In The Secret Agent, a Soho shopkeeper is a member of a terrorist cell, supported by a foreign power, plotting to undermine the English state by means of a bomb plot. Published in 1907, it is considered to be among Conrad’s finest novels, written at a time when he was moving away from the seafaring themes which he was known for. Prescient in its depictions of terrorism and political instability, it has become mandatory reading for anyone wishing to understand terrorism and counterterrorism in the 20th century.
Circa l’autore
Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) is regarded as one of the greatest novelists of the English language. He wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of an impassive, inscrutable universe. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many authors, including T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, and Graham Greene. Many films have been adapted from, or inspired by, Conrad’s works, including Francis Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, which was inspired by Heart of Darkness.