Joseph Conrad 
The Secret Agent 

Joseph Conrad’s dark satire on English society & a Political Novel first published in 1907.The story is set in London in 1886 and deals with Mr Adolf Verloc and his work as a spy for an unnamed country (presumably Russia). The novel is dedicated to H. G. Wells and deals broadly with anarchism, espionage and terrorism. It also deals with exploitation of the vulnerable in Verloc’s relationship with his brother-in-law Stevie, who has a learning difficulty. Conrads gloomy portrait of London depicted in the novel was influenced by Charles Dickens Bleak House.

About the author

Joseph Conrad (born Teodor Józef Konrad Korzeniowski, 3 December 1857 3 August 1924) was a Polish-born novelist. Some of his works have been labelled romantic: Conrad’s supposed ‘romanticism’ is heavily imbued with irony and a fine sense of man’s capacity for self-deception. Many critics regard Conrad as an important forerunner of Modernist literature. Conrad’s narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many writers, including Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, Graham Greene, Joseph Heller and Jerzy Kosinski, as well as inspiring such films as Apocalypse Now (which was drawn from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness).