A tale of personal tragedy as well as a broader meditation on the evils of colonialism, Almayer's Folly is Joseph Conrad's first novel. Set in the lush jungles of Borneo in the late 1800s, it charts the decline of a Dutch merchant after a twenty-five year struggle against overwhelming odds. Despite the bitterness of his disillusioned wife, Almayer refuses to accept the financial ruin he has precipitated. Instead, he dreams of fantastic wealth and a triumphant return to the civilization of his youth, accompanied by his loving daughter, Nina. But when Nina turns away from his elusive fantasies to the tangible reality of her native lover, Almayer must face the fruits of his own folly.

Joseph Conrad (Józef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski) (1857-1924) was born in the Ukraine. He was raised by an uncle after his parents, ardent Polish patriots, died following their exile for anti-Russian activities. As a boy he educated himself by reading widely in Polish and French. At 21 he began serving on French merchant vessels, and for twenty years, he sailed the seven seas. He went to London for a rest and began writing. The romance and adventure of Conrad's own life form the basis for his incomparable sea novels. Today Conrad is generally regarded as one of the greatest writers of fiction in English, his third language. He once described his task as “by the power of the written word . . . to make you see.”