Unknown Masterpiece-Honoré de Balzac

This short tale was first published in book form alongside 'Heart of Darkness' and 'The End of the Tether', the three tales representing youth, middle age and old age, respectively. One of Conrad's 'Marlow yarns', the story is based on the trouble-plagued, much-delayed and ultimately ill-fated voyage of the cargo vessel 'Palestine' (here, 'Judea') carrying coal from England to Bangkok in 1882-1883, on which Conrad served his first posting as second mate. The story is notable (and somewhat unusual, for Conrad) in the light-hearted buoyancy of the narrator's tone as he confronts difficulty after difficulty. (Summary by Peter Dann)