Nostromo

In the imaginary South American republic of Costaguana, Charles Gould, born in the country to an English family, runs the San Tomé silver mine, which has become the centre of its politics. When a revolution breaks out, a load of silver must be hidden, and the task falls to Nostromo, the admired and supposedly incorruptible foreman of the port's dockworkers.

Published in 1904, Nostromo is Joseph Conrad's most ambitious novel, a story of revolutions, foreign investment and the corrupting power of wealth that feels startlingly modern. Its shifting timeline makes the opening chapters demanding, but they repay patience. Begin with Heart of Darkness if you are new to Conrad.

Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) was born Józef Korzeniowski to Polish parents in today's Ukraine. His father was exiled for patriotic activities, and Conrad was orphaned at eleven. At sixteen he went to sea from Marseille, and he spent twenty years as a sailor, rising to captain in the British merchant navy.

A voyage up the Congo in 1890 marked him for life and led to Heart of Darkness. He began writing in English, his third language, and became one of its great novelists with Lord Jim and Nostromo. His books ask what people do when no one is watching.