Record Number: 29395

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Once I planned that we should spend the evening reading Slowacki, and all day I kept looking forward to it. After supper we sat as usual in the living room. I began with "Grob Agamemmona". I read it aloud, without interruption and not lifting my eyes from the book; finally, having reached the end I looked up at Conrad and felt frightened. He sat immobile, looking angry and pained; suddenly he jumped to his feet and rushed out of the room, without saying a word, or even looking at my mother or myself, like a man deeply hurt. [...] It had probably been a long time since Conrad had read that poem and he was overcome by a sudden and unexpected emotion which he could neither control nor conceal.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 2 Aug 1914 and 2 Oct 1914

Country:

Poland

Time

evening

Place:

Zakopane
Villa Konstantynowka, Jagiellonska Street
sitting room

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Aniela Zagorska

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

1881

Socio-Economic Group:

Gentry
'szlachta' Polish landed gentry

Occupation:

Reader: translator; Listener: master mariner and author

Religion:

Catholic

Country of Origin:

Poland

Country of Experience:

Poland

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Joseph Conrad and Madame Aniela Zagorska, the reader's mother.

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Juliusz Slowacki

Title:

Grob Agamemnona

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

first published 1839

Provenance

borrowed (private library)

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Source Information:

Record ID:

29395

Source:

Print

Author:

Aniela Zagorska

Editor:

Zdzislaw Najder trans. Halina Carroll-Najder

Title:

A Few Reminiscences of Conrad (repr. in Conrad Under Familial Eyes)

Place of Publication:

Cambridge

Date of Publication:

1983

Vol:

n/a

Page:

217

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Aniela Zagorska, Zdzislaw Najder trans. Halina Carroll-Najder (ed.), A Few Reminiscences of Conrad (repr. in Conrad Under Familial Eyes) , (Cambridge, 1983), p. 217, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=29395, accessed: 14 May 2024

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Additional Comments:

This entry has been submitted as a rare example of Conrad as a reactive listener