Joseph Conrad was thirty-nine when he penned The Return.

Supposedly, it was sparked by a lunch encounter with Henry James. Indeed, one can detect James’ influence within the piece.

Colm Tóibín, who wrote the forward in this edition, states that Conrad wrote that the story “embittered five months” of his life.

Initially, no magazine would print it; it first emerged in Conrad’s Tales of Unrest.

The Return is distinct from anything I’ve read by Conrad.

No high seas adventure unfolds in this slender novella. Instead, it’s a story about two people – a man and a woman – who fail to connect in any meaningful way.

What occurs between its covers is no less a high drama.

Alvan Hervey returns home early one evening and discovers a letter left by his wife.

In the letter, she informs Alvan that after five years of marriage, she is leaving him for another man.

She even names the other man: a journalist within their circle of friends whom Alvan regards with contempt.

Alvan is thrown into a tailspin. He vacillates among feelings of anger, betrayal, despondency, and more.

He’s heartbroken, but for all the wrong reasons. It’s all about him, appearances, and what the hired help and their friends will think.

His wife, who is never named, has made a fool of him.

And then Alvan’s wife returns. She claims she’s made a mistake, but what that mistake might be is never made clear.

What is evident is that she returns for the wrong reasons. It isn’t because she loves Alvan or even desires to reconcile.

Perhaps it’s simply out of a sense of duty.

She claims she and her would-be lover never consummated their relationship.

Indeed, she states she returned before she ever met him, leaving Alvan to infer that he’s still waiting for her.

She also claims she returned to make amends because she still loves him and views him as the superior specimen.

Alvan wants to forgive and forget, to sweep his wife’s indiscretion under the rug.

He claims he loves her and always has, but she tells him if she ever thought he’d truly loved her, she never would’ve returned.

In her eyes, he loved the idea of being in love, of being married, but he never really loved her.

For Alvan, marriage was all about appearances.

Yet, she, too, married for all the wrong reasons, and Alvan – still the victim who has done nothing wrong – soon discovers that it was all a lie, the last five years.

What the reader learns, in fewer than eighty pages, is that in a marriage that crumbles, both parties are at fault.

Like many of us today, Alvan and his wife married for the wrong reasons.

And also like many of us, a failure to communicate effectively that needs weren’t being met ultimately led to the end.

Highly recommended.

This is a very beautiful writing with an excellent logos and rhythm.

The element of alienation and estrangement is intense, even within the walls of the same house.

The author seems to have a unique perspective, able to capture the subtleties of human emotions and relationships.

The use of language is vivid and engaging, making the reader feel as if they are experiencing the story along with the characters.

It's as if the words themselves have a life of their own, flowing seamlessly from one sentence to the next.

Overall, this is a remarkable piece of writing that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

The article seems rather disjointed and a bit of a struggle to understand.

However, it does have some potentially good snippets.

The protagonist lives in a bubble and doesn't really grasp what's truly happening in his life.

He rambles on and moralizes throughout the entire book without truly caring about anything else except himself and his world.

This self-centered nature makes it difficult for the reader to fully engage with his story.

Perhaps if the author had delved deeper into the protagonist's psyche or shown more of the consequences of his actions, the book would have been more engaging.

As it stands, it feels like a lot of words without much substance.

It's a shame because there are some interesting ideas here that could have been developed further.

With a bit more work and focus, this could have been a much better book.

This piece is not so much a novel as it is a short story that delves into the end of a relationship.

As I was engrossed in reading it, my mind continuously wandered to the thought that it could potentially be transformed into a highly successful one act play.

The emotions and the sequence of events described in the story seem to have all the elements required to make a captivating stage performance.

However, I must admit that I believe I would derive more enjoyment from watching a play based on this story rather than reading the book again.

There is something about the live enactment of the characters and their interactions on stage that can bring the story to life in a way that reading alone cannot fully achieve.

The visual and auditory cues, along with the energy of the actors, have the power to create a more immersive and engaging experience.

Overall, while the short story is interesting, the potential for it to shine as a one act play is truly exciting.

