Memoirs of Conrad: Ford Madox and Company in Search of a Character

Conrad inspired seven memoirs, published between 1926 and 1981, by his wife Jessie, his two sons (Borys and John) and three colleagues who knew him well: Ford Madox Ford, Richard Curle, and Joseph Retinger. Their viewpoints range from reverence and awe to condescension and hostility. Torn between focusing on Conrad and telling their own story, the memoirs are personally biased, have a strong element of self-interest and reveal more about the authors than the subject. No matter how inaccurate or self-aggrandizing, these memoirs are valuable sources for his biographers, who mine the gold and reject the dross, correct the errors and establish the truth. They describe domestic details, narrate important events in his life, reveal his strange character and portray the culture in which he lived, competing in trying to present the authoritative view of Conrad. [136 words]