Classic Authors: Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad found adventure and excitement on the high seas, experiences which he then wound into stories. Although he wanted to be more than just a storyteller, it is for these sea adventures that he is known. Take a peek at an incredible life . . .

Although Joseph Conrad wrote his novels in English, it was not his mother tongue. In fact, Joseph was born in the Ukranian town of Berdichov on December 3, 1857. His Polish parents named him Jozef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Kozeniowski, which he would eventually change to simply Joseph Conrad. He was an only child.

As a young boy, Joseph became acquainted with grief and sorrow. His father, a Polish revolutionary patriot, was arrested by Russian authorities for conspiracy. The family moved to Vologda in Northern Russia, where they lived in exile. Only four years later, Joseph's mother died of tuberculosis on April 18, 1865. His father also died of tuberculosis, four years after his wife. Joseph now became an orphan. Luckily for him, he became the ward of his maternal uncle, a wealthy landowner. His uncle's money allowed Joseph to live well, traveling and gambling.

Joseph's uncle arranged for him to be educated by a young medical student. Although Joseph was more interested in the sea than in learning, he and his tutor romped about, visiting Bavaria, Austria and Italy. Joseph gave up school altogether in 1874 when he was only 16 years old. Although he was Polish, he would have been forced to join the Russian army because he was the son of a political convict; he wanted desperately to escape this fate. He applied for Austrian citizenship so he could join their navy, but was refused. In October of 1874, he traveled by train to Marseilles, leaving Poland and his commitment to the Russian army behind him.

In Marseilles, Joseph's health improved (he had been ill since childhood), and he was able to learn French, seamanship and how to spend his uncle's money. Although friends introduced him to the theater and opera, he seemed most at home on a ship. He began his sea-faring life as an apprentice, becoming an observer on harbor pilot boats. Within the next few years, he sailed on 3 voyages, first as a passenger, then as an apprentice seaman, then as a steward. Although he longed to sail on a fourth voyage, he became ill and was not able to go.

Instead, Joseph stayed in Marseilles, where he sank into severe debt. Gambling, overspending and speculative investing ate up the funds his uncle had given him. Finally, he staged his own death, hoping to ward off his creditors. He clumsily shot himself in the foot, which brought his uncle racing to his rescue.

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