Record Number: 28945

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Throughout his career Conrad was haunted by the idea of writing a Napoleonic novel, for which he did a prodigious amount of background reading.[...] However it was not until June 1920 that he eventually started to write "Suspense", and early in 1921 he spent two months in Corsica to saturate himself in Napoleonic atmosphere, revive memories of harbours and sailors and do further background reading, as the list of books borrowed from the Ajaccio library, recorded by Jean-Aubry, indicates.' [see note 118, p.316]

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 4 Feb 1921 and 27 Mar 1921

Country:

France (Corsica)

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Ajaccio
county: (now Corse-du-Sud)
specific address: Grand Hotel d'Ajaccio et Continental

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Joseph Conrad

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

3 Dec 1857

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry
'Szlachta', or Polish landed gentry/nobility

Occupation:

Master mariner and author

Religion:

Roman Catholic

Country of Origin:

Poland

Country of Experience:

France (Corsica)

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Jean Rapp

Title:

Mémoires écrits par lui-même

Genre:

Autobiog / Diary

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

originally published 1823, revised and annotated edition 1895 by Désiré Lacroix

Provenance

borrowed (public library)

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

28945

Source:

Print

Author:

Yves Hervouet

Editor:

n/a

Title:

The French Face of Joseph Conrad

Place of Publication:

Cambridge

Date of Publication:

1990

Vol:

n/a

Page:

255, 316

Additional Comments:

The author cites the English translation of G. Jean-Aubry's biography, "The Sea Dreamer" (1957), p.279.

Citation:

Yves Hervouet, The French Face of Joseph Conrad , (Cambridge, 1990), p. 255, 316, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=28945, accessed: 22 November 2024

---

Additional Comments:

This is a secondary source derived from another secondary source (Jean-Aubry). There is no specific reference to this reading in Conrad's letters from Ajaccio.