Joseph Conrad(1857-1924)
- Writer
Joseph Conrad was born in Berdichev, Kiev Province, now the Ukraine, to
Polish parents Apollo Korzeniowski and Ewa Bobrowska. His father was a
political activist and he and his family were exiled after he was
suspected of involvement with revolutionary activities. Conrad had no
friends as a child and rarely associated with boys or girls. His mother
had always been a sickly person and died of tuberculosis in 1865.
Conrad's father sent him to live with his uncle and pursue his
education in France. Conrad's father died in 1869, also of
tuberculosis. Conrad became an officer on British ships and spent two
decades on various ships. Conrad was inspired to write "Heart of
Darkness" after voyaging to Congo in 1890. In 1894, Conrad published
his first novel and in 1896 he married Jessie George, an on-again
off-again girlfriend. Conrad had few friends in adulthood, mainly
fellow authors such as Stephen Crane and Henry James. Conrad died of a
heart attack in 1924.
