John Kemp is a young English lad who dreams of adventure (the titular "romance")—and, through his dealings with local smugglers, soon gets his wish as he's swept away to the Caribbean. There he meets admirals and pirates, nobles and rebels, merchants and seamen. Above all, he finds love—but first has to escape with his life. Romance , published in 1903, is the second of three collaborations between Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford . As an adventure novel it enjoyed some commercial success and was adapted into a silent movie in 1927. Today, it's a mostly forgotten footnote among the authors' more critically acclaimed works. Joseph Conrad (died 1924) was a major literary figure of the early 20th century. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. As a work of classic literary fiction, Romance exemplifies the narrative craft and social insight that defined great storytelling of its era. Literary fiction of this period was characterized by careful attention to character psychology, social milieu, and the moral questions that animated public discourse.
