Read more
Aboard the
Narcissus, a merchant ship bound from Bombay to London, a West Indian sailor lies ill from a severe case of tuberculosis. While some of the crew are happy to take on more work in order to let him rest, others debate the seriousness of the man's condition.
The Children of the Sea is a novella by Joseph Conrad.
About the author
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was a Polish-British novelist. Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, he was the son of Apollo Korzeniowski, a Polish poet and revolutionary. Conrad's childhood was marked by ill health and constant travel due to his father's political commitments, and he was placed in the care of his uncle following Apollo's death in 1869. In 1874, he was sent to Marseilles to pursue a career as a merchant marine, which he continued until 1893, when he first settled in London. By this time, he had already begun his first novel,
Almayer's Folly (1895), which earned him a reputation as an adventure writer. Struggling to establish himself as an English writer, facing xenophobia and financial stress, Conrad nevertheless produced some of the greatest literary works of his era, including
Heart of Darkness (1899),
Lord Jim (1900),
Nostromo (1904) and
The Secret Agent (1907). Recognized as a pioneering figure of early modernism, Conrad also collaborated with English novelist Ford Madox Ford on three acclaimed novels:
The Inheritors (1901),
Romance (1903), and
The Nature of a Crime (1924). Controversial for his depictions of colonialism and imperialism, Conrad has been alternatively viewed as a racist and opponent of racism by scholars, many of whom set their arguments alongside Chinua Achebe's influential essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness,'" a central text of postcolonial criticism.
Summary
The Children of the Sea (1897) is a novella by Joseph Conrad. The story originally appeared with a title featuring a racial slur, a subject of controversy even before Chinua Achebe published his monumental essay “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness.’” Often considered the first major work of Conrad’s career, The Children of the Sea is often read as an allegory on the dangers of individualism and the moral shortcomings of modern humanity. The novella is also notable for its preface, in which Conrad provides a brief-yet-stirring manifesto on the art of literature: “A work that aspires, however humbly, to the condition of art should carry its justification in every line.” On board the Narcissus, a merchant ship bound from Bombay to London, a West Indian man by the name of James Wait lies below deck suffering from tuberculosis. Because of the sudden onset of his illness, some of the sailors believe he is faking his condition in order to avoid work. When the ship capsizes in a storm near the Cape of Good Hope, a group of brave men goes below deck to rescue Wait from near-certain death. As the weather improves enough for the Narcissus to be righted, suspicion regarding the Afro-Caribbean man’s health threatens a mutiny among the crew. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Joseph Conrad’s The Children of the Sea is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.
