Conrad Under Familial Eyes

This volume brings together a wide range of letters and documents which collectively shed a great deal of light on Joseph Conrad''s cultural roots a subject of growing interest in recent years. The texts have been edited by Professor Zdzislaw Najder one of the most eminent of Conrad scholars and translated by Halina Carroll-Najder. Very few of the texts collected here have been made available in English before; many have never appeared in the original Polish. The texts are grouped according to the events and subjects referred to. A significant collection of letters by Conrad''s parents is particularly revealing. His mother Ewa emerges as a deeply patriotic and religious woman who was intensely loyal to her husband. His father Apollo was a complex man; proud self-centered even opinionated he was a poet and writer of satirical comedies as well as being an outspoken democrat and fierce patriot. A different influence on the young Conrad was exerted by his uncle - guardian Tadeusz Bobrowski a levelheaded rationalist and enlightened liberal; numerous fragments of his memoirs are included in the book. His book will be an essential tool of reference for all serious students of Conrad.