The subject of this novella—a story that takes place almost exclusively aboard a ship bound from Bombay to London—refuses to work, claiming he is dying. Is he telling the truth? Another major character refuses to work simply because he is lazy. How the crew deals with these two men is the subject of Conrad’s work. Life at sea as a microcosm of life on land. There is far too much nautical terminology; my edition was insufficient help and so gave up and just plowed through, often not quite understanding what all the words or terms or phrases meant. In the end, though some of the understanding would have helped, it was not terribly important. And in the end, whether James Wait (the eponymous “nigger”) is shamming or not is almost predictable. Almost. And again, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the crew’s reaction—because in each one’s reaction, you learn the crew and in the crew you learn the world. Not one of his best books, but certainly by far the one most intimately about the sea and how it affects men. Definitely worth the time. ( )

A voyage from East to West. A voyage through life. A voyage into eternity. Conrad takes the reader along all three journeys. Along with Lord Jim, I feel The Nigger of "Narcissus" captures the author at his height and in his most pure form. Another one of his shorter works, a novella, The Nigger of the "Narcissus" condenses into just over a hundred or so pages the style and preoccupations that will characterize most of his later work. The shifting perspectives, the psychological observations, and, here, also, the notations about how shipboard crews meet and splinter, only tied by vague remembrances of endless voyages. Still, each journey in the age of sail has its own unique personality, something that is yielded from the men who man the decks, go aloft, steady the wheel, and issue commands. It is a living breathing organism. That is why there is no central protagonist, other than perhaps The Narcissus herself. The title character, the "Nigger of the Narcissus" is James Wait, a black seaman around whom the constellation of shipmates gather and in turn criticize, suspect, and find fault, before coming to realize that his journey, the final one through life, is one each must make in his own time. Alas, it is true for the reader as well. Thus the novel has a sense of the cosmic about it. All supported by the at times lyrical nature of the prose. And, too, there are times when Conrad joins hands with Kipling, in this story, when depicting lives heretofore unacknowledged and often discarded. In this work, they all live and breathe together, and give The Narcissus a sense of mission, a vital organism if only for a few months before the ship takes on a new lot and the former crew disbands to new duties ashore or aboard new vessels. ( )

With a title like this, it should be banned shortly!

Except that one of the people is advocating socialism....maybe not. ( )

The crew of a merchant ship forms a bond with a dying West Indian sailor, James Wait, said bond strengthened by the man’s refusal to admit that he is dying.
I haven't read many nautical books, save for the Aubrey/Maturin novels. Nevertheless, I don’t believe I will read a better account of a sea voyage, save for Conrad himself. I still have a lot of his novels to work to read. ( )

St. Bart's 2015 #10 - the final book of this year's vacation.....one I felt I had to almost hide in the plane flight home as I finished it, due to its less than politically correct title. This is one of those that I have always wondered about due to its startling title, and it is about just what it says it is, the 'nigger' on the crew of the sailing ship 'Narcissus.'. Actually, it's about what his presence onboard did to disrupt the already shaky psyche and hierarchy of a rough & tumble, ragtag sailing crew.

Conrad is an amazing author, especially when you learn that English was his second language, yet he wrote his books in English. The beautifully descriptive prose describing the power of the sea, the beauty of the sea, what the isolation of the sea does to men's minds, and the fury of a Cape of Good Hope storm are quite remarkable, especially coming from the pen of a Polish sailor. He brilliantly captured the humanity of these crusty, hardworking inhabitants of this ship, and makes one realize that anyone who would venture onto these ships were truly special people. Not the most exciting book I ever read, although the storm was gripping, but the insight to the life of a sailor was well worth the read. And of course the racial tensions on board are somewhat intense, but presented in a way that the bigots are the bad guys, which I thinks was Conrad's point. Definitely worth the time! ( )