This study aims to trace Conrad's literary career in the context of his life, his times and his intellectual background, thus providing the reader with an historical basis for his works. A chronological table is followed by a concise biographical survey which pays particular attention to the financing of Conrad's odyssey through the world. Illustrations of his cultural milieu and of his ability to create a literary identity are then examined. Finally, the author follows Conrad's career as a writer from the early days of struggle to the late days of popular success, emphasizing the material circumstances of his literary production. A general point made is that when his career is considered historically, emphasis falls less on Conrad as the author of "canonical texts" for academic study than on Conrad as communicator - a writer who, in the burgeoning era of mass communications, was able to address his public on both sides of the Atlantic through popular magazines and newspapers as well as through pages of volumes.