Joseph Conrad: (Critical Lives)

About the Book

An original interpretation of Joseph Conrad's life of writing

Born in Poland in 1857, Joseph Conrad is one of the great writers of the twentieth century. This book traces Conrad's life from his childhood in a Russian penal colony, through his early manhood in Marseille and his years in the British Merchant Navy, to a career as a novelist. It describes how these experiences inspired Conrad's work, from his early Malay novels to his best-known work, Heart of Darkness. Robert Hampson discusses Conrad's important relations with other writers, including Henry James and Ford Madox Ford, as well as his late-life political engagements and his relationships with women. 

Featuring new interpretations of all of Conrad's major works, this is an original interpretation of Conrad's life of writing.

About the Author :
Robert Hampson is Research Fellow at the University of London’s Institute for English Studies. He is the Chair of the Joseph Conrad Society (UK) and the author of three monographs on Conrad.

Review :
"Robert Hampson’s study is comparatively slim, at around 200 pages. Yet, the most distilled of Conrad’s biographies, it creates its own distinctive image of this constant searcher after le mot juste." - Times Literary Supplement
"a testament to the interest and passion Conrad continues to generate among readers." - Washington Examiner
"A well-done literary biography of Conrad . . . This book will be particularly useful to students and instructors who are looking for a way into Conrad’s works, but because of the various unique insights Hampson provides concerning Conrad’s life and works, the book has value for Conrad scholars as well. Highly recommended." - Choice
"an original interpretation of Conrad's life of writing." - English Association Newsletter
"In this compact, almost pocket-sized and very affordable work, the author, who needs no introduction, has, by some mysterious alchemy, distilled all the salient features of Conrad's extraordinary life and output into a scholarly yet very readable narrative . . . This book, which is emphatically not "Conrad-lite" but powerful "Essence of Conrad", can be unreservedly recommended as the critical biography of Conrad for students, teachers and non-specialist readers, and even the most experienced and – dare i say – jaded Conradians will find refreshing new insights. It should be on the bookshelves of anyone interested in Conrad, the writer and the man." - Helen Chambers, Last Post
"By carefully constructing a lucid and compelling account of the author. Hampson's Joseph Conrad meets the need for an authoritative, accessible and concise guide to Conrad's life and work." - James Ward, Joseph Conrad Today
"Designed for the student and the general reader, Robert Hampson’s short biography of Conrad opens with a survey of the shifting literary reputation of the novelist, who has been widely acknowledged as a master stylist and innovator in the emerging 20th-century modern novel . . . the general reader will find Hampson’s engaging account an encouragement to read the novels of a man who saw his power as designed to make his reader to hear, feel and “above all to make you see.”" - Morning Star
"a well-written, encyclopaedic overview of the surprising ‘splash’ in English letters made by a Polish seaman and immigrant a century ago, bringing the reader up to speed not only on the diverse views taken of his oeuvre by British and American schools of interpretation but also of recent discoveries that cast an unexpected light on matters long thought settled." - Patrick Madigan, The Heythrop Journal
"A superlative achievement! I cannot recommend this highly enough." - Jana Giles, Endowed Professor of English, University of Louisiana at Monroe
"Concise, lucid, balanced, precise and reliable, the book interweaves skilfully the analyses of the literary works and the unfolding of Conrad’s life. What results is a clear, proficient and moving account of a complex and exemplary genius." - Cedric Watts, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Sussex and author of 'Joseph Conrad: A Literary Life (1989)'
"Insightful, judicious, and elegant, Joseph Conrad marvelously distills a lifetime of learning by one of the world’s leading Conrad scholars. This is the best short guide to Conrad’s life available." - Maya Jasanoff, Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard University and author of 'The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World' (2017)
"Robert Hampson’s Conrad book, in Reaktion's Critical Lives series, is based on years of reading, thinking and researching. Biography is so often a redundant form – in this short book, it's incisive. Chapters on France; the Polish background; publishing history and money; some gently sharp rethinks on Conrad and women. I am on a slow read through of all Conrad, it's great to find a book that provides so precisely what is needed – in just 182 pages." - Ian Hunt, Lecturer in Critical Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London