Showing results for "Conrad" in Historical

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is an exploration of the nature of evil and how far a man can go towards it when released from the constraints of what can be called civilisation. Before beginning his life as a writer at the age of 36, Conrad spent 16 years as a merchant seaman. In 1889 he became captain of a steamboat in the Congo Free State, and the atrocities he witnessed there, perpetrated by the representatives of the Belgian colonial powers, led him to write what he called his Congo Diary.

"La folie et le désespoir ! Qu'on me donne cela comme levier, et je ferai bouger le monde". Verloc, espion infiltrant le milieu anarchiste, se voit sommé de commettre un attentat retentissant, sous peine de se voir retirer ses rétributions. Mais personne dans son entourage, à commencer par sa femme, ne sait rien de ses activités parallèles. Tout se gâte réellement lorsque Stevie, le frère attardé mental de la femme de M. Verloc, s'intéresse aux agissements de son beau-frère.

Il romanzo fu pubblicato nel 1907. La trama trae spunto da un fatto realmente accaduto nel 1894: un'esplosione in Greenwich Park, probabilmente dovuta ad un fallito attentato anarchico. "L'agente segreto" è considerato uno dei primi romanzi moderni a trattare temi quali il terrorismo e lo spionaggio. Una Londra umida e nebbiosa fa da cornice affascinante all'attenta analisi psicologica dei personaggi, e la scrittura elaborata e mai banale di Conrad non delude mai.

Southampton, 1910. When the Oceanic sets sail its ultimate destination is New York. But it must make one very important stop first: at Cherbourg, to pick up internationally renowned financier and art collector J. P. Morgan, fresh from a continental buying spree. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield, the ship’s detectives, are nervous about the presence of such an important passenger, not to mention his valuable cargo. After all, it is rare for a transatlantic voyage to pass without incident for the two sleuths.

New York, 1908. Private detectives George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield plan to take a break from work upon the Cunard Line’s fleet with the offer of employment upon the Minnesota, a freighter and passenger vessel, which is bound for the Far East. Although the pair are investigating the possibility of a smuggling operation on the route, at first all appears to be smooth sailing, but the voyage takes a dire turn when a fiery Catholic missionary is murdered and it proves to be the first in a series of crimes that plague the crossing.

November 1907. George Dillman and Genevieve Masefield sail from Liverpool to New York on the maiden voyage of the luxurious Mauretania. Employed by the Cunard Line again as private detectives, they pose as passengers on what proves to be a very eventful crossing. Dillman is instrumental in rescuing a crew member from being washed overboard in severe weather, but he is unable to save one of the first-class passengers from the same fate.

Die Ursprünge des Falls liegen weit in der Vergangenheit. In Vermissa Valley, einem ehrfurchtsvoll "Tal der Angst" genannten Landstrich in den USA. Dort versetzte eine abtrünnige Freimaurerloge die Bewohner in Angst und Schrecken. Und wie es scheint, reichen deren Verbindungen bis ins gegenwärtige London, wo Sherlock Holmes und sein amerikanischer Kollege Professor van Dusen versuchen, einen grausamen Mord aufzuklären. Doch ihr Gegner ist schlau. Vielleicht selbst zu schlau für die beiden größten Gehirne des Planeten ... Ein Fall mit Sherlock Holmes und Professor van Dusen.

Zwei Tote in White-Chapel. Scotland Yard ist sich sicher: Ein doppelter Auftragsmord. Steckt gar die Mafia dahinter? Immerhin handelt es sich bei den Toten um Sizilianer. Der berühmte Meisterdetektiv aus der Baker Street verfolgt jedoch eine andere Spur. Eine, die ihn direkt zu einem gefährlichen Geheimbund namens ZODIAC führt. Obwohl er alle Register seines Könnens zieht, gerät er alsbald in einen Hinterhalt. Denn seine Gegner sind schlau. Zu schlau - selbst für Sherlock Holmes. Und sie bedienen sich scheinbar übernatürlicher Mittel.