The Astonishing Life of Joseph Conrad

Just added to our August calendar ~ you won't want to miss this!

The Astonishing Life of Joseph Conrad
with Conrad scholar Laurence Davies
Tuesday August 28th at 7:00 pm at the Hancock Town Library

This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Conrad, author of Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, The Secret Agent, and many other extraordinary novels, essays, and short stories reflecting his experiences as the son of political prisoners, an exile from Poland and Ukraine, and a sailor. His work under sail and steam took him to many places, among them Borneo, Thailand, Australia, Martinique, Mauritius, and the Belgian Congo. Shortly after leaving the sea and publishing his first novel, he settled in rural England, where he took up the challenge of making a new life as a writer.

Laurence Davies is Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. For many years, he taught at Dartmouth, and has returned there for the summer as Visiting Professor of Comparative Literature.

Laurence has been editing the collected letters of Joseph Conrad for Cambridge University Press; Volumes Eight and Nine, the last two in the series, will appear later this year, just in time for the birthday celebrations. He will tell the story of Conrad's remarkable career, introduce his works, and discuss their significance for modern readers.