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'Elevated the spy story into literature in a way that would inspire Greene and le Carré' (Observer )
--This text refers to the
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This is the only novel that Conrad set in London, and it communicates a profoundly ironic view of human affairs. The story is woven around an attack on the Greenwich Observatory in 1894. Verloc, (a Russian spy who is also working for the police) is ostensibly a member of an anarchist group in Soho.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
E.M. Forster apparently said something to the effect that Conrad's London in 'The Secret Agent' was too dark a place: a foreigners projection of European anxieties onto, in reality, a far more benevolent scene. It's true, Conrad's vision of England's capital is dark, but you'd have to say that it is no darker than, say, moments in Dickens', or even T.S. Eliot's 'Wasteland'. Developments in both the world of Crime Thrillers, and in the reality of terrorism and espionage suggest that Conrad was certainly onto something. Indeed, many now current clichés of the genre can be seen to originate from Conrad's book: mainly that the criminal and the policeman; the terrorist and the 'keeper of the peace' are not worlds apart. Few contemporary writers, however, are quite as keen and scrupulous as Conrad, who is never shy of taking us into the deepest and darkest places in the modern political psyche. Conrad's prose is as intensely atmospheric, as psychologically penetrating, and as layered with ironies as anything you will read in English. Sometimes it takes an 'outsider view' to tell you hard things about your beloved little Island. You won't get Merchant Ivory touching Conrad.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Verloc is an Embassy spy in London at the end of the nineteenth century, who is informed by his (rather shady) employers that it is time he earned his pay by doing more than just submitting reports. The choice of action he chooses to appease those at the Embassy forms the basis of the book, and we see how other characters are affected by what he decides.
At times "The Secret Agent" is a little heavy-going - a section near the middle of the book discussing the Assistant Commissioner of Police and a Chief Inspector enlightens us as to these characters but the circular nature of their conversations grates a little and I felt anxious for the action to return to the far more interesting Mr. Verloc & family. Indeed in Verloc, his wife, brother - and mother - in law, Conrad creates entirely credible, very human characters, and their pain is conveyed to the reader in a manner which made me think: "Yes, that's exactly what people are like."
The ending of the book is a little predictable, but skillfully executed. My major criticism would be the depiction of the shadowy revolutionists - I was never quite sure what they were rebelling against, or why, and they were not as credible as the other characters. This, however, may have been Conrad's aim.
On the whole, an original story which is at times very involving. It also has some very funny moments which are usually quite unexpected, but which seem to work, nonetheless.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Well, that's how it has been described. Don't expect anything like a Frederick Forsythe though. This is a novel of complex characters and is more about domestic life than espionage. The symbolism of the victimization of the innocent by those out to further personal greed and political ideals rings as true at the end of the century as at the begining.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Exterminate, exterminate!
It is surprising how little known such an influential book is. Although it had been on my "to read" list for some time it was only shortly before I was due to start it that I found... Read more
Published 6 months ago by DB
A funny and compelling tale with hidden depths
I've just re-read Conrad's The Secret Agent and found it as fresh and relevant today as when I first read it about thirty years ago. Read more
Published 7 months ago by A Common Reader
Disappointing
I have enjoyed my previous Conrads, but this was a disappointment. The book is populated by a most unlikely collection of revolutionaries, who would posed no threat to anyone- why... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Donald Hughes
Good graded reader for English (EFL) students
I've assigned this graded reader with cd for homework (it's a simplified version of the original) for my intermediate/upper-intermediate English-as-a-foreign-language students. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Steven H. Starry
A Classic
This book is part of the Penguin series that is helping to support fighting AIDs in Africa. Part of the proceeds from this will be going to charity, so while you are settled down... Read more
Published on 28 May 2010 by M. Dowden
A fine piece of work
Although this novel is a departure from the tropical localities of his other classics,it is still a masterpiece of prose and vocabulary and reading it can only strengthen your... Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2009 by nicholas hargreaves
Looking into another Heart of Darkness
Readers familiar with the work of Dostoevsky will find themselves in similar territory when embarking on 'The Secret Agent'. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2009 by corvus corax
Ran out of steam
According to Mr Conrad himself this is not one his best works and I have to agree with him. Although based in London there is very little feel of the place and it really could have... Read more
Published on 24 July 2009 by Officer Dibble
Conrad's Finest Novel
According to many this is Conrad's best work and I have to agree. This is a superb novel which shows Conrad at his best. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2009 by I. M. Knight
A favourite classic
For some years, this intriguing novel has been a favourite of mine. Conrad leads the reader through a cunning series of plots and subplots, all the while creating an atmosphere of... Read more
Published on 23 Jun 2008 by GreenMan
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