Nostromo

One of the random classics lying around in my unread-books library, I recently picked up Nostromo by Joseph Conrad for no particular good reason. A great find it was though. Conrad tells the story of a fantasy Central American country, where putsches follow upon dictators follow upon putsches. His is a tale of the greed for money and power (but also love, if only for one character) and how it determines people's choices while leading to dubious individual outcomes. Ironically, one could argue that his happy ending is, well, a bit too happy to be realistic. Another sticking point for me was the inherent racism of his portrayal of indigenous or creole citizens of this non-existing republic. Conrad might have been opposed to colonialism, he is not devoid of his times' attitude towards non-White, non-Western people(s). Yet, a very enjoyable read, exploring the depravities of human life.

Lord Jim

I very much enjoyed reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness so when I saw Lord Jim lying around in some bookstore, I picked it up. Of course it took me about a year to actually read it, but I finally did. Again I really enjoyed it too. Conrad tells the story of a young man who fails miserably at the first test of strength in his life, and then spends his remaining years fleeing from civilization and into heroics in order to salvage what dignity he is left with.

While some of the imagery in regard to honor for example is very old-fashioned, and the portrayal of non-white people is simply distasteful, the general moral dilemma is a powerful one and Conrad does a very good job at detailing it.

Read it.