Conrad's early period is dominated by narratives about the Malay Archipelago and the maritime profession. For this reason, Conrad was (and often still is) thought of as a sea writer. Conrad's early writings serve as a writer's apprenticeship of sorts. Often thought to be more uneven than the works of his middle period, these works nevertheless have much to recommend them, and when they were published they were well received by the critics.

Almayer's Folly

Almayer's Folly is Conrad's first novel, and the first of a reverse trilogy – that is the first written but the last in the chronology of events that take place in The Rescue, An Outcast of the Islands, and Almayer's Folly. The novel deals with Almayer, a trader in a remote region of the Malay Archipelago, who has married his mentor Tom Lingard's adopted Sulu daughter with the promise that one day he would become Lingard's heir. By the time the novel opens, though, Lingard has lost his money and disappeared to Europe, and Almayer's wife has retreated back to her cultural roots. Almayer's one hope is of becoming rich and leaving the East to return to Europe with his daughter, Nina. To this end, he has engaged Dain Maroola, a Balinese ruler, to help search for rumored gold. Unbeknownst to Almayer, Nina and Dain Maroola have fallen in love. Before Maroola and Almayer can begin their search for gold, however, the Dutch authorities arrive to arrest Maroola for seeking to overthrow Dutch rule.