Conrad Panel at MLA Convention Chicago (USA) 3-6 January 2019

Conrad’s Politics of Hope

In the spirit of recent challenges to the hermeneutics of suspicion, we invite papers that take the idealism in Conrad’s writing seriously. The law of unintended consequences rules Conrad’s fiction, and characters who voice idealistic aspirations usually fail to achieve them, but does the failure of idealism necessarily discredit it? Does Conrad imagine alternatives to the hypocrisy, selfishness, and materialism he portrays? Does he balance critique with hope?

Book launch of Conrad's Reading: Space, Time, Networks. Institute of English Studies Senate House, London, 13 September 2018, 5.00pm

Join Dr. Helen Chambers, Honorary Associate in English at the Open University for the launch of her monograph, Conrad's Reading: Space, Time, Networks, (Palgrave Macmillan, New Directions in Book History). This title aligns concepts and methods from book history with new literary research on this globally studied writer, and explores Conrad’s childhood and maritime reading, his many fictional representations of readers and material texts, and the reading he shared with literary women as well as men.

The event is free to attend but registration is required, further information and the booking form may be accessed here.

45th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society (U.K.)

The 45th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society (U.K.), 5 – 7 July 2018, was held at Writtle University College, Chelmsford, Essex.

The final 2018 conference programme can be downloaded from the Annual International Conference Archives page.

Objects in Hardy and Conrad: Conference to be held at the University of Rouen on 24-25 May 2018

This two-day conference focused on the significance of "objects" in the works of Thomas Hardy and Joseph Conrad, both in terms of how objects are represented -- as social markers, for example -- and the works themselves as objets d' art. It was organized by FATHOM (French Association for Thomas Hardy Studies), and held at the University of Rouen on 24-25 May 2018.

You may download the full notice here (in English) and here (in French).

Placing Conrad: Space and Geography in Conrad’s Fiction. Senate House, London, 17 February 2018

This symposium, which marks the occasion of Professor Hampson’s retirement from full-time teaching, celebrates his contribution to Conrad Studies by bringing together new, established and independent scholars to develop fresh perspectives on a key area of his oeuvre: the spaces of Conrad’s fiction. 
The past decade has witnessed a tremendous quickening of interest in the spatial and environmental humanities. These trends have proven remarkably important for scholars of English literature. Whether in building on earlier works in spatial theory, eco-criticism and psychogeography, in conducting geographically informed distant readings, or in exploring the global, transnational, and geopolitical contexts of specific writers and works: scholarship in English literature is increasingly concerned with the interactions between literary texts and their environments.

This symposium examines a range of spatial topics in relation to Conrad's works including space and time, gesture, law, maps, and reception. The day concludes with a plenary lecture from Iain Sinclair and a reception. 

Enquiries to: Katherine.baxter@northumbria.ac.uk        Download programme here

The 41st Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society UK, 2015

The 41st Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society UK will be held at the Polish Cultural Centre (P.O.S.K.) in Hammersmith, West London, and the University Women's Club in Mayfair, from Thursday 2 July to Saturday 4 July 2015.

The Call for Papers is now closed. To download this year's Conference Booking Form, click here (for PDF), or here (for MS Word).

This is a non-residential conference, and participants are invited to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation. We have reserved a number of rooms at the University Women's Club (open to both genders!), and if this option appeals to you we recommend that you book directly as soon as possible. Contact Simona by email, or by phone 020 7499 2268. See the University Women's Club website for more details.

To download the 2015 Final Programme, including the lists of speakers, venues, and meal options, click here. (Updated 29 June).

Terra Incognita: the feminine in Joseph Conrad’s works, Lyon, France, 12 December 2014

The Institute for Transtextual and Transcultural Studies at University Jean Moulin-Lyon 3 and the French Conradian Society will host a one-day conference on the feminine and space, the known and unknown, in the writings of Joseph Conrad. This conference is scheduled to take place at University Jean Moulin-Lyon 3 (69007 Lyon, France) on Friday, 12th December 2014.

