Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad (December 3, 1857-August 3, 1924), Polish-born writer, is considered to be one of the greatest novelists in English literature despite the fact that English was not his native tongue. Conrad served in the British Merchant Navy for 16 years and used many of his experiences as a sailor in his sea stories and novels that explore different trials of the human spirit. Some of his best-known works include the novels Almayer's Folly (1895) and An Outcast of the Islands (1896), his famous novella Heart of Darkness (1899), and his short stories such as "Youth" (1902) and "The Secret Sharer" (1909). Many of his works have been made into or inspired films and operas.