Author. Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Berdyczów, now in the Ukraine, he changed his name to Joseph Conrad in 1886 when he became a British citizen, and gained his Master Mariner’s Certificate. He retired from the sea in 1894, after various adventures including gun-running and duelling, which served him well as material for his writing. In 1889 he visited the Congo Free State; this partially inspired his most acclaimed work, “Heart of Darkness” (1899). Although English was not his native tongue, Conrad became a brilliant prose stylist in that language and his novels combine a romantic temperament with a rigorous morality. The most important of them include “The Nigger of the ‘Narcissus'” (1897), “Lord Jim” (1900), “Nostromo” (1904), “The Secret Agent” (1907), “Under Western Eyes” (1911),  “Chance” (1913), and “Victory” (1915). Several were made into films,  notably “Heart of Darkness” as “Apocalypse Now” (1979). (bio by: Sheilia W.)  Family links:  Spouse:  Jessie Emmeline Conrad Korzeniowska (1873 – 1936)*  Children:  Alfred Borys Conrad (1898 – 1978)*  John Alexander Conrad Korzeniowski (1906 – 1982)* *Calculated relationship