The Secret Sharer

Joseph Conrad 1909

Joseph Conrad’s “The Secret Sharer” was written in only two weeks in 1909. This story and two others make up the book Twixt Land and Sea which was first published in 1912. Conrad considered three other titles for his story about identity: “The Second Self,” “The Secret Self,” and “The Other Self.” The tale is based on a true story about a murder on the ship Cutty Sark in 1880 by a sailor with a wicked reputation. The murderer jumped ship and was captured; he was eventually acquitted of murder but found guilty of manslaughter. Conrad’s story varies from the real tale in that the real crime was deliberate and committed by a vicious man. In the fictional version, Leggatt is attempting to save his ship from a sailor who will not obey orders. “The Secret Sharer” is considered to be both a psychological and autobiographical piece of writing, and is largely considered one of Conrad’s finest short works.