the hidden gem of Conrad's Typhoon and other stories. Falk is a tugboat Cpt in a remote port in the East. Falk is ruthless, and has a monopoly on the tug business in and out of an upstream port. He becomes infatuated with the niece of one of his client ship's Cpts. He becomes jealous of another ship's Cpt whom he thinks is also interested in the same girl. Hi-jinks ensue! Falk's description of the disaster on the Borgmeister Dahl steamship and the public confession of his guilt in the ensuing starvation survival saga is heart wrenching. Really good read!
September 15, 2018
4.5
Astonishing.
Astonishing.
April 23, 2019
I did not enjoy this too much. It's a Joseph Conrad book that did not feel totally his style.
April 19, 2020
Tremendous. Conrad at his absolute best, to my taste.
July 4, 2020
Excuisitely composite and powerful story
July 23, 2020
Neat story about "INCELS"
October 19, 2021
Somehow an ode to the big beautiful woman.
January 29, 2025
Lovely writing as always, easier to read (not quite so much darkness) as some Conrad, a little commercial in fact. But I prefer the deeper, darker,weirder Conrads.
March 5, 2025
Tuyệt vời nhưng cũng rã rời với độ dai của truyện. Nhưng mà truyện lớp lang ý nghĩa
August 13, 2018
"Falk: A Reminiscence" is a novella originally published in 1903 in Conrad's book TYPHOON AND OTHER STORIES, not to be confused with the 1986 Oxford World Classics TYPHOON AND OTHER TALES, which swaps one of the four stories in the original collection ("To-morrow") for one which did not appear in it ("The Secret Sharer.") I mean to say that Conrad was alive and well when "Falk" was included in this collection. In fact, this was at the outset of his literary career. He hadn't been published before 1898. He would live and write until 1924. The fact that "Falk" saw the light of day is due to Conrad's perseverance. It had been rejected by a magazine. Most of his short fiction was first published in magazines and then collected.
Briefly, "Falk" is representative of Conrad's early manner. The invariable gathering of friends sharing anecdotes leads to one man telling a story, and it leads to a few other stories within the story. Henry James used the same technique. He and Conrad were contemporaries and knew each other. Conrad, of course, deals with people who lead lives of tremendous physical activity. He uses high literary techniques to tell the reader about men of action.
For a writer who wrote best when talking about the confluence of physical hardship and deep moral quandaries, Conrad wrote a fair number of stories involving courtship. Falk, a tyrant of the harbor, finds himself smitten with the niece of a sailing businessman. Falk runs the tugboat industry, Captain Hermann presumably makes his living selling supplies along the coast. Falk deliberately damages Hermann's ship to keep it in harbor so as to woo Hermann's niece. Most of the story is comedic. Conrad treats us to something light for about half the story. But, aside from the fact that the descriptions of harbor life show the stagnating boredom of it and the provincialism of the hotelier, Schomberg (a grotesque figure who appears in Conrad's works throughout his career), the story takes a turn into Falk's existential nightmare. Even that, though, is preceded by a surprising moment of dark comedy in which Falk jeopardizes his plan for domestic happiness with a confession.
I think Conrad was reacting to the vogue for Herman Melville. I say this with some hesitation, because Melville's greatest book, MOBY-DICK, had been almost completely forgotten for about half a century by the time Conrad wrote "Falk." But it is known he did read MOBY-DICK, because he wrote a friend that "I found not a sincere word in the three volumes of it." But there are several lines in this story which appear to be direct references to MOBY-DICK, one of these references being an almost direct quotation: "And you alone survived?" A key line of MOBY-DICK is "...And I only am escaped alone to tell thee."
Conrad also refers to Greek mythology several times in this story. Not that writers of his time weren't prone to do so, but it is not often that Conrad does it. He fills this story with these references, which Melville always did. The narrator tells us Falk is like a centaur, the captain's niece is a siren, etc. But I will mention MOBY-DICK again. When, after Falk's confession, the narrator tells us Falk is like a whale circling in a shallow harbor. When Falk, without asking permission, hooks Captain Hermann's ship to his tugboat, he wrenches the ship out of its place, causing damage. In short, I think Conrad has Falk behaving like a whale ramming a ship.
