Three Sea Stories

Resumen del libro

As these three specially commissioned stories amply demonstrate, Conrad is our greatest writer of the sea. His characters are tested by dramatic events 'that show in the light of day the inner worth of a man, the edge of his temper, and the fibre of his stuff; that reveal the quality of his resistance and the secret stuff of his pretences, not only to others but also to himself'. In Typhoon, Conrad's funniest story, Captain MacWhirr blunders into a hurricane that reveals the sea's treachery, violence and terror. Falk is desperate to get married, but first he must tell of his terrible experiences as sole survivor of a stricken ship that once drifted into the ice-caps of Antarctica. The Shadow-Line is a poignant and beautiful story. Written during the First World War and based on Conrad's fond evocation of his own first command, it expresses his solidarity with all who were obliged to cross in early youth the shadow-line of their war-torn generation. Includes a glossary of nautical terms.

Biografía del autor

JOSEPH CONRAD (Berdiczew, 1857 - Bishopsbourne, 1924), novelista británico originario de Polonia considerado uno de los más grandes escritores modernos. A los dieciséis abandonó Polonia rumbo a Marsella, donde inició su andadura como marino mercante. Temeroso de ser reclutado por el ejército zarista (era súbdito ruso de la Polonia ocupada), se trasladó a Londres en 1878, sin saber inglés. Dos años después aprobó el examen que lo convirtió en segundo oficial de la marina mercante. Navegó durante toda la década siguiente, particularmente por los mares del sur, el archipiélago malayo, África y el río Congo, experiencias que se reflejarían en su obra posterior. Escribió en total trece novelas, dos libros de memorias y una buena cantidad de relatos