Typhoon is a novel by Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...

, begun in 1899 and serialized in Pall Mall Magazine January to March 1902. Its first book publication was in New York by Putnam

G. P. Putnam's Sons

G. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...

 in 1902 and was published in Britain in Typhoon and Other Stories by Heinemann

Heinemann (book publisher)

Heinemann is a UK publishing house founded by William Heinemann in Covent Garden, London in 1890. On William Heinemann's death in 1920 a majority stake was purchased by U.S. publisher Doubleday. It was later acquired by commemorate Thomas Tilling in 1961...

 in 1903.

Plot summary

It is a classic sea yarn that describes how Captain MacWhirr sails the Siam

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

ese steamer Nan-Shan into a typhoon

Tropical cyclone

A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...

. Other characters include the young Jukes and Solomon, the head engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

. The novel classically evokes the sea-faring life at the turn of the century. While Macwhirr is emotionally estranged from his family and crew, and though he refuses to consider an alternate course to skirt the typhoon, his indomitable will in the face of a superior natural force elicits grudging admiration.

Characters

• Captain MacWhirr, an empirical man without imagination.
• Jukes, the first mate.
• Solomon Rout, the chief engineer, an experienced seaman.
• The boatswain.
• The second mate.
• The coolies, hired workers from India and China.
• Mrs MacWhirr, the Captain's wife.
• Mrs Rout, the chief engineer's wife.
• Messrs Sigg and Son, the owners of the boat.

Major themes

On the surface an adventure novel, the book contains many interwoven themes including:

• In a dangerous situation, people will follow someone showing certainty even if the source of the certainty is dubious.
• Lack of imagination can place one in as much danger as lack of experience.

External links

• Typhoon and Other Stories, available at Internet Archive
  Internet Archive
  The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
  
  (1921 edition)