A Personal Record

Joseph Conrad (3 Dec 1857 – 3 Aug 1924) was an English writer of Polish origin and though he wrote his works in English he always considered himself a Pole. His stories often have nautical setting which is a typical feature of adventure stories. A symbolic meaning can be found in this idea: the author traces the fates of people in the indifferent and strange world.

A Personal Record or "fragment of biography" is the second autobiographical memoirs of Joseph Conrad. It simultaneously documents and fictionalizes Conrad's early life and first steps of his naval and writing career. It is also an artistic and political manifesto. A Personal Record gives great insight into the man who wrote the classic "Heart of Darkness" and pictures his road to the writing profession.