The Arrow of Gold A Story Between Two Notes

by Joseph Conrad

Overview

Reflecting Conrad's genius for narrative that focuses on the quest for inner truths, The Arrow of Gold is an exploration of the dangerous appetites of men and of human vulnerability, as well as a profound meditation on the emotional boundary between people. During the Carlist war of the early 1870s, a young sailor, the unnamed protagonist, joins the champions of Don Carlos de Bourbon, pretender to the throne of Spain. The Carlists use the eager youth's intense attraction to the sea to persuade him to run perilous enterprises for their cause, ventures he later learns have been financed by the beautiful mistress and heiress of a rich man's fortune. Although not as well known as his earlier novels Lord Jim and Nostromo, The Arrow of Gold was critically acclaimed when it first appeared in 1919 and is still considered to be among the best of Conrad's later works. (goodreads)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783985314980
Publisher:	Otbebookpublishing
Publication date:	10/08/2021
Series:	Classics To Go
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	247
File size:	972 KB

About the Author

Joseph Conrad, born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski on December 3, 1857, in Berdychiv, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), is a towering figure in English literature, despite English being his third language. Orphaned early, Conrad's tumultuous childhood was marked by political exile and the death of his parents, Polish patriots who opposed Russian rule. This early exposure to displacement and struggle profoundly influenced his worldview and literary themes.Conrad's seafaring career began at age 16, taking him across the globe and providing rich material for his novels and stories. His maritime experiences, particularly in the Congo, deeply shaped his narrative style and thematic concerns, often exploring the darkness within the human soul and the complexities of colonialism.Controversially, Conrad's works have been critiqued for their portrayal of race and imperialism, sparking debates about his perspectives on colonialism and his depiction of non-European characters. Despite this, his narrative techniques, such as unreliable narrators and non-linear storytelling, revolutionized modernist literature and influenced contemporaries like T.S. Eliot and later writers including William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez.Conrad's exploration of existential dread, moral ambiguity, and the human condition resonates with modern readers, offering a profound critique of the human experience. His ability to weave complex psychological landscapes with vivid, often harsh, realities of life at sea and in colonial territories ensures his enduring legacy in the literary canon.
Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski); 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-British writer regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language. Though he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he came to be regarded a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. Conrad wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of what he saw as an impassive, inscrutable universe.

Date of Birth:

December 3, 1857

Date of Death:

August 3, 1924

Place of Birth:

Berdiczew, Podolia, Russia

Place of Death:

Bishopsbourne, Kent, England

Education:

Tutored in Switzerland. Self-taught in classical literature. Attended maritime school in Marseilles, France