Nostromo

Conrad’s Nostromo (1904) is a sprawling political epic set in the fictional South American republic of Costaguana, exploring the corrosive effects of materialism, revolution, and foreign intervention. The narrative revolves around the San Tomé silver mine, a symbol of wealth and power that fuels cycles of greed and instability. Characters like Nostromo, a charismatic Italian expatriate and “man of the people,” and Charles Gould, the English mine owner obsessed with “material interests,” become entangled in a web of idealism and exploitation. Conrad employs a fragmented, multi-perspective structure, shifting across timelines and voices to dissect the illusion of progress. The novel critiques imperialist capitalism, illustrating how foreign powers and local elites alike manipulate revolutions for profit, while the oppressed masses remain pawns. Themes of moral decay, the futility of heroism, and the psychological toll of corruption are central. Though lauded for its intricate plotting and psychological depth, the novel has been critiqued for its dense prose and ambivalent portrayal of Latin American societies, reflecting Conrad’s Eurocentric lens. Rooted in late 19th-century geopolitics, it remains a prescient study of how wealth and power distort human integrity

This modern edition of Conrad's classic novel includes a fresh Afterword, extensive reference materials including a timeline of Conrad's life and works, character glossary and group discussion questions on this literary classic. The text of the novel has been slightly edited to remove archaic terminology and make it more readable to the modern reader.

The silver of the San Tomé mine functions as a malevolent force, its gleam seducing characters into moral bargains they cannot undo. Nostromo, whose reputation as a fearless leader is meticulously crafted, becomes a prisoner of his own myth—a man hollowed out by the very ideals others project onto him. Conrad strips romanticism from revolution: rebellions are orchestrated not by patriots but by opportunists, and the mine, touted as a beacon of progress, poisons every life it touches. Charles Gould’s fanatical dedication to the mine mirrors colonial delusions of “civilizing” missions, his wife Emilia left to mourn the humanity he sacrifices to his obsession. Even Dr. Monygham, a cynic who sees through the lies, is complicit, trading truth for survival. The novel’s fragmented structure mirrors the fractured soul of Costaguana itself, a nation endlessly reborn and destroyed by the same illusions. Conrad’s irony is unrelenting: the silver, buried anew in the ocean by Nostromo’s final act, outlives its claimants, a silent witness to the futility of human ambition. In this world, heroism is a performance, loyalty a currency, and every character—colonizer or local—is both victim and architect of their own undoing.