Record Number: 20397

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Arrived: A book with a Chinese title of Scandinavian authorship translated by Mrs Reynolds. I am touched and pleased indeed by the kind`attention. Have looked into it alreday with the translator alone in view. And that is all right. That's all I have to say. If I were to talk of skill and fluency and mastery and the rest of the journalese bosh you would not believe me and you would be right. But the thing will do and that's the most an honest man can say of any writing.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 16 Jun 1904 and 2 Jul 1904

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Stanford near Hythe
county: Kent
specific address: Pent Farm

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Joseph Conrad

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

3 Dec 1857

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Master mariner and author

Religion:

originally Polish Catholic, by now agnostic/atheist

Country of Origin:

Poland

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Henri Jean François Borel

Title:

Wu Wei:A Phantasy Based on the Philosophy of Lao-Tse

Genre:

Philosophy

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

Luzac and Co. 1903, trans. by 'Meredith Lanson' Mabel Reynolds, John Galsworthy's sister.

Provenance

owned
Internal evidence indicates gift from the translator.

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Source Information:

Record ID:

20397

Source:

Print

Author:

Joseph Conrad

Editor:

Frederick R. Karl (and Laurence Davies)

Title:

The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad Volume 3, 1903-1907

Place of Publication:

Cambridge

Date of Publication:

1988

Vol:

n/a

Page:

148

Additional Comments:

Letter from Joseph Conrad to John Galsworthy dated 2nd July 1904, Pent Farm.

Citation:

Joseph Conrad, Frederick R. Karl (and Laurence Davies) (ed.), The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad Volume 3, 1903-1907 (Cambridge, 1988), p. 148, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=20397, accessed: 23 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

Borel (1869-1933) was a Dutch writer and journalist, not Scandinavian as Conrad thought. The text was first published in 1897 as ‘Wu Wei.Eene studie, naar aanleiding van Lao Tsz's filosofie.’ (Information from Dutch digital library website 'Digitale bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse letteren' accessed through Borel entry in Wikipedia (Dutch language version).