Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski (as he was born in 1857) is one of the most compelling and complex figures in English literature. His own life was as astonishing as any of his novels: born in the Ukraine of Polish parents, after a childhood in exile and a 20-year career as a merchant seaman, he began in middle age to write in English, the language of his newly adopted country. The Oxford Reader"s Companion to Conrad represents a unique and long-overdue achievement in Conrad scholarship: the first comprehensive and authoritative reference to distil in a lively, readable way a vast range of information on Joseph Conrad"s life, works, reputation, and the historical and cultural contexts in which he lived. Much of the material in the Companion is entirely new, compiled from scattered Conrad resources, many of which have never been published before. Produced by two of the world"s leading Conradians, with the help of specialist contributors, here are the latest findings of modern scholarship captured in an unparalleled resource for all Conrad enthusiasts.