“You fight, work, sweat, nearly kill yourself, sometimes do kill yourself, trying to accomplish something — and you can’t. Not from any fault of yours. You simply can do nothing, neither great nor little — not a thing in the world — not even marry an old maid, or get a wretched 600-ton cargo of coal to its port of destination.”

Polish-British novelist and short story writer

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He became one of the major figures in English-language fiction, even though he did not speak English fluently until his twenties. He is remembered for the force and style of his prose, and for bringing a non-English perspective into English literature. His work helped shape modern literary fiction through its precision, atmosphere, and distinctive narrative voice.