Nostromo

by Joseph Conrad Narrated by LibriVox Community

Overview

Señor Gould is a native Costaguanan of English descent who owns the silver-mining concession in Sulaco. He is tired of the political instability in Costaguana and its concomitant corruption, and puts his weight behind the Ribierist project, which he believes will finally bring stability to the country after years of misrule and tyranny by self-serving dictators. Instead, the silver mine and the wealth it has generated become a magnet for local warlords to fight over, plunging Costaguana into a new round of chaos. Among others, the revolutionary Montero invades Sulaco; Señor Gould, adamant that his silver should not become spoil for his enemies, entrusts it to Nostromo, the trusted "capataz de los cargadores" (head longshoreman).

Nostromo is an Italian expatriate who has risen to that position through his daring exploits. ("Nostromo" is Italian for "mate" or "boatswain," as well as a contraction of nostro uomo - "our man.") He is so named by his employer, Captain Mitchell. "Nostromo's" real name is Giovanni Battista Fidanza - Fidanza meaning "trust" in archaic Italian.

Nostromo is what would today be called a shameless self-publicist. He is believed by Señor Gould to be incorruptible, and for this reason is entrusted with hiding the silver from the revolutionaries. He accepts the mission not out of loyalty to Señor Gould, but rather because he sees an opportunity to increase his own fame. (Summary from Wikipedia)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Ruth Nadelhaft’s new edition of Nostromo is a timely addition to the Broadview Editions series. Without neglecting the traditional critical and biographical approaches, the supplementary materials and lucid introduction place Conrad’s difficult masterpiece fully and clearly within its contemporary contexts (especially the events surrounding the Panama Canal project), and in relation to our own debates about imperialism, colonials, and alleged racism in Conrad’s work. Broadview’s Nostromo, like its companion volumes, is truly a text for the way we teach now.” — David Latané Jr., Virginia Commonwealth University

“Nadelhaft negotiates the impasse between existential and political responses to the book. In reaffirming that the personal is the political, she demonstrates how Nostromo represents the process whereby ‘imperialism transmits the virus of alienation.’ Joined with the historical apparatus so characteristic of Broadview Editions, such theorizing genuinely reopens a book that hasn’t yet received its due.” — Michael Coyle, Colgate University

MARCH 2011 - AudioFile

Often praised as one of Joseph Conrad’s greatest novels, NOSTROMO tells the tumultuous history of the fictional country Costaguana. Conrad’s “perfectly incorruptible” Nostromo, a heroic symbol within the community, eventually reveals the novel’s dark irony. British actor John Lee approaches his narration with a steady tone and expert attention to the text. What is especially masterful in Lee’s reading is his array of accents for Conrad’s collage of characters—from the English and Italian transplants to the passionate native inhabitants. All are wonderfully portrayed by Lee, especially the polyglot Decoud, a Europeanized Costaguaneran whose accent fluctuates between French and Spanish. Lee takes Conrad’s dense and descriptive language in hand to produce an epic listening experience. D.M.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169448931
Publisher:	LibriVox
Publication date:	08/25/2014

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