For more information, download the full programme here.

The 40th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society UK, 2014

The 40th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society UK was held at the University of Kent at Canterbury, from Wednesday 2 July to Sunday 6 July 2014.

NEW: Photographs from the 2014 conference can now be accessed through the Annual Conference Archives, and Keith Carabine's closing address as Chair can be found in Society News.

SAMLA 86: Sustainability and the Humanities, November 7-9, 2014, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

A special session on Conrad in the classroom, titled "Sustainable Conrad: Teaching Heart of Darkness and Other Texts by Joseph Conrad to Undergraduates," will be held at this year's South Atlantic Modern Language Association (SAMLA) conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The theme of this year's conference, scheduled for November 7-9, 2014, is Sustainability and the Humanities.

View the Call for Papers here. This session is sponsored by the Joseph Conrad Society of America.

Submit abstracts of about 300 words on any example of teaching Conrad in the classroom, along with A/V requirements, by June 20, 2014 to Chris Cairney, Middle Georgia State College, at christopher.cairney@mga.edu or ccairney@hotmail.com.

Call for Papers: Arnold Bennett and His Circle, Keele, Staffordshire, UK, 17-18 October 2014

The Edwardian Culture Network and the Arnold Bennett Society (UK) invite abstracts for ten-minute papers on any aspect of Bennett's Edwardian writing, biography and wider circle. Abstracts should be emailed to edwardianculture@hotmail.co.uk by Monday 30th June 2014.

This conference is scheduled to take place at Keele University (Keele, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK) from 17th to 18th October 2014.

For updates about the event, please visit www.edwardianculture.com. The call for papers is now closed.

For programme and registration information, click here.

Poland and the Conrad Problem (Polskie zmagania z Conradem), Cracow, Poland, 28-30 September 2014

As part of the celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary of Joseph Conrad’s return visit to Cracow in 1914 and the 90th anniversary of his death in 1924, the Jagiellonian University Joseph Conrad Research Centre and the Joseph Conrad Society (Poland) invite scholars to take part in a conference to be held at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow from 28-30 September 2014.

The Call for Papers gives details about the conference, registration fees, and provides other information. The deadline for abstracts is 30 June 2014.

For more information, see the official JCRC website announcement here.

Call for Papers: ESSE 2014 in Kosice

A Conrad seminar, titled “The unexpected in Joseph Conrad’s fiction”, will be held at the 2014 ESSE Conference in Kosice, Slovakia (Friday 29 August – Tuesday 2 September, 2014). For more information, download the Call for Papers here.

The call for papers is now closed.

Conrad: Conflict and Solidarities, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 13-16 August 2014

Jointly hosted by The Joseph Conrad Society of America and Fairleigh Dickinson University-Vancouver, a conference celebrating and investigating facets of the life and work of Joseph Conrad will be held in Vancouver in mid-August.

The Call for Papers is now closed. Download the tentative conference schedule (in PDF) here.

The conference site is in downtown Vancouver at 842 Cambie Street. Participants will be expected to make their own arrangements for accommodation. A list of recommended nearby hotels, as well as two featuring conference discounts, can be accessed here.

For more information on practicalities, including arrival, dining options, and transportation in and around Vancouver, download the PDF here.

The 40th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society UK, 2014

The 40th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society UK will be held at the University of Kent at Canterbury, from Wednesday 2 July to Sunday 6 July 2014. For the complete final programme (updated 24 June 2014), click here.

Booking and registration for the conference is now open. For Conference Registration click here.

For information and to download application forms for the 2014 Juliet McLauchlan Travel Grant and Gail Fraser Memorial Travel Grant, see the Annual Conference page.

The conference will include a tour of Conrad’s houses in Kent.

Mistah Kurtz – He Not Dead: A multimedia exhibition inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Fiona Banner, in collaboration with Paolo Pellegrin and in association with the Archive of Modern Conflict, presents "Mista Kurtz – He Not Dead," a multimedia exhibition inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness and accompanied by a text commissioned for the project from Dr. Giles Fraser.

