At what age did Joseph Conrad learn English?

Joseph Conrad, renowned author of literary classics like Heart of Darkness, did not initially write in English, instead learning it relatively late in life after Polish and French. Conrad would eventually achieve stunning mastery of English, his third language, though he did not begin studying it in earnest until his mid-20s when pursuing a maritime career took him to Britain. Examining when and how Conrad came to the language he would later employ so brilliantly provides fascinating biographical context.

Multilingual Roots - Conrad's Linguistic Background

Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Russian-occupied Poland in 1857, Conrad spoke Polish as his native language. By his late teens he was proficient in French, which he studied seriously after leaving Poland to join the French merchant marine. However, he had minimal exposure to English until his maritime career brought him to Britain.

In his mid-20s while rising as a seaman, Conrad started intensively building his English, which was essential for career advancement. Though a rough process, Conrad realized mastering English could enable writing fiction, which he had already begun attempting in French.

Literary Ambitions - Conrad's Disciplined Language Acquisition

Conrad devoted himself to English grammar and vocabulary, reading simple children’s books before advancing to complex newspapers and novels. It was extraordinarily challenging, but through discipline Conrad was conversant by age 28. The foundations for his literary achievements were laid, remarkably, in his third language.

A Triumphant Linguistic Odyssey

That Joseph Conrad penned some of the great classics of English literature despite not speaking the language until adulthood is a towering achievement of artistic will and self-education. His mastery of adopted English synthesized his multicultural background into a pioneering literary voice.