About this book
The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale is one of Joseph Conrad’s later novels. Set in London in 1886, the novel tells the story of Adolf Verloc, a member of a largely ineffectual anarchist group who is also a secret agent, and an operation with unforeseen consequences. In his Author’s Note written in 1920, Conrad explains that the plot of the novel was inspired by the Greenwich Bomb Outrage of February 1894. In this event, explosives prematurely detonated in the hands of French anarchist named Martial Bourdin on the grounds of the Greenwich Observatory. What fascinated Conrad the most about the Greenwich Bomb Outrage was the fact that the motives remained a mystery. Through themes of espionage, anarchism, and terrorism based on horrific, but true events, The Secret Agent questions the world's capacity for reason and order in a smart, yet skeptical way. Perhaps this explains why the novel is said to be one of the three most talked-about works of literature in the media immediately after 9/11.
The Secret Agent did not sell well initially, but is now considered a classic. The novel is ranked 46th on Modern Library’s “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. The Secret Agent has undergone multiple adaptations for both the stage and the screen. Perhaps most notable is Alfred Hitchcock's 1936 film, Sabotage, loosely based on the novel, though many changes to the plot and characters were made. (Not to be confused with another 1936 Hitchcock film, Secret Agent, based on short stories by W. Somerset Maugham.)
Fun fact: The Secret Agent is said to have greatly influenced Theodore Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber. Kaczynski, who engaged in a nationwide bombing campaign in the US between 1978 and 1995, strongly identified with the Professor, the villain of the novel.
Summary
Adolph Verloc leads a double life. As well as running his seedy Soho shop, he is also a secret agent, operating for an underground anarchist cell – and his job is about to get far more dangerous. When his leaders instruct him to plant a bomb at Greenwich Observatory, his plans go terribly awry, with tragic repercussions for him and his family.
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First Edition Identification
In a print run of just 2,500 copies, London-based Methuen & Co. first published The Secret Agent in September of 1907. Bound in red cloth with gilt along the spine, the 442-page first edition includes an additional 40-page publisher's catalogue of books for sale at the end as well as a point of issue on the last line of p. 117: the word “be” is duplicated.
Details
- Title The Secret Agent: (RED edition)
- Author Conrad, Joseph
- Binding Paperback
- Edition Reprint
- Pages 272
- Language EN
- Publisher Penguin Classics
- Date 2010-11-24
- ISBN 9780141194394
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The Secret Agent: (RED edition) (Penguin Classics)
by Conrad, Joseph
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by Joseph Conrad
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The Secret Agent (RED) (Penguin Classics)
by Conrad, Joseph
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- Paperback
- ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
- 9780141194394 / 0141194391
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