Lingard Trilogy

A tale of personal tragedy as well as a broader meditation on the evils of colonialism, Almayer’s Folly is Joseph Conrad’s first novel. Set in the lush jungles of Borneo in the late 1800s, it charts the decline of a Dutch merchant after a twenty-five year struggle against overwhelming odds...

Peter Willems is the outcast of the islands, in this, Joseph Conrad’s second novel published in 1896, inspired by his experience as ship’s mate on the trading vessel Vidar. Willems is confidential clerk to Hudig, a powerful merchant trading out of Macassar, in the Dutch East Indies, on the island of Sulawesi. But very soon Willems is on the run from a scandal and finds himself up-river at Almayer’s remote trading post. An all-consuming liaison ensues between Willems and Aissa, the local chief’s daughter.

An Outcast of the Islands, Joseph Conrad’s second novel, is a tale of intrigue, isolation, and morality. The story follows the undoing of Peter Willems, a dishonorable man on the run from a scandal of his own making. After leaving Macassar, he takes refuge in a remote village and river post...