"Falk" is one of the most unpredictable of Conrad's stories. At first it seems to be a wistful look at courtship, then it seems rather peevish about the petty annoyances a seafarer finds while moored in a harbor, then it seems really sardonic and almost camp in its humor. Suddenly it becomes a story of elemental terror. But there's more. And I alone will avoid telling thee. By which I mean: No spoilers!
Briefly, "Falk" is representative of Conrad's early manner. The invariable gathering of friends sharing anecdotes leads to one man telling a story, and it leads to a few other stories within the story. Henry James used the same technique. He and Conrad were contemporaries and knew each other. Conrad, of course, deals with people who lead lives of tremendous physical activity. He uses high literary techniques to tell the reader about men of action.
For a writer who wrote best when talking about the confluence of physical hardship and deep moral quandaries, Conrad wrote a fair number of stories involving courtship. Falk, a tyrant of the harbor, finds himself smitten with the niece of a sailing businessman. Falk runs the tugboat industry, Captain Hermann presumably makes his living selling supplies along the coast. Falk deliberately damages Hermann's ship to keep it in harbor so as to woo Hermann's niece. Most of the story is comedic. Conrad treats us to something light for about half the story. But, aside from the fact that the descriptions of harbor life show the stagnating boredom of it and the provincialism of the hotelier, Schomberg (a grotesque figure who appears in Conrad's works throughout his career), the story takes a turn into Falk's existential nightmare. Even that, though, is preceded by a surprising moment of dark comedy in which Falk jeopardizes his plan for domestic happiness with a confession.
I think Conrad was reacting to the vogue for Herman Melville. I say this with some hesitation, because Melville's greatest book, MOBY-DICK, had been almost completely forgotten for about half a century by the time Conrad wrote "Falk." But it is known he did read MOBY-DICK, because he wrote a friend that "I found not a sincere word in the three volumes of it." But there are several lines in this story which appear to be direct references to MOBY-DICK, one of these references being an almost direct quotation: "And you alone survived?" A key line of MOBY-DICK is "...And I only am escaped alone to tell thee."
Conrad also refers to Greek mythology several times in this story. Not that writers of his time weren't prone to do so, but it is not often that Conrad does it. He fills this story with these references, which Melville always did. The narrator tells us Falk is like a centaur, the captain's niece is a siren, etc. But I will mention MOBY-DICK again. When, after Falk's confession, the narrator tells us Falk is like a whale circling in a shallow harbor. When Falk, without asking permission, hooks Captain Hermann's ship to his tugboat, he wrenches the ship out of its place, causing damage. In short, I think Conrad has Falk behaving like a whale ramming a ship.
"Falk" is one of the most unpredictable of Conrad's stories. At first it seems to be a wistful look at courtship, then it seems rather peevish about the petty annoyances a seafarer finds while moored in a harbor, then it seems really sardonic and almost camp in its humor. Suddenly it becomes a story of elemental terror. But there's more. And I alone will avoid telling thee. By which I mean: No spoilers!
July 31, 2013
Wow! What started out as a benign story of a couple of sea captains quickly devolves into the psyche of man's desire to survive and conquer.
"It’s possible to argue that Falk is concerned with the elemental forces which man needs in order to survive. In the animal world there are three basic instincts which combine to form a will to prevail – that results in ‘the survival of the fittest’. These are the hunt for food, the urge to procreate, and the fight for territory."
It all seems fairly calm - for a Conrad story - then BAM off we go deep Into a psychological journey...
"It’s possible to argue that Falk is concerned with the elemental forces which man needs in order to survive. In the animal world there are three basic instincts which combine to form a will to prevail – that results in ‘the survival of the fittest’. These are the hunt for food, the urge to procreate, and the fight for territory."
It all seems fairly calm - for a Conrad story - then BAM off we go deep Into a psychological journey...
January 4, 2016
A wonderful book
I am discovering Conrad through a Thames Estuary sailing interest. I assume the inn at the beginning of the story is the Lobster Pot in Holehaven.
Anyway the interest in the area is quickly overtaken by the book itself. A deep investigation into human psychology.
Now onto his memoir 'the mirror of the sea'
I am discovering Conrad through a Thames Estuary sailing interest. I assume the inn at the beginning of the story is the Lobster Pot in Holehaven.
Anyway the interest in the area is quickly overtaken by the book itself. A deep investigation into human psychology.
Now onto his memoir 'the mirror of the sea'
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews