The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad (The Cambridge Edition of the Letters of Joseph Conrad) (Volume 3) [Hardcover]

Joseph Conrad (Author), Frederick R. Karl (Editor), Laurence Davies (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 1988 | ISBN-10: 0521323878 | ISBN-13: 978-0521323871

The period covered by the third volume of a projected eight marks the years when Conrad stood at the height of his powers. It was during this time that he completed Nostromo and The Secret Agent. Yet, it was also a time of great personal unhappiness: his plans for leisurely, contemplative work were constantly interrupted by dangerous illnesses in the family, his own bad health, financial worries, and the pleas of editors desperate for copy. Conrad maintained his correspondence with old friends such as Galsworthy, Wells, and Ford, and developed a number of new friendships. This is also the period when Conrad became absorbed in political fiction, reflected in an intriguing series of letters dealing with Poland, the Congo, Latin America, and censorship. As always, the letters to his agent J.B. Pinker provide a detailed--and largely unpublished--account of the writer's monthly and weekly plans and literary commitments.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The scholarly wealth and care of this edition, the clarity of lay-out and secondary material are beyond praise. This represents the archival energy of American scholarship at its finest." George Steiner, The Sunday Times

"These letters are impeccably edited and presented...To anyone interested in the history of fiction writing or the emergence of modernism, they are indispensable." Tony Tanner, The Times Higher Education Supplement

"One of the advantages of this new collection -- besides that of providing accurate texts of unpublished correspondence and of the many letters that have long been available in unreliable editions -- is that it enables us to appreciate the extent to which some of Conrad's letters are themselves part of his achievement at a prose writer." Louis Menand, The New York Review of Books

"Altogether, this volume (like the preceding ones already published in this edition) is a book that anyone interested in Joseph Conrad's emergence as a major English novelist will wish to have. It will certainly become an indispensable guide and invaluable source for literary scholars: the editorial principles on which it is based are clearly indicated and scrupulously observed; the scholarly apparatus itself is impressively thorough and careful, without being obtrusive or distracting." Brian Thomas, Conradiana

Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 29, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521323878
• ISBN-13: 978-0521323871
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,332,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)