Typhoon (novella)
First UK book edition | |
Author | Joseph Conrad |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Adventure story |
Publisher | Pall Mall Magazine |
Publication date | 1902 |
Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
OCLC | 2312277 |
Typhoon is a novella by Joseph Conrad, begun in 1899 and serialized in Pall Mall Magazine in January–March 1902. Its first book publication was in New York by Putnam in 1902; it was also published in Britain in Typhoon and Other Stories by Heinemann in 1903.
Plot summary
Typhoon is a classic sea yarn, possibly based upon Conrad's actual experience of seaman's life, and probably on a real incident aboard of the real steamer John P. Best. It describes how Captain MacWhirr sails the Siamese steamer Nan-Shan into a typhoon—a mature tropical cyclone of the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Other characters include the young Jukes - most probably an alter ego of Conrad from the time he had sailed under captain John McWhirr - and Solomon Rout, the chief engineer. The novella classically evokes the seafaring life at the turn of the century. While Macwhirr, who, according to Conrad, "never walked on this Earth" - is emotionally estranged from his family and crew, and though he refuses to consider an alternate course to skirt the typhoon, his indomitable will in the face of a superior natural force elicits grudging admiration.
Characters
- Captain MacWhirr, an empirical man without imagination.
- Captain Wilson from "Melita", the "storm-strategist".
- Jukes, the first mate (with no first name).
- Jukes' absent friends - second mate Jack Allen and another mate from trans-Atlantic liner (addressee of Jukes' letter).
- Solomon Rout, the chief engineer, an experienced seaman.
- Second engineer Harry and third engineer Beale.
- The boatswain.
- The second mate.
- Sailors, steward and cook of the "Nan-Shan".
- The coolies, hired workers from India and China.
- The clerk for Messrs. Bun-Hin Co.
- Mrs Lucy MacWhirr, the Captain's wife.
- Lydia MacWhirr, the Captain's daughter.
- Mrs Rout, the chief engineer's wife.
- Messrs Sigg and Son, the owners of the boat.
- Owners and foremen from the building yard.
External links
Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Typhoon and Other Stories, available at Internet Archive (1921 edition)
- Typhoon, available at eBooks@Adelaide
- Typhoon at Project Gutenberg
- Typhoon public domain audiobook at LibriVox