Reading the 20th Century discussion
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Joseph Conrad
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From financial crises to the threat of terrorism, the works of the Polish-British author display remarkable insight into an era, like ours, of elemental change in a globalised world
This is well worth a read...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
I really tried to read The Duel but just couldn't get through it. I found it really confusing and all over the place. Probably didn't help that I was reading it late at night.I have Heart of Darkness unread.
Which Conrad book would you recommend?
I really enjoyed The Secret Agent - you can see my review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A word of warning about the audiobook edition that Audible has on sale - I have heard that it has some flaws (one chapter missing with another repeated in its place). I guess that is why it is cheap!
Farrah wrote: "Which Conrad book would you recommend? ."Looking at my ratings, the only Conrad I read that I didn't like was Nostromo. So I might not be the best person to make recommendations!
My favorites are probably The Secret Agent and Victory.
Heart of Darkness is of course his most famous book and I think it is an incisive indictment of colonialism but some people cannot distinguish between the characters' attitudes and the author's and find it racist. I don't want to start a debate on this (or participate in one) but debates seem to inevitably occur in discussions of this book.
Other Conrad books I have read are Under Western Eyes and Lord Jim (though that was years ago - it is due for a reread!).
Conrad is such a wonderful author. I read one of his early novels (Almayer's Folly) a few years ago and thought it was fantastic in its depiction of the impact of a colonial society on human relationships. Great stuff!! Hopefully we will come across at least one of his novels as a reading group in 2018!!! 
The only Conrad I've ever read was our O-level set book The Rover, It inspired me never to read any more, though Peter O'Toole in Lord Jim almost persuaded me to try again.
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How long ago did you buy your copy of The Secret Agent? I'm now worried that I too have the duff edition.
I've been meaning for years to read The Secret Agent but Conrad is, i find, a very imposing author. I've only ever read Lord Jim and while that was a fantastic novel I did find it hard work.
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Nigeyb wrote: "Great review LeslieHow long ago did you buy your copy of The Secret Agent? I'm now worried that I too have the duff edition."
Thanks!
I don't have an audiobook edition so I don't have the flawed edition - I have the free public domain Kindle edition ('bought' back in 2012). However, I was chatting with a friend about the audiobook edition just yesterday and she mentioned that flaw.
The only one I have read is The Secret Agent, and to be honest I found that a bit of a struggle, but maybe I'd appreciate it more now.
Reading the 20th Century
Books mentioned in this topic
The Secret Agent (other topics)Heart of Darkness (other topics)
The Secret Agent (other topics)
The Secret Agent (other topics)
The Rover (other topics)
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The Secret Agent (1907) by Joseph Conrad
The Secret Agent is based on an actual attempt made in 1894 to blow up the Greenwich Observatory. A labyrinth of greed, corruption, and betrayal, it is the most darkly humorous of all Conrad's tales.
It follows a European secret agent, Adolf Verloc, 'a London shop owner' with anarchist leanings who becomes reluctantly involved in a plot to blow up the Greenwich Observatory. Full of great characters, melodramatic irony and psychological intrigue the tale is far from simple, involving politicians, policemen, foreign diplomats and London's fashionable society.
This classic was written at a time when terrorist activity was increasing. Due to its themes of anarchism, espionage, and terrorism, the book still retains great interest from its audience and was regularly cited by the American media after the September 11 attacks. The New York Times described it as acquiring 'a kind of cult status as the classic novel for the post-9/11 age.'
Though the story did not attain popularity during Conrad's lifetime it is still considered to be one of his finest novels.
Narrator Biography: Having studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, David Horovitch has had a television career spanning over 40 years. One of his most notable roles was in 1984 as Detective Inspector Slack in the first BBC Miss Marple adaptation The Body in the Library. Due to the success of his character, he returned for four Christmas specials. He has had roles in other shows such as Just William (1994), Foyle’s War (2002) and Wire in the Blood (2005) as well as film appearances in The Young Victoria (2009), 102 Dalmatians (2000), The Infiltrator (2016) and Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner (2014). A long time star of the stage, in 2015 he played the role of George Frideric Handel in All the Angels by Nick Drake at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. As well as narrating numerous audiobooks David Horovitch narrated Audible’s multicast drama The Oedipus Plays.
...I came across a very interesting article in yesterday's Guardian