In 2018, B.R.A.CE. presented 4 books that will give you an amazing category of your own - "The Tiles of Pataki". These books offer a unique reading experience, filled with captivating stories and vivid descriptions. Each book in this collection has its own charm and will transport you to a different world. Whether you are a fan of mystery, romance, or adventure, there is something for everyone in these pages.

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\\n    B.R.A.CE. 2018 4 βιβλία για τα οποία θα έχεις μια ευφάνταστη δική σου κατηγορία - \\"Τα πλακάκια του Πατάκη\\"
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After having a truly satisfying experience reading Conrad's 'Secret Agent', this particular book came as quite a disappointment. It is a short little book, and yet, I couldn't wait to be done with it.

However, it does serve as an excellent example of several important aspects. It shows how a relationship can be filled with rambling and yet be empty at its core. False impressions are easily formed, and there is a distinct lack of proper communication. The characters seem to be blind to their partner's needs and thoughts, which leads to a great deal of misunderstanding and unhappiness.

Despite its flaws, this book does offer some valuable insights into the complexities of human relationships. It makes one think about how important it is to communicate openly and honestly, and to be aware of the needs and feelings of those around us. Overall, while it may not have been the most enjoyable read, it did have its moments of interest and value.

Υπεροχο ψυχογραφημα is an amazing psychological portrait. It delves deep into the human psyche, uncovering the hidden emotions, desires, and fears that lie within. The artist has masterfully captured the essence of the subject, creating a work that is both thought-provoking and emotionally engaging.

Each detail in the psychoanalysis seems to tell a story, inviting the viewer to explore and interpret the meaning behind it. The use of colors, shapes, and textures adds depth and dimension to the piece, enhancing its overall impact.

Whether you are a lover of art or simply interested in the human mind, Υπεροχο ψυχογραφημα is sure to leave a lasting impression. It challenges us to look beyond the surface and discover the complex and fascinating world that exists within each of us.

So, take a moment to immerse yourself in this remarkable psychoanalysis and let it inspire you to think differently about the human experience.

The first thing that came to my mind when reading this book was: Am I really reading Joseph Conrad? It seems hardly believable, but yes, this passionate, yet terrifying and real tale was written by this man. The protagonist is solitary, isolated, tormented by his ghosts (his position, his idea of marriage, the importance of others' opinions...). And then we have a woman who is unable to explain why one day she decided to leave. The touch of the story, how the characters move, their emotions and ideals... They put you in a trance and make you sigh. It is a story of love and farewells. When love can no longer hold on. One of the most miserable situations in terms of sentimentality is to have the one you love by your side and yet feel a million kilometers away from them. Independent, even, of how much free will one has when it comes to speaking to them at the moment one pleases.

"And the house shook from the roof to the foundations, with greater violence than under the effects of a thunderclap.
He never returned."

Self-restraint Is Everything in Life, You Know. It’s Happiness, It’s Dignity … It’s Everything.

This is not just the story of a failed marriage, as it might seem at first glance. Instead, it is more about a failed philosophical epiphany, a kind of "I see the light" moment. It is also the first Conrad text I read that made me impatient for its ending, although for the wrong reasons.

On the surface, we follow the story of Alvan Hervey, a pompous and successful London businessman. He is proud of his status and achievements. He married because that's what people do. So, when he comes home to find a letter from his wife saying she has left him for an acquaintance, his first concern is how this will affect public opinion of him. Conrad uses an ironic and often derogatory narrative voice. For example, the numerous mirrors in Hervey's home symbolize his averageness and his tendency to view himself through the eyes of society. He believes only in form and mores, and human passions and feelings are anathema to him.

Then comes the confrontation between husband and wife. She returns without keeping her tryst. From this point on, the narration becomes laborious and murky. It even gives the impression of seeing Yawnry James in the wings, wallowing in the couple's stuffy psyches.

However, Conrad leaves the psychological level and turns to metaphysics or philosophy when the husband has a moment of realization. He believes that the secret of existence is within his reach but passing away from him. This would-be revelation is in contrast to the beliefs he preaches to his wife. She is recalcitrant, and in the end, Hervey only gets a fleeting understanding. He knows that his wife, despite her dissatisfaction with received beliefs, cannot convey the gift of knowledge to him.

