An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad

Ahoy, Matey

"Joseph Conrad has generally been regarded as a novelist with "dual" Polish and English national affinities. This study argues for a triple identity by introducing the French face of Conrad's work, demonstrating that his knowledge of the French language and its literature has profound implications for the study of the novels. Yves Hervouet documents chronologically the influence of French authors including Flaubert, Maupassant and Anatole France, building up a picture of Conrad at work. This first large-scale account of Conrad's involvement with a French literary, aesthetic and philosophical tradition provokes an important reassessment of his creative originality. It should have a major impact on Conrad scholarship, and as a study of cross-cultural influence, it will be of interest to all students of comparative literature in the period."

Surprise! After 2 1/2 years of Zola in Les Deux Magots, we jump to Conrad. Francophiles can use the above as a loose connection.

I want to jump to a trilogy, something manageable, that fits snuggly into our expanded literary canon. For those who read "The End of the Tether", the next three Conrad tales we cover all take place in the Malaysian archipelago.

Be warned; this trilogy of raw Joseph Conrad novels is not for everyone. It is for those who appreciate Conrad's sublime writing, precise description, otherworldly vocabulary, and impeccable prose. As confounding as some of the colonialist themes/stereotypical characters are to the modern reader, if you see the Conrad oeuvre as worthy of reading in its entirety, join us!

We embark with the Lingard Trilogy (to be clear, we will read 3 Conrad novels and then jump, not all of them now). Conrad wrote three novels with the gregarious Captain Thomas Lingard. This character played a role in his first and second published novels, Almayer's Folly, and An Outcast of the Islands.

An Outcast of the Islands is Conrad's second novel, published in 1896, a year after Almayer's Folly. It tells the tale of Peter Willems, a clerk from Macassar who runs into trouble and is granted a second chance at a remote trading post. Many of the characters from Almayer's Folly, including Tom Lingard, find their way into the story. The novel is a little under 300 pages.

This looks like a low-budget reprint on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/eIrp7uu

I'd recommend scouring for a vintage/used copy.