The ‘Polish Problem’ and Transnational Activism

This final chapter examines Conrad’s political essays written between 1905 and 1916 (and two short stories from the same period) in relation to the three terms—nationalism, internationalism and transnationalism—which have been central to the discussion in earlier chapters. Conrad’s political essays show him negotiating a transnational politics based on the experience of exile in the context of competing nationalisms. His first political essay, ‘Autocracy and War’ (1905), was prompted by Russia’s defeat in the Russo-Japanese War. Through his friendship with Józef Retinger, and after his 1914 visit to Poland, Conrad became dedicated to the cause of Polish independence. This chapter considers Conrad’s essays ‘Poland Revisited’, ‘The Crime of Partition’ and ‘A Note on the Polish Problem’ as a form of transnational activism. It also examines his engagement with patriotism, national identity and transnationalism in his late stories ‘Prince Roman and ‘The Warrior’s Soul’ to show how Conrad explored some of the issues raised by the writing process of Under Western Eyes.