Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad
Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad
12 Rating(s)
List: $22.95 | Sale: $16.07
Club: $11.47

Lord Jim

Author: Joseph Conrad

Narrator: Frederick Davidson

Unabridged: 13 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/14/2010


Synopsis

This is a novel about a man's lifelong efforts to atone for an act of instinctive cowardice. Young Jim, chief mate of the Patna, dreams of being a hero. He has taken to the seas with the hopes of adventure and the chance to prove his mettle. When the Patna threatens to sink and the cowardly officers decide to save their own skins and escape in the few lifeboats, Jim despises them. But at the last moment, dazed by horror and confusion, he joins them, deserting the eight hundred Muslim passengers to apparent death.Tormented by this act of cowardice and desertion, Jim flees west after being stripped of his rank. Living among the natives in Patusan, a remote trading post in the jungle, he is able to cease sacrificing himself on the altar of conscience. When he defends Patusan against the evil "Gentleman Brown," his efforts create order and well-being, thereby winning the respect and affection of the people for whom he becomes Tuan, or Lord Jim.With its rich descriptions of an unknown, exotic world and beautifully constructed prose, Lord Jim is considered one of Conrad's greatest works.

About Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad (Józef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski) (1857–1924) was born in Ukraine. Raised by an uncle after the death of his parents, he educated himself by reading widely in Polish and French. At age twenty-one he began a long career sailing the seas on French merchant vessels, after which he went to London and began writing, using the romance and adventure of his own life for his incomparable sea novels.

About Frederick Davidson

Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Vit on October 15, 2023

Since antiquity, seafaring is covered with mists of mystery – from The Odyssey to Moby-Dick or, the Whale – perils and wonders of the sea, unknown distant shores, bountiful climes. A seafaring novel Lord Jim is an array of colourful types but first of all it is a profound psychological tale of person......more

Goodreads review by Henry on January 10, 2021

Jim, no other name is given except the rather pretentious one of Lord, which he acquires later on. A son of an English clergyman, who seeks adventure, among other things at sea. And becomes the first mate of the rusty, old, local steamer Patna at the age of 23. Going from port to port, mostly in the......more

Goodreads review by A.E. on February 05, 2021

This is the book I most often recommend to others. It has a near-perfect balance of character, plot, and theme, which is almost impossible to find and very powerful. I also find it inspiring that English was Joseph Conrad’s third language. He wrote exceptional, elegant prose. Joseph Conrad’s books a......more

Goodreads review by Jango on September 06, 2007

So much to say about this novel. One one hand it's an adventure tale, but on the other it's a harbinger of the modern novel, told from various points of view, creating an almost cubist vision of one man's struggle with guilt and morality. The prose is beautiful and the characters fascinating, every......more

Goodreads review by Megan on May 19, 2014

It has been over a week and a half since I last finished a book. This is so extremely unusual. I'm trying not to hold it agains the collection of books I've been reading that week in a half, but at times it's hard. I find myself eyeing Ulysses suspiciously, poke The Reality Dysfunction every once in......more


Quotes

“It is a book to make the world wider and deeper, a piece of life.” Guardian (London)

“Offers up not only linguistic pleasures but also a timeless exploration of morality…This is formidable porse by any standard. But when you consider Conrad was working in his third language…Lord Jim seems even more astonishing an accomplishment.” Amazon.com, editorial review

“Lord Jim belongs to no era because it is timeless, novelistic art at its most sublime…Narrator Frederick Davidson is nothing short of perfection in his portrayal of Marlowe’s complex persona.”  Library Journal

“One of the world’s literary masterpieces…Probably most of us come to feel what the text suggests: that we contain more potential lives than real life permits us to realize.” Cedric Watts, professor at the University of Sussex


Awards

  • Modern Library's 100 Best English-Language Novels of the Twentieth Century