Nostromo
First edition cover
Author	Joseph Conrad
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Novel
Publisher	Harper & Bros
Publication date	1904
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	630 pp
ISBN	NA

Nostromo is a 1904 novel by Polish-born British novelist Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of "Costaguana." It was originally published serially in two volumes of T.P.'s Weekly. USCSS The Nostromo is a fictional starship, featured in the 1979 film Alien. ... // Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-born English novelist. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... ISBN redirects here. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... // Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-born English novelist. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Look up republic in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The term serial refers to the intrinsic property of a series —namely its order. ...

Background

Conrad sets his novel in the mining town of Sulaco, an imaginary port in the occidental region of the imaginary country of Costaguana. This town and its denizens are believed by many to be among Conrad's greatest literary creations. This article is about mineral extractions. ... Ronda, Spain Main street in Bastrop, Texas, United States, a small town A town is a community of people ranging from a few hundred to several thousands, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas. ... For other uses, see Port (disambiguation). ... Occidental means generally western. It is a traditional designation (especially when capitalized) for anything belonging to the Occident or West — the western part of the classical world (Europe) and the New World, and especially of its society. ... Literature is literally an acquaintance with letters as in the first sense given in the Oxford English Dictionary (from the Latin littera meaning an individual written character (letter)). The term has, however, generally come to identify a collection of texts. ...

The book has more fully-developed characters than any other of his novels, but two characters dominate the narrative: Señor Gould, and the eponymous anti-hero, the "incorruptible" Nostromo. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An eponym is the name of a person, whether real or fictitious, who has (or is thought to have) given rise to the name of a particular place, tribe, discovery, or other item. ... In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ...

Plot summary

Señor Gould is an English expatriate who owns the silver-mining concession in Sulaco. He is tired of the political instability in Costaguana and its concomitant corruption, and puts his weight behind the Ribierist project, which he believes will bring stability to the country. Instead, the silver mine and the wealth it has generated become a magnet for local warlords to fight over, plunging Costaguana into a new round of chaos. Among others, the revolutionary Montero invades Sulaco; Señor Gould, adamant that his silver should not become spoil for his enemies, entrusts it to Nostromo, the trusted "capataz de los cargadores" (head longshoreman). For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For the band, see Expatriate (band). ... A nugget of silver Silver mining refers to the resource extraction of the precious metal element silver, mostly through mines. ... In politics, a concession is the act of a candidate yielding to the other condidate. ... Revolutionary, when used as a noun, is a person who either advocates or actively engages in some kind of revolution. ... This article is about the chemical element. ...

Nostromo is an Italian expatriate who has risen to that position through his daring exploits. ("Nostromo" is Italian for "mate" or "boatswain," as well as a "contraction" of nostro uomo — "our man.") He is so named by his employer, Captain Mitchell. "Nostromo's" real name is Giovanni Battista Fidanza — Fidanza meaning "trust" in archaic Italian. For the band, see Expatriate (band). ... Mate may refer to: Relationships: Mate (term), a term for a friend, especially in the United Kingdom and Australasia; also used to address strangers One of a pair of animals, sometimes also applied to a human partner; see mating Nautical: A deck officer on a merchant marine vessel, usually ranked... The bosun aboard a modern merchant ship stands cargo watch as freight is lowered into an open hatch. ...

Nostromo is what would today be called a shameless self-publicist. He is believed by Señor Gould to be incorruptible, and for this reason is entrusted with hiding the silver from the revolutionaries. He accepts the mission not out of loyalty to Señor Gould, but rather because he sees an opportunity to increase his own fame. A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, or for a work such as a book or movie. ...

In the end it is Nostromo, together with a ruined cynic of a doctor and a journalist (all acting for self-serving reasons), who are able to restore some kind of order to Sulaco. It is they who are able to persuade two of the warlords to aid Sulaco's secession from Costaguana and protect it from other armies. Nostromo, the incorruptible one, is the key figure in setting the wheels in motion.

In Conrad's universe, however, almost no one is incorruptible. The exploit does not bring Nostromo the fame he had hoped for, and he feels slighted and used. Feeling that he has risked his life for nothing, he is consumed by resentment, which leads to his corruption and ultimate destruction.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

• In 1997, adapted by John Hale and directed by Alastair Reid for the BBC, Radiotelevisione Italiana, Televisión Española, and WGBH Boston. It starred Claudio Amendola as Nostromo, and Colin Firth as Señor Gould. - Nostromo at the Internet Movie Database

• Andrew M. Greeley's 1985 novel "Virgin and Martyr" has much of the story set in the fictional country of Costaguana. Many of the place names are borrowed from Conrad's novel.

John Parker Hale was a Democrat from the state of New Hampshire. ... Alastair Reid (b. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... RAI is an acronym for Radio Audizioni Italiane (translation - Italian Radio Hearings). It is the premier television network of Italy. ... Current Televisión Española logo. ... WGBH is an established public television and public radio broadcast service located in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English film, television and stage actor. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

See also

• Thomas L. Jeffers, “The Logic of Material Interests in Conrad’s Nostromo,” Raritan (Fall 2003), 80-111.
• Politics in fiction.
• Nostromo is the name of the "Commercial Towing Vessel" , featured in Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien. (Later designated an M-Class star freighter in the sequel, Aliens)
• Sulaco is the name of the Colonial Marines space war ship in the movie Aliens.

This is a list of fictional stories in which politics features as an important plot element. ... USCSS The Nostromo is a fictional starship, featured in the 1979 film Alien. ... Sir Ridley Scott (born November 30, 1937 in South Shields, South Tyneside) is a British film director and producer. ... This article is about the first film in a series. ... Aliens is a 1986 science fiction/action/horror film starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser. ... Image:Http://www2. ... Aliens is a 1986 science fiction/action/horror film starring Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton and Paul Reiser. ...

External links

• Nostromo, a Tale of the Seaboard, available at Project Gutenberg.
• Essays and annotated text for Nostromo.
• Nostromo at google books

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Nostromo