Undisputed Classic 3

19^th Century Classic. This 1898 collection of novellas and one short story just meets the deadline for this category.

Tales of Unrest - Joseph Conrad

This collection was the first by Conrad that was published in his lifetime, only three years after he quit seafaring to write full time. The Penguin edition is out of print apparently, though the stories are bundled with Heart of Darkness in other editions by other publishers. The novellas are not Conrad 's best but readers interested in Conrad's development as a writer should check out Conrad 's introduction, Karain, a Memory and An Outpost of Progress.

Karain, A Memory. A Malay chief and his trusty retainer go after a local woman who has eloped with a European. The pair have unhappy encounters with the colonial world made by the Europeans, one in which traditional beliefs have no place. Still the chief is haunted literally and seeks charms from the whites. An excellent story of hope with a fine sense of place.

The Idiots. A couple in the countryside has four developmentally disabled children in a row. This strains their marriage and drives the free thinking husband into the arms of the church which he formerly distrusted. Again a fine evocation of place and scene but melodramatic and the repeated use of the word “halfwit” gets under our postmodern skin.

An Outpost of Progress. Two Belgian losers are assigned to a lonely trading post that is vulnerable to local unrest. All around them is a suggestion of things vague, uncontrollable and repulsive whose discomposed intrusion tries the civilized nerves faced with moral choices. They do the wrong thing and the strain of constant contact with the unusual sends them around the bend. Anybody who has experienced culture shock will enjoy this novella

The Return. A narrative of the inner workings of the minds of a couple whose marriage is breaking up. Conrad's intention is to painstakingly recreate the thought processes of the principles. He achieves great effects in some passages but it feels long and is ultimately exhausting.

The Lagoon. This is not a novella but a short story, Conrad’s first one. This will seem familiar to readers who have read Heart and Jim. “There is no light and no peace in the world; but there is death—death for many.”