This event is scheduled to take place at the PEER gallery (97 & 99 Hoxton Street London N1 6QL UK) from 5 June to 26 July 2014. An opening reception is scheduled for Thursday 5 June 6-9pm.

For more information, see the official PEER website announcement here.

Charity Premiere and UK Release for Peter Fudakowski's Secret Sharer (2014)

Peter Fudakowski's Secret Sharer (2014) will have its charity premiere on Monday 23rd June at the Curzon Mayfair cinema in London. This 6:15 PM screening of the film will be followed by a brief Q&A with the director and Jack Laskey.

Tickets are £25 per person, if purchased before 2nd June. After 2nd June, tickets are £50 per person. Proceeds from this charity event will go to the Foundling Museum and the Coram Foundation.

The film will also be released in selected cinemas in the UK, including the Curzon Mayfair and the Curzon Victoria, starting Friday 27th June. Tickets are £15 per person.

For more information, see the filmmaker's official website at www.secretsharerthemovie.com.

An eBook of Conrad's The Secret Sharer, with Fudakowski's screenplay of the movie and a review by Gene Moore, has been published by Bloomsbury. For more information, or to order your copy, see the publisher's website here.

Adapting Conrad: A multi-disciplinary conference on what happens to books when translated into other media

‘Adapting Conrad’ will be a one-day conference hosted by the Institute of English Studies at Senate House, London, on 30 May 2014. The conference is part of a series of events celebrating and criticizing adaptations of Conrad’s works.

For more information, see the official IES website announcement here. The Call for Papers is now closed.

The Cunninghame Graham Society, Launch Meeting

The Cunninghame Graham Society will host a Launch Meeting at 1:00 PM on Saturday, 8 March at The Smith Art Gallery & Museum in Dumbarton Rd, Stirling FK8 2RQ, UK. Download the announcement poster in PDF here.

The guest speaker will be Laurence Davies, co-author of Cunninghame Graham: A Critical Biography (Cambridge, 2008). Entrance is FREE and all are welcome.

For more information, contact the organizers at lachiemunro25@gmail.com.

There is a link to the Cunninghame Graham Society on the Links page.

Secret Sharer Special Screening

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Polish Social and Cultural Association Ltd., Premiere Releasing will present a special screening of director Peter Fudakowski's Secret Sharer on Sunday, 9 March 2014, at 5:00 PM. This event will take place at the POSK Theatre, 238-246 King Street, London W6 0RF.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with the director Peter Fudakowski and Prof. Robert Hampson, Conrad scholar and critic.

Tickets may be purchased at www.secretsharer-posk.eventbrite.co.uk. For more information on this event, download the flier here.

Conrad in Serial Form

The periodical archive that forms the basis for Conrad First: The Joseph Conrad Periodical Archive has been acquired by St Mary's University College, Twickenham. The archive is an essential tool for the study of Conrad's dissemination in popular formats, and the generosity of the College will permit Conrad scholars to pursue questions related to reception and textual transmission. Mary Burgoyne has been named the Collections Archivist. Details of access have yet to be worked out.

It is hoped that the collection will continue grow, and that new acquistions will add to an already essential stock of serializations. Donations are welcome and possible donors should contact Mary Burgoyne through the College.

Chance: Centennial Essays

The Editors of The Conradian have announced plans for a special issue of the journal (39.1: Spring 2014) to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the publication of Chance. This issue will also be published as a monograph by Rodopi of Amsterdam in the Conrad Studies series.

The issue will be edited by Susan Jones, Allan H. Simmons, and J. H. Stape, and is now full.

Secret Sharer Pre-Premiere and Dinner with Director

Premiere Releasing will present the pre-premiere of Peter Fudakowski's Secret Sharer, followed by a Q&A session with the director, on Thurs, 30 Jan 2014 from 18:30 to 22:00 (GMT) at the Ognisko Polskie | Polish Hearth Club, 55 Exhibition Rd, SW7 2PG, London, UK.

