The purpose of this paper seems to be quite simple: to present a Polish weekly magazine Conrad read as a teenager and how it influenced his later life. There are two major problems, however, I came across while writing. First of all, the length of the paper limits somehow the scope of my plan. As there is hardly any reliable evidence in this matter, the nature of this paper must be to a great extent purely hypothetical. This usually brings about lengthy papers full of various propositions and speculations, all of which must be carefully accounted for. The second problem I encountered was the very thesis of the paper: the influence of "The Wanderer" on Conrad. As far as his literary works are concerned, even if we find some similarities in his works to the early readings, one cannot be certain how much of the magazine he remembered twenty-odd years later. Therefore, I have decided to focus on how reading of "The Wanderer" could excite the young man's imagination and spur him on to leave Poland and commence a sea-career.

I would like to begin with some basic historical facts concerning the journal. "The Wanderer - a journal publishing reports of journeys and expeditions, descriptions of habits and customs of foreign peoples, life sketches of famous foreigners, translations and tales from foreign literature, rumours and news from the field of natural sciences, industry and technology, varia etc." was a weekly published in Warsaw between 1863 and 1906. Until 1884 its main interests were geography and travelling, while in the next five years its character changed meaningfully, as it became a significant social and cultural voice which, propagating naturalism, created contemporary views on literature and art. It proclaimed ideas of positivism and hence supported the need for the development of industry and anti-clericalism, while being strongly opposed to conservatism in both social and artistic fields. At that time many significant Polish writers, thinkers and adherents of Polish independence contributed to the journal. Indeed, Conrad himself was close to writing for " The Wanderer" (reminiscences from his voyage to Australia) as we know from Tadeusz Bobrowski's letter from June 1881, but the idea was forsaken for some reason. The journal lost its importance after its editor-in-chief (Artur Gruszewski) resigned in 1888.

The influence of the journal on Conrad has been neglected by almost all his biographers. Only Zdzislaw Najder gives some general information concerning the magazine and acknowledges its high quality in "Joseph Conrad: A Chronicle." Certainly, it deserves more attention, as the time when Korzeniowski was in touch with "The Wanderer," the years 1868-1873, was crucial for his life. Without his parents' support, Konrad was forced to realize that his life was in his own hands. It was in the autumn of 1873 that Conrad announced his intention to become a sailor, and the reasons for this decision are still not clear. In "Geography and Some Explorers," which constitutes an important base for my hypotheses here, Conrad stated that the most significant period of his geographical fascination came about eighteen years before "a wretched little stern-wheel steamboat I commanded lay moored to the bank of an African river" (271) so it must have been in the late 1860s or very early 1870s. Therefore, I believe it is worthwhile to take a look at "The Wanderer" as one of the possible causes standing behind Conrad's determination to go to sea.

The part of "The Wanderer" most interesting for Korzeniowski was "Travelling, descriptions of places and ethnography." It related all the most important journeys, explorations and discoveries of the time, such names as Henry Morton Stanley, Mungo Park, or Samuel Baker frequently appeared in the magazine. Additionally, it presented Polish adventurers of the age such as Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, Jan Kubary or Ignacy Domeyko.

In "Geography" Conrad refers to Sir Leopold McClintock's book "The Voyage of the Fox in the Arctic Seas" as the best possible book "for letting in the breath of the stern romance of polar explorations into the existence of a boy" (265). He admits that "[t]he great spirit of the realities of the story sent me off on the romantic explorations of my inner self; to the discovery of poring over maps; and revealed to me the existence of the latent devotion to geography" (266). While Conrad suggests that he first read the book in French at the age of approximately ten and Najder confirms this statement (Chronicle, 505), it is quite possible that Konrad first learnt of McClintock's journeys to the North Pole reading "The Wanderer," as it gave accounts of John Franklin's and McClintock's journeys in the second half of 1867, so, indeed, a decade after Conrad's birth.

The most important person of the age for the editors of "The Wanderer," however, seems to be David Livingstone, whose biographical sketches and journeys were presented several times between 1867 and 1873. He was shown as a person of outstanding personality: "his life is a striking example of self-help; his works and journeys deserve the attention of every thinking person." (this, and all further translations from "The Wanderer" are mine). He was also said to be a man admired by everyone around ("his courage amazed the natives, who were not only friendly but also brought him food prepared by themselves") and he treated people equally, opposing slave-trade. In "Geography," Conrad made some significant remarks regarding the explorer, indicating his fascination with the man "clinging in his very last hour to his heart's unappeased desire for the sources of the Nile". At the same time Conrad referred to Livingstone as the greatest empire builder and "the most venerated perhaps of all the objects of my early geographical enthusiasm" (Geography, 270). So, Livingstone personified for young Korzeniowski some kind of ideal and it seems natural that he dreamt of a life similar to him.

