Victory Introduction by Tony Tanner

Victory was the last of Conrad's novels to be set in the Malay Archipelago. It tells the story of Axel Heyst who, damaged by his dead father's nihilistic philosophy, has retreated from the world of commerce and colonial exploration to live alone on the island of Samburan. But Heyst's solitaryexistence ends when he rescues an English girl from her rapacious patron and brings her back to the island. She in turn recalls him to love and life, until the world breaks in on them once more with tragic consequences. In this love story Conrad created two of his psychologically most complex andcompelling characters in a narrative of great erotic power.This new edition uses the first edition text and includes a new chronology and bibliography.

Peter Lancelot Mallios is an assistant professor of English and American Studies at the University of Maryland.