The critically acclaimed Ognisko Restaurant is offering guests the chance to join the director for a two-course dinner after the Q&A for an additional price.

For more information, see the PR announcement here. The film's official website may also be accessed here.

Christopher Hampton’s Film of Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent: Screening and Panel Discussion with the Writer-Director

Christopher Hampton, playwright and Academy award-winning screenwriter, wrote and directed an adaptation of Conrad’s The Secret Agent in 1996. This event is one in a series of events by Royal Holloway University London, examining adaptations of Conrad’s work. As part of that series, the Inside-Out Festival will be screening the film and following it with a panel featuring Christopher Hampton in conversation with Dr Andrew Glazzard and Professor Jonathan Powell. The film will be introduced by Professor Robert Hampson. Please note that The Secret Agent has a Certificate 12 rating.

The event is scheduled to take place at The Screening Room, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA on Fri 25 October 2013, 6.30pm - 9pm (Doors open at 6pm). Admission is FREE, but booking is required. Please note: a £20 cancellation fee for no-shows and those cancelling within 24 hours of the event.

For more information, please visit the Inside Out Festival website here.

Cambridge Edition: Volumes in 2013

The co-general editors of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Joseph Conrad are pleased to announce that two volumes, the twelfth and thirteenth, respectively, are currently in press and due to appear this summer and autumn.

Under Western Eyes, edited by Roger Osborne and Paul Eggert, with an Introduction by Keith Carabine and Notes by Jeremy Hawthorn and Keith Carabine, is scheduled for publication in October 2013. The volume contains the extensive typescript deletions that Conrad made in revising the novel.

Cambridge Edition: Volumes in 2013

The co-general editors of the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Joseph Conrad are pleased to announce that two volumes, the twelfth and thirteenth, respectively, are currently in press and due to appear this summer and autumn.

The Shadow-Line, edited by J. H. Stape and Allan H. Simmons with an Introduction and Notes by Owen Knowles, is due out in September 2013. The critical text dispenses with the chapter divisions imposed by serialization and presents the novella, for the first time, as a continuous narrative.

The Secret Agent, a play inspired by the novel by Joseph Conrad

A play inspired by The Secret Agent will be performed by theatre O at the Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London, SE1 8LZ, from 4 to 21 September 2013.

Co-commissioned by Warwick Arts Centre and supported by the Arts Council England, Shoreditch Town Hall, and the National Theatre Studio, The Secret Agent is theatre O's heartbreaking but hilarious chronicle of passion, betrayal and terrorism, performed in their highly imaginative trademark cinematic style, which The New York Times has called ‘vivid, enlightening, inventive and compelling’.

For more information, including performance times and ticket prices, see the official Young Vic website.

Exhibition: 'The Secret Agent, or The Enigma of the Knitting Machine'

An interactive exhibition, titled 'The Secret Agent, or The Enigma of the Knitting Machine', is scheduled for 13–16 September 2013 in The Old Police Station, 114 Amersham Vale, Deptford, London. This is a collaborative work between Zoe Wagner, a textile designer, and Annina Lehmann, a writer and film-maker.

The exhibition explores the parallels of story-telling and knitting with regard to Conrad's novel The Secret Agent and a letter he wrote to Cunninghame Graham, in which Conrad describes the fantasy of existence being controlled by a knitting machine. It integrates contemporary concerns with issues such as surveillance and terrorism, which received early and insightful treatment in Conrad's novel.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Sotheby's Auction of Books and Manuscripts by Conrad

A remarkable Joseph Conrad collection, billed as the "greatest single-author hoard" ever to appear on the market, is to be sold at auction at Sotheby's in London this summer. The collection was assembled by Stanley J. Seeger, who died in 2011.

The collection will be sold in two sales, both with around 200 lots. See the following brief announcement from The Guardian online; or, for a full catalogue of items to be auctioned, click here.

The first sale took place on 10 July 2013; full results of that sale are now listed on Sotheby's website.

Conrad in Persian

Soheil Sommi, an Iranian translator of works by Doris Lessing, Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, and Samuel Beckett, has now translated Conrad's The Nigger of the Narcissus, The Shadow-Line, and Typhoon into Persian.

