The Brute

Born in 1857 in Poland, Joseph Conrad became a British citizen just before he turned 30. In the intervening years he lost both parents; as an orphan aged 11 he was therefore raised by an uncle, who at 16 let the boy go to Marseille to work on merchant ships where the colourful life of the sea was further enhanced by stints gun running and, intriguingly, political conspiracy. At age 36 his life turned from one of ships to one of literary pursuit. In doing so Conrad brought to English Literat...