Joseph Conrad The Nigger of the Narcissus

“The black man was calm, impassive, majestic, superb. The crew members had approached and gathered around him. He towered over the tallest by half a head. He said, ‘I am signed on this ship.’ He pronounced these words distinctly, with calm and precision. The deep, booming tone of his voice immediately filled the deck. He was naturally disdainful, condescending without affectation, as if from his height of six foot four he could see how great human folly is and had decided not to exploit it.”

Published in 1897, The Nigger of the Narcissus is Conrad’s third novel and the first among his important works. Based on a real voyage from Bombay to London, undertaken by the author as the captain of a merchant ship, the novel is probably, according to Henry James’s definition, “the best and most impressive representation of the sea and life on board in English literature – a masterpiece of the highest level.”