See the following brief announcement from the Iran Book News Agency website.

A second printing of The Rescue, translated by Kiomars Parsay, has also been published in Iran after 12 years. Read that announcement here.

Rome Conference: July 2013 (final programme revised 3 May)

The 39th Annual International Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society (UK) will be held in Rome, 10 - 13 July 2013. Hosted by Professor Richard Ambrosini, the conference will take place at the Università di Roma Tre and other venues in the historic city.

The Call for Papers is now CLOSED. The Conference Programme, travel details, and information on hotel accommodations are available on the Annual Conference page.

The 1st Annual Conference of the Joseph Conrad Society of Japan

The Joseph Conrad Society of Japan will be holding its 1st Annual Conference in Tokyo this summer.

This is a one-day conference, scheduled for Saturday, 22 June 2013, from 10:00 - 17:00. It will take place at Atomi University, Bunkyo Campus, Tokyo, Rms. M2606 and M2604, No. 2 Building. The location is 3 minutes’ walk from Marunouchi Line’s Myogadani underground station.

See the attached flier for more details.

Screening of Hanyut (Almayer’s Folly) with post-film panel discussion

The Culture Capital Exchange (Somerset House) will present U-Wei Haji Saan's Hanyut, an award-winning adaptation of Joseph Conrad's first novel, Almayer’s Folly (1895). After the film there will be a short break followed by a panel discussion with the director.

This event is scheduled for Thursday, 6 June 2013. It will take place at: 2nd floor, South Building, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA. Guests will arrive at 5:30 PM for the 6 PM screening of the film, with the panel discussion to follow from 8:15 PM to 9 PM.

The cost is free (there will, however, be a no-show fee of £20).

See the TCCE website for booking and details.

Call for Papers: Joseph Conrad

This panel will take place at the South Atlantic Modern Language Association conference in Atlanta, Georgia, November 8-10, 2013.

The organizers welcome papers on any aspect of Joseph Conrad’s life or work. Presenters will have 15-minutes of delivery time.

Please submit abstracts (250-300 words) by May 15, 2013 to Hunt Hawkins, University of South Florida.

Call for Papers: Conrad and Technology

Any papers on Conrad will be considered for this panel, sponsored by the Joseph Conrad Society of America, with preference given to those that address the topic "Conrad and Technology."

Note that technology should be understood in the broadest sense to include new teaching and research technologies as well as technologies theoretical and thematic in Conrad studies.

Please submit abstracts by May 17, 2013 to Lissa Schneider-Rebozo, University of Wisconsin River Falls.

Cambridge Edition Conrad Volumes to go On Sale

Cambridge University Press includes in its academic book sale beginning 1 February two volumes of the Cambridge Edition – A Personal Record and Twixt Land and Sea – at extremely attractive discount prices (60% off list price).

Scholars and students who might have found the volumes rather dear in the past have an opportunity to acquire these essential resources now for their personal or university libraries. Further details of the sale will be posted on the publisher's website.

Opera Performance of The Secret Agent

Capitol City Opera's upcoming production of THE SECRET AGENT, based on Conrad's 1907 novel, runs March 15 and 16 @ 8pm, and March 17 @ 3pm at the Conant Performing Arts Center at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA USA.

General admission is $30. Discounted tickets for seniors, students, and groups of 10 or more are available for $25.

Please see the attached press release (in PDF) for more details; or, to buy tickets, visit the company's website.

Call for Papers: Joseph Conrad and Cognitive Science

"Joseph Conrad and Cognitive Science," a session sponsored by the Joseph Conrad Society of America, is scheduled to take place at the Modern Language Association Convention in Chicago, Illinois, 9-12 January 2014.

The organizers of this session welcome papers that investigate topics or questions relating to Joseph Conrad and cognitive science from historical as well as theoretical perspectives or through close reading.

Abstracts (250-500 words) should be sent by March 15, 2013 to Paul Armstrong.