My Short List
Posted by Ken on July 02, 1998 at 11:32:13:
In response to Nostromo, &c., written by Marie-Bernadette on June 30, 1998 at 17:08:39
] I missed the first episode of Nostromo that aired on Masterpiece Theater a while ago, but taped the other two and just finished watching it last night. Has anyone read the book? What about Conrad's other works? So far, I have read his short story "The Duel" and liked it very much as I thought it clever.
Conrad is one of the undeniable greats, certainly of this century, and of the end of the last, but as well for all time, IMHO. He's definitely on my short list of masters of the English language, quite a feat considering that English was his third language (after his native Polish & French). Nostromo the book is better than the miniseries, IMHO, although both take some getting into before you settle down to the story. Others of great importance would be Victory, Lord Jim, The Secret Agent, Under Western Eyes, and a slew of shorter works, including most notably Heart of Darkness (which Coppola butchered fairly badly as Apocalypse Now--the idea was good, but the execution stunk), "The Secret Sharer", "The Nigger of the Narcisus", etc. That's not even a quarter of his production, but I forget the rest )-: Character, and how it is tried and/or redeemed is a biggie in Conrad, and the savage in all of us is never far from the surfaces he exposes.
YHOS,
Snarkhunter
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