Victory: An Island Tale

“Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love—and to put its trust in life!”

In an effort to avoid heartbreak and suffering, Axel Heyst has closed off his heart to the world. Raised by a single father, a philosopher with an exceedingly pessimistic view of humanity, there was little hope for Axel the dreamer to turn out otherwise. Upon the death of his father, Axel leaves his home in England to wander the world with no path. Eventually he joins a coal company’s expedition to a remote island in the Malay Archipelago—the setting of Conrad’s Lord Jim—and on this journey he feels his heart begin to stir. He connects with the captain of the ship, empathizes with the poor man’s plight, and even financially invests in the expedition. Sadly, his re-entrance into the world of human emotions is cut short when the enterprise fails and the captain dies, so Axel closes himself off once more.

Axel does not return to England after this failure, but instead stays on the island to live the life of a hermit. But when he meets Lena, a mistreated English musician playing in an all-female orchestra, Axel jumps at the chance to save her from her misfortune. Together they escape to his island refuge. Now presumed safe from her abusers, it falls to Lena to try and save Axel from the isolation and depression that have taken over his life.

One of Joseph Conrad’s most complex and psychological novels, Victory is a tale of thrilling adventure and a sensitive study of human relationships and the power of love.