A Personal Record

Joseph Conrads autobiographical piece A Personal Record sometimes known as a fragment of the biography was released in 1912. Additionally it has been printed under the heading A Personal Record: Some Recollections and Some Recollections. Although notoriously untrustworthy and rambling in style it is the main source of information regarding the authors life in the modern era. It talks of his childhood in Russian Poland sailing in Marseille the influence of his uncle Tadeusz Bobrowski and the making of Almayers Folly. In addition to being a moody work of art it offers a glimpse of how Conrad wanted to be perceived by his British audience. The Familiar Preface which Conrad penned for it has the frequently quoted words: Those who read me know my opinion that the universe the temporal world relies on a few very simple notions; they are so simple that they must be as old as the hills. It is largely founded on the concept of fidelity among other things. For the Doubleday collected edition of his works (released in 1920) Conrad included a new Authors Note to A Personal Record in which he detailed his friendship with the British colonial administrator and author Hugh Clifford.