28th November 1984

The prophecy of The Secret Agent

I keep thinking of The Secret Agent, which strikes me as one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century.  Great because whilst being a faithful reflection of its own time, it manages to peer its way right to the end of this century.  The bomb which assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 is there in The Secret Agent; so is the one which blew up The Grand Hotel in Brighton a few days ago.  Obviously Conrad realized the potential of the technology which makes this kind of murder possible – a realization not to be underestimated.  The Secret Agent was published in 1907.  But more than this, he realized the mentality which that technology makes possible.  That is the great imaginative act which sends The Secret Agent tumbling down the decades, ready to explode at our feet.

Printable version

Main Journal Index