Polish-born writer of English fiction. Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English. He wrote stories and novels, predominantly with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit by the demands of duty and honour. Conrad was a master prose stylist who brought a distinctly non-English tragic sensibility into English literature. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many authors. His literary work bridges the classical literary tradition of writers such as Charles Dickens and Fyodor Dostoevsky and the emergent modernist schools of writing. Of Conrad's novels, Lord Jim and Nostromo continue to be widely read, as set texts and for pleasure. The Secret Agent and Under Western Eyes are also considered to be among his finest books. Arguably Conrad's most influential work remains Heart of Darkness. The novella's depiction of a journey into the darkness of the human psyche, still resonates with modern readers.