The way the articles were written seems to be much more important at times than their actual content. The Europeans were often referred to as saviours of Africa, who, despite the dangers, went there to bring the land enlightenment: "Southern Africa will take a heavy toll of lives of martyrs before religion and civilization will have finally hoisted their flags," or "The Europeans will bring here soon not destruction and ashes, but the sweetness of customs, industry and civilization." Brave European discoverers did not think of gaining anything for themselves, apart from overcoming personal weaknesses, which was always the greatest of triumphs: "while thinking of the possibility of discovering the Nile's sources, I imagined I would shout the English 'hurray' thrice with my companions. But when I saw this midland sea of Africa I wondered for how long no one knew a thing about this, while I, tiny and insignificant, managed to get where so many greater than me could not get" said Samuel Baker in his narrative about discovering the sources of the Nile.

The motif of slavery was present in virtually all articles dealing with African journeys, and the aim of editors was to "reveal the entire hideousness of this business." Miss Tinne, one of the rare female explorers of Africa, could be a good example: "there I saw for the first time the trade of Niggers (sic!). I had never been so moved in my life. I had had no idea concerning neither the extent of the evil nor the cruelty and cynicism of the traders." She was one more of the fair and bright travelers acknowledging the vileness of colonizers: "it is impossible to describe all the wickedness we witnessed while sojourning to nearby settlements of blacks. Therefore, it is obvious and justified, that, once peaceful and hospitable, they had become infuriated and dangerous."

She was but one of the wayfarers recounting their personal experiences far away from Europe. Indeed, she did not expect her to life to develop in this way. In her letter from Africa, she wrote "I don't know why Africa has always attracted me so. When I was a child learning geography, the center of the continent was entirely white, blank and empty on the map, and it was there that I dreamt I could travel. I have reached this unknown land finally, however I come back to it, like a moth to light, driven perhaps by instinct." Surprisingly, these words were repeated by Conrad several years later, in slightly different forms in Heart of Darkness and A Personal Record: "It was in 1868, when nine years old or thereabouts, that while looking at a map of Africa of the time and putting my finger on the blank space then representing the unsolved mystery of that continent, I said to myself, with absolute assurance and an amazing audacity which are no longer in my character now: 'When I grow up I shall go there.'" (PR,36). This proves well that such stories must have also been attractive for a young man in the middle of the 19th century: European travellers, often accidental, had unusual and dangerous adventures but survived due to their courage and wisdom.

The case was somehow different with Baron Wogan, who went to America to visit his uncle living there. On the way from Marseille on an English brig called the "Swallow," he was shipwrecked on an island with one of the officers and his dog, which had saved his life during the storm. After a series of adventures, like an attack of Spaniards who took them for pirates, he saved an Indian (brave Europeans could not be passive when any human life was endangered!) in a fight with a bear, during which his dog died. The Indian, however, did not behave as becomes a civilized man: he robbed his saviour afterwards and even tried to kill him. Wogan shot dead the Indian most unwillingly in self-defense, but nonetheless he was sentenced to death by the tribe of "Pah-Utahs." A few minutes before his death he spoke to a white man living among Indians and, surprisingly, they discovered their forefathers (Lennoxes and Wogans) had fought together in a Stuart rebellion against the English domination of Scotland. Obviously, Wogan's new friend knew now how to save him.

This story, simple and unrealistic as it sounds, even if translator of the story claimed it all actually happened, might be interesting for several reasons. We have the sea, leading to romantic adventures and great deeds. The hero is saved by his kinsman, not for the simple fact of being white, but because he discovers that his ancestors fought for the independence of his native country - this could happen to Conrad.

Sea-adventures are naturally an important subject of "The Wanderer." So, we have an authentic story of F.E. Raynal "The Adventures of ship-wrecks," who on a deserted island on the archipelago of the Aucklands, despite all adversities of fortune and hostility of the land, organized a civilized life after their ship had foundered in a storm. Onboard another ship, in a story "A Case of Honour," after a fire which had destroyed the vessel entirely, the English captain of the ship, ex-soldier of anti-slave-trade troops, was ready to sacrifice his life only to secure that everyone else had safely left the ship. He survived, however, thanks to bravery of other seamen. What makes the story more interesting is that previously the captain had been accused of cowardice and was generally despised because he had rejected fighting a duel (he was challenged after having thrown a glass of wine at an American who had insulted the Queen). He was able to prove his supremacy over his enemies, first by means of words (he threatens his adversary "I am the captain and the king on this ship, so no one is allowed to challenge my honour. If you continue to undermine my authority I shall have you imprisoned or even clap you in irons if you insist") and then by his deeds. So, in this story we have motifs of the nobility and wisdom of those who are detested by others at first, of courage displayed in the most necessary moments, of the brotherhood of sailors and superiority of the captain - all these were to become some of the main topics of Conrad's fiction.

Some relations were quite dramatic indeed, like " The Adventures of the sailor Viaud," also allegedly based on a true event. Viaud was shipwrecked on the way from San Domingo to Louisiana and found himself with just few companions on the rocks of an island. There they were cheated by an Indian who promised them help but stole everything, including guns. The only useful object remaining was a knife, but nonetheless they managed to build a small canoe which took them to North America. After a series of accidents, there were just three of them left, Viaud, a French tourist and a black servant. Exhausted and dying from lack of food, the whites decided to hasten the death of the servant. Despite being filled with remorse, they cut his throat and devoured his flesh, and even smoked several bits of meat to eat them later. Finally, overpowered by a severe illness, Mr Viaud was miraculously rescued and survived. However, he never managed to defeat the feeling of guilt caused by eating the human body. Does this not resemble something Conradian?

