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In 1911, Conrad embarked on a journey of self-discovery through a series of loose autobiographical sketches that would evolve into A Personal Record. Written while he was in the midst of crafting Under Western Eyes, Conrads intent was clear to unveil the man behind the work. He masterfully paints a portrait of himself as a figure of wry humor and self-reflection, yet one who remains serious and grounded in the realities of life. While some anecdotes may seem trivial—like a generals daughter interrupting his writing or overseeing the unloading of a pony in Borneo—Conrads skill lies ...

Conrad began dictating the series of loose autobiographical sketches that would become 'A Personal Record' in 1911, when he was half way through writing 'Under Western Eyes'. His avowed aim was to give his readers a sense of 'the man behind the work', and he certainly succeeded in creating a vivid impression of the kind of Joseph Conrad he would have liked to have been seen as: a man capable of wry humour and self-deprecation, but a sober, serious man too, prepared to face life as he found it.

A Personal Record is a "fragment of biography", an autobiographical work by Joseph Conrad, published in 1912. It is also a masterpiece of atmospheric writing and the main contemporary source to detail his early life. Conrad, Polish by birth, who goes on to become one of the greatest novelists of the English language, describes his childhood and adolescence, discusses his forebears, one of whom fought on the side of Napoleon and ate a Lithuanian dog, the exile of his parents, the death of his mother and his relationship with his Uncle Tadeusz.

This audiobook comprises two works: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and his autobiographical A Personal Record. The opening of Heart of Darkness finds Charles Marlow in fading light on the Thames Estuary, as he and his companions relax on deck, waiting for the turn of the tide.