Conrad addresses a philosophical problem that he will explore further in his later novels. But he does it in a murky way, and the length and incongruity of the styles used here give the reader an impression of the difficulties the author might have had. Conrad himself later said he hated The Return, perhaps because of the birth pangs he experienced while writing it, or because he felt the story was imperfect in some ways.

I read that Conran hated this work of his because he suffered so much in writing it and had to lose many of his illusions to complete it. How wonderful! He hates it just as many of us hate therapy.

There are certain specific moments, especially raw and wild ones, within a relationship. They start with the golden afternoon light and when they end, darkness has fallen. No one has gathered enough sense to turn on the light.

Arguments, which bring a seething substance to the surface. Discussions that either start organized: "Shall I come over to your house at eight to talk?" or emerge precisely at that moment. They are discussions where everyone strips naked, but not exactly to show worship (perhaps that is hidden within the words too), but to say what plagues them, their truth, their expectations, what the other continues to disappoint them with.

"I can't believe you talked to me like that", "What did you hope to achieve with this behavior", "I'm giving you a chance to apologize", "I can't imagine your audacity", "I can't continue like this", "If you feel this way it's better if I leave".

Voices, howls, tears, tachycardia, panic.

These discussions are difficult to describe elsewhere once they are over. Personally, I forget most of them, but I remember some things that jumped out of my mouth and I didn't know how they were fluttering there, or I remember something that was said to me, which unpleasantly surprised me.

This book is about a broken urban marriage, the marriage of the successful entrepreneur Alban Herby and his anonymous, unfaithful wife. Alban worked very hard to maintain the types and in fact this behavior wore on his skin, became his second nature, his main priority. Alban was so absorbed in the image he presented in his circle that he didn't even notice that his wife was alive - fully alive - and capable of turning everything upside down for him.

"You're deceiving yourself. You never loved me. You wanted a wife - some woman - any woman who would think, talk, and behave in a certain way - the way you would approve. You loved yourself."

In 19th-century London, a couple lives a successful marriage until the woman decides to leave.

London is the metropolis of the then world, the capital of the greatest empire just before its decline, and a middle-class couple is a sample of society.

The story is a digression of a man, Alan Hervey, who cannot conceive that the woman he has loved for five years has betrayed him. From beginning to end, we are confronted with Alan's thoughts which today risk making him seem like a human caricature, an introspection full of logical flaws, digressive ideas and demands, an internalized hatred which as the text progresses begins to be imagined as the hand of the world on Alan, and himself as a pawn of the ideas that dominated their era. With a rather refined language and the use of adjectives and participles where possible, Conrant manages to create a text rich in images and quite fast-paced in reading, but which you feel never culminates, that never reaches where it makes you believe it can.

In the pre-modern era, there is no individual in the way we understand it. The basic way for the subject to draw its identity is the small or large social groups such as the neighborhood, the workplace, the family, relatives, but also ideas such as the State and Religion which also have the role of the Judge of life mainly on an ethical level. Thus, people end up prisoners of external systems that come into conflict with their inner world and force the individual to submit to these systems and every "voice" within them is silenced.

Under this prism, a split in the mind of a man whose roles and behaviors are predetermined based on social identity, and for women we are "like this", since we know that women are capable of "this", is enough to undermine the entire system of ideas that he has built and give it the name Alban Hervey. Because at that moment, Alan not only lost his wife, but also every percent of his material existence that was defined externally and left him passive in the most basic problem of existence, that of the "I".

I randomly came across this, and I only read it because I really like Conrad's writing style. There are hardly any dialogues, and very long descriptions of Harvey's thoughts and feelings.

It provides a very interesting insight into the, from today's perspective, very bizarre world of being and seeming in the classical bourgeois society. Well written! (It's Conrad after all):)

This work by Conrad stands out for its unique approach. The lack of extensive dialogues forces the reader to focus solely on the inner workings of Harvey's mind. Through the long and detailed descriptions of his thoughts and emotions, we are able to enter a world that is both foreign and fascinating.

The exploration of the themes of being and seeming in the context of the classical bourgeois society adds another layer of depth to the story. Conrad's ability to vividly描绘 this world makes the reader feel as if they are an observer, witnessing the events unfold. Overall, it is a well-written piece that offers a valuable glimpse into a bygone era.