Throughout the first half of 1871, "The Wanderer" related the history of Australia, beginning with the first half of the 15th century and Balboa's discovery of the Pacific up to the present moment - English government on the continent. It was a very detailed account of the continent's discovery and development, based on Friedrich Christmann's history of Australia, not only filled with historical data and tales of famous sailors' adventures and discoveries (Magellan, Torres, Tasman, Cook), but also with a number of stories which could inspire a young man's mind, for instance a story of Captain Bligh, one of Australia's early governors, who is better known perhaps as the captain of the "Bounty," which was the scene of the famous mutiny in 1789, also described in "The Wanderer."

It is interesting to notice that Conrad in "Geography and Some Explorers" paid tribute to all the important discoverers of Australia. In such statements as "Balboa could not possibly know that this great moment of his life had added suddenly thousands of miles to the circumference of the globe, had opened an immense theatre for the human drama of adventure and exploration" (259) or "Tasman … the most accomplished of 17th century explorers and navigators … a humble son of the soil … a modest man of genius," (260) Conrad agreed with the journal's ideas concerning exploring new lands: the aims of travelers should be scientific and their only object - the search for truth.

I would like to focus now on "Literature," the section of the journal which at first sight should be the most significant while writing of influences on Conrad, but I am rather reluctant to comply with this statement. The main reason for my demurral of this seemingly logical idea is that Conrad started writing seriously more than twenty years after reading 'The Wanderer." Certainly, Conrad could remember some stylistic devices or even elements of plot, but this is a problem to discuss in a more extensive way in a different paper. Again, however, I would like to focus on how literary works published in "The Wanderer" excited the young man's imagination and may have prompted him to leave Poland.

The subject of literature was meaningful for editors of "The Wanderer," but it must be admitted that majority of works published in the paper were not of the highest standard. On the one hand, "The Wanderer" introduced to Polish readers Dickens, Flaubert and Poe as well as influential writers of the age such as Gaboriau, Friedrich von Spielhagen, or Marlitt, but on the other, it tried to attract as many readers as possible, so it offered many popular romances, written by such authors of international fame as Emilie Flygare-Carlen, Erckmann-Chatrian or Mario Uchard.

What could attract a young man was certainly a hero of some sort who had a life full of adventures, which preferably ended happily. Indeed, Korzeniowski found several such characters in novels published in "The Wanderer," such as Jean de Chazol, the main protagonist of Uchard's "The revenge of the broken heart." The plot of this romance, despite several unexpected turns of action and increasing dramatic tension is not worthwhile to elaborate on: the main character is torn between his feelings towards his rich cousin and an uncivilized country girl, who is an illegitimate child of his uncle. But the protagonist himself might have been attractive for young Korzeniowski.

Jean became an orphan at the age of 15 and since then his guardian was his mother's

brother (!), an experienced and well-established sailor. Jean went to India and started his not always conventional education there: "The struggle with wildness of water and the majestic view of a ship against the background of limitless oceans instilled in his mind the sense of duty, discipline and righteousness." He was endowed with robust health, poetic talent as well as youthful imagination. Thanks to his numerous voyages and adventures in faraway countries (he had circled earth a few times before he reached the age of 20), wild nights, gains and losses of every day (struggle for gold!) his mind developed faster and better than an ordinary boy's mind and made him an exceptional individual. At the age of 27 he was one of the most promising officers of the navy - his strength, courage, intelligence and experience predestined him to great deeds and most difficult diplomatic missions. For a vivid imagination, could this not be the fate of a young Pole, who after migration became famous for his deeds and then started his diplomatic career to take part in his country's struggle for independence?

All in all, there can be no doubt that "The Wanderer" had some impact on young Korzeniowski. The reasons standing behind his decision to leave Poland will never be entirely clear, but I believe that the journal may be seen as one of the decisive factors. The stories of heroic deeds of extraordinary people and of discoveries of new lands by famous adventurers, or even accidental exploits of simple travelers - all these are always interesting for a teenager. For a vivid imagination like Conrad's, these stories served not only as an escape from harsh reality, but also as a driving force for his life-decisions.

Additionally, "The Wanderer" introduced Korzeniowski to new ideas which undoubtedly at least partially determined the way he perceived the world. News of recent scientific discoveries, the introduction of modern ideas (especially Darwin's), relations of historical events and legendary people of the past (Napoleons I and III), accounts of noble deeds of famous as well as ordinary people: all these might have affected Conrad's understanding of the world for many years. Still, a necessity to analyze carefully the way "The Wanderer" influenced Conrad's works appears, but in order not to make it purely hypothetical and too shallow a paper, a careful analysis is most necessary.