Joseph Conrad's second book, An Outcast of the Islands, which was released in 1896, was influenced by the mate-ship experience Conrad had on the steamship Vidar. The plot of the book centers on Peter Willems, a dishonest and unscrupulous character who, fleeing a scandal in Makassar, seeks refuge in a secret native hamlet but betrays his sponsors out of a passion for the tribal chief's daughter. Along with other characters from previous novels, Tom Lingard, a recurring figure in the plot, also appears in Almayer's Folly (1895) and The Rescue (1920). Many people think it is an unappreciated piece of literature. In a similar manner to his Heart of Darkness, Conrad romanticizes the jungle and its inhabitants. Outcast of the Islands, directed by Carol Reed in 1951, was based on this book. Trevor Howard played Willems, Ralph Richardson played Lingard, Robert Morley played Robert, and Wendy Hiller played Wendy. The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot contains a statement from the novel that reads, "Life is very long."
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist, considered as one of the prominent novelists to write in the English language. He was born on 3 December 1857. Though he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he came to be considered a master prose stylist who guide a non-English sensibility into English literature. He was assigned British nationality in 1886 but always regarded himself a Pole. He enrolled the French Merchant Marine and began to work on British ships, learning English from his shipmates. He was made a master mariner and worked more than sixteen years before an event motivated him to try his hand at writing. He wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that represents trials of the human spirit in the middle of an unexpressive, transparent universe. During his lifetime Conrad was praised for the assets of his prose and his offerings of dangerous life at sea and in foreign places. His works include the novels Almayer's Folly (1895), Lord Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904), and The Secret Agent (1907) and the short story 'Heart of Darkness ' (1902). He died in August 1924.
