The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 17 February 1998
by Joseph Conrad
Based on an actual bombing attempt against the Greenwich Observatory (though where bombs failed, budget cuts much later succeeded), Conrad's novel describes an anarchist conspiracy which goes awry. The book seems to be a satire for a good portion, but the tale turns dark and the book ends like a Shakespearean tragedy. This is the story of Adolf Verloc, his wife Winnie, and her brother Stevie. Adolf is a secret agent of all sorts, informing on the English anarchist movement, while carrying out its "outrages". Winnie is his long-suffering, quiet, but thoughtful Victorian wife. Stevie is a sad, harmless and unstable boy. A Russian embassy worker, attempting to provoke repressive measures against the anarchists in England, coerces Verloc into planning the bombing. But from there, we learn of the agent's home life, as well, a dark portrayal of Victorian life. Conrad's characters are very well developed and his political intrigue is provocative and foreshadowing of events to come later (this book was published in 1907). This is certainly one of Conrad's finest works. It has been reported that the Unabomber used characters in this novel as his models, and the book is much-cited in modern discussions of terrorism.
Also by Joseph Conrad: [Lord Jim]
See also: [Stevenson's The Dynamiter]