"These three tales reflect the master storyteller's experiences as a merchant seaman. ""An Outpost of Progress,"" a precursor to ""Heart of Darkness,"" features many aspects of tone and presentation similar to the later work. ""A Smile of Fortune"" recounts a shipboard episode of misplaced loyalty, and ""An Anarchist"" traces an ex-convict's association with a political faction."

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was fluent from birth in French as well as his native Polish. He learned his third language, English, as an adult, and it was in English that he wrote his evocative stories and novels. Conrad drew upon his experiences in the British and French navies to portray the struggles of humanity amid the world's vast indifference.