Geopolitical codes in Joseph Conrad Korzeniowski’s political novels

Abstract

Joseph Conrad Korzeniowski, an outstanding Polish writer living in the British Empire, remained a Polish patriot. The outbreak of the First World War meant a change in the political situation in Europe, and thus the chance for Poland to regain sovereignty. Polish state did not exist for over a hundred years after the partition made by Germany, Austria and Russia. Conrad devoted two political sketches to the analysis of the situation and prospects of the Polish independence. The Crime of Partition was the text directed to the recipient of literature, including Polish reader. The emphasis in this draft was put on moral aspect. Conrad pointed to Polish membership in Western culture and historical injustice. He claimed that authoritarian Russia was the enemy of Poland. A Note on the Polish Problem was created in 1916 and it was directed to the British government, therefore the writer’s argumentation asking for support in the restoration of the Polish state was political and pointed to the benefits for the British. Due to the existence of the Entente, Conrad acknowledged Britain, France and Russia as allies and Germany as the main enemy of Poland. Preparing A Note on the Polish Problem for publication in Poland and for Polish people, now in free homeland, he revised his political vision, according to the current geopolitical situation.