1: 75 ‘ had already ERE are about 5,500 letters from Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) exitarit, and this-is the first of what are to be eight volumes. several seleotims have been made in the past, some of these taking a special aspect of Conrad’s correspondence, or, in the case of “ Conrad’s Polish Background” (1964), reproducing letters to him . from that stri-king figure his uncle and guardian Tadeusz Bobrowski, to which the -nepliew’s replies unfortunate- ly do not survive. They would have shed much ‘light on the young Conrad dur- ing the obscure Marseilles period. In fact, after a letter written with a guided pen at the age of three-and-a-half to — his father, the earliest isilated‘ about 16 months before Conrad passed (after first failing) his examination to become a second mate. By that time he served as third -mate after Just over two yearsin the British merchant service as an ordinary seaman. In 1886 he became a naturalised British subject and (again after initial failure) passed his master mariner’s certificate. In other words, the letters do not become at all plentiful until Conrad is over 50 in 1889, making plans to leave for the Congo and experience the highly disagreeable interlude from which he subsequently drew “_ Heart of Darkness.” The next eight years see him estab- lished as a writer, taking him to_ the publication of “The Nigger of the Narcissus," when Conrad was 40. There are inevitably a fair number of routine letters in this collection, of interest only as establishing dates and the ‘like but, for the Conrad fan, several relationships are high- lighted, both personal and ‘literary. Of the former, that with Mme Poradowska, re- cipient of many of the letters. is perhaps the most striking. Marguerite Poradowska, alwaysfiddressed by Conrad as Aunt, ’ was really the wife (in these Letters soon widow) of 3 first cousin of Conrad’s mater- nal (Bobrowski) grandmother. She was Belgian, an acknow- ledged beauty, wrote several novels, and was live or six years older than Conrad. He wrote to her with eat affection and a touch of ' a- tiousness. One feels that she was at once the mother, who had died when Conrad was eight, and the semi-oflicial sweethean Conrad never seems otherwise quite to have estab- lished in early life, though one or two “understandings” have been suggested. After the letters to Mme Poradowska have been running for about five years she sud- denly ceased to preserve them, though evidence exists that Anthony Powell Conrad continued to write to he-r. Conrad’s tone had lat- _—beeome— appreciably warmer, and it seems not im- possible that he proposed, a short time before he actually married Jessie George in 1896. Of the latter Conrad wrote with characteri 'c realism: “She is a small, not at all striking-loolo ing person (to tell the truth alas—-rather plain) who is nevertheless very dear to me.” The marriage was successful, though Jessie was fa-ted greatly to irritate Com'ad’s friends and biographers. ’ After an apparent first trial- run as writer of fiction in a Tit-Bits competition Conrad placed his novel “Almayer’s olly" with the mouu-mentally stingy T. Fiaher Unwin. Fisher Uniwin bought the copyright outright for the sum of £20 in 1895, a period by which time eyebmws were beginning occasionally to be raised at such publishers’ coups. Com-ad's main object, however, was to get into int, and he always referr to Fisher Unwin as the “Enlight- ened Patron of Letters.” Publi- cation had come about through the recommendation of Edward Garnett, thereb beginning a friendship wine was of im- mense consequence to Conrad. and supplies some of the most revealing of the letters so far as Con-rad’s views and mefliods of writing are concerned. Conrad is always ‘apologetic about speaking of himself and his doings, so the Letters are T11 cifi no Conrad before fame The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad. Vol. 1. 1861-1897. Edited By Frederick R. Karl and Laurence Davies. (CUP. £19-50.) not a great repository of detail or pen-pictures of people he came across. He never in- dulges in gossip, but occasion- ally touches on politics. Wilton the Liberal Government came to power in 1885 he wrote: “the International Socialist Association are triumphant, and every disreputable raga- niuffin in Europe feels the day of universal brotherhood, des- poliation and disorder . is coming apace . . _. Socialisrn must end in Caesairisi_n.” _It is clearly a. relief to his editors- when in 1897 he also 1‘effi'6 to the “languid imbecility of the present [Conservative] govern- ment,” a judgment generally agreed to be true. - On July 20,1897, Conrad wrote to Fisher Unwin, who had published Somerset Maugbzins “Liza of Lambeth” sumablussuihima C booli. E ed _g L_ I've nish readln J10 ‘of Lambeth. certainly It _ worth reading-—bu1: whether‘ its worth talking about ’ is another question. I. at any rate have nothing to say _ex- cept this: that I do_ not like society novels, and Liza to me is Just a society of it kind. I am not _ democrat to perceive all the subtle difierence there is between the two ends of the- ladder. ‘One may be low and happens -to be stood-up. The principal thing is that the story gets on a rum _ there; and I. can't find it in my heart to praise it because the mug happens -to be low. ~ Brings are arfificial things, that’s my obJection. There _is any amount of In story and no 'stinctim of any kind. It will be fairly suc- cessful I believe, for it is a “ genre” picture without any atmosphere and conseqnengz no reader can live in it. Just looks on—1md. that is just what the generai reader pre- fers. book reminds me of Du Maurier's' drawings - same ldnd of art exactly, only manother spheres seems to make a critical point worth bearing in mind. There are plenty of others scattered through the Letters, which are_ excellently annotated and contain a useful chronology and summary of main corre- spondents. ’ T in flux and pre-- *9. novel--society = enough of a ; 0fPm'9; ladder and s ' A NEW £28,000‘ exten- sion to Bridge Village Hall was, officially opened on Tuesday by the 1th Marquis of Conyngham. The "two-storey extension provides the village hall with a new 1 kitchen, extra storage ' ~ space and lavatorles on " the ground floor and a ‘large upstairs commit- teeroom. Many Roger Hunter and his wife, Joyce, and Mr‘ John Hall . vi 1 l a ge rs ( centre)? chairman of the parish council, alter the Imveiling. attended the opening _ : 2 obtain’ ceremony. Gllrs TimL;Hoa‘r David‘ _Pent~in .Oounty — ‘ committee preferred ‘ extend the current rather. than huild_- anew one, and the ‘had agreed, to-_ sell.it/he? halitothe village ,— The hall » *“ _before 1867 used as - a room. Villagéis swore; taught to read't,here"!)_y 3 'one of the Con‘ ' 5:‘ family before the, 1. Education Act Gllr Hill flI_an_ks_:-. donors, es_pe(_:_ia'.lly_.Dl-. Roger'Hunt‘er who lived jnthe over 40 years and paid" hall the purclmse price of the hall. The com- mittee room _will’ be. named the Hunter Room. - nu ' He also thanked architects Cllr Mervyn Gulvin and his partner- Mr David ders Chapman, 3,1111. Humphreys‘ and . Mary .P'errldS3 Kent voluntary ser- vices Oouncil, which - advisedtheviflagéhafl comiI1ittee.an(l, grants.-.e!1'9n?th? d .0003‘!