The Secret Agent (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Simple TaleBy Joseph Conrad
Length11h 50m
About this audiobook
Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent (1907) is a bleakly ironic study of espionage, anarchism, and domestic ruin in late-Victorian London. Centered on Adolf Verloc, a double agent entangled with foreign diplomats, police surveillance, and revolutionary circles, the novel transforms the political thriller into a psychological and moral inquiry. Its prose is dense, oblique, and sardonic, aligning modernist narrative experimentation with the urban Gothic and the fin-de-siècle novel of social anxiety. Conrad, born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in partitioned Poland and later naturalized as a British subject, brought to English fiction the perspective of an exile, sailor, and political skeptic. His personal inheritance of imperial oppression, revolutionary idealism, and cosmopolitan displacement informs the novel's suspicion of ideological extremism and state manipulation alike. London appears not as imperial center but as a murky theater of alienation. This book is highly recommended to readers interested in political fiction, modernism, and the origins of the espionage novel. Its unsettling relevance lies in its depiction of terrorism, bureaucracy, media spectacle, and private suffering as inseparable forces. Conrad's masterpiece rewards patient reading with profound insight into the violence beneath ordinary life.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.8 (25.2K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon
GenreMystery and Thriller
Length11 hrs 50 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 30, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1In the Ranks of the C.I.V
12Chapter VII
2Introduction
13Chapter VIII
3Synopsis
14Chapter IX
4Historical Context
15Chapter X
5Author Biography
16Chapter XI
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter I
17Chapter XII
7Chapter II
18Chapter XIII
8Chapter III
19Analysis
9Chapter IV
20Reflection
10Chapter V
21Memorable Quotes
11Chapter VI
Die besten PolitthrillerJoseph Conrad, Ödön von Horváth, Philipp Galen, Otto Goldmann, Arthur Conan Doyle, Joseph Roth, John Henry Mackay, G. K. Chesterton, Hugo Bettauer83h 58m$2 · $0.00
El corazón de las tinieblasJoseph Conrad4h 36m$1.99 · $0.00
From Page to Screen: The Best Film Interpretations of Literary ClassicsJoseph Conrad, T. E. Lawrence, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, Frederick Marryat, R. L. Stevenson, Jane Austen, Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Alexandre Dumas, Homer318h 15m$1.99
Das Herz der FinsternisJoseph Conrad4h 48m3.6 (638.3K)$1 · $0.00
Dark Mysteries of the Past: The Ultimate Historical Thriller AnthologyJoseph Conrad, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Dickens, Bram Stoker, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson, Meadows Taylor, Thomas Peckett Prest, James Malcolm Rymer, Bernard Edward Joseph Capes, William Harrison Ainsworth, Gaston Leroux, Arthur W. Marchmont, Fergus Hume, G. K. Chesterton, Wilkie Collins, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, Thomas De Quincey, Richard Marsh, Thomas Bailey Aldrich281h 30m$1.99
Der Geheimagent: Eine einfache Geschichte (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad13h 32m4.4 (105)$1 · $0.00
The Secret Agent (Annotated)Joseph Conrad11h 49m4.0 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Marlow Narratives: Heart of Darkness + Lord Jim + Youth + Chance (Unabridged) (Annotated)Joseph Conrad35h 50m$2 · $0.00
Die Erzählungen zwischen Fiktion und Realität (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad13h 33m$1 · $0.00
Seelenreisen auf der See: Gesammelte Werke (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad43h 14m4.4 (13)$1 · $0.00
THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF JOSEPH CONRAD (Annotated)Joseph Conrad78h 51m4.4 (292)$2 · $0.00
Der Geheimagent (Politkrimi) (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad13h 34m4.1 (10)$1 · $0.00
Die 10 besten düsteren Thriller-Klassiker (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad, Heinrich Leopold Wagner, Ricarda Huch, Hugo Bettauer, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fjodor Michailowitsch Dostojewski70h 5m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Short Stories of Joseph Conrad (Annotated)Joseph Conrad78h 45m$2 · $0.00
Meisterwerke des düsteren Thrillers (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad, Heinrich Leopold Wagner, Ricarda Huch, Hugo Bettauer, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fjodor Michailowitsch Dostojewski70h 3m$1 · $0.00
Conrads fesselnde politische Romane (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad47h 17m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Joseph Conrad - All 20 Works in One Premium Edition (Annotated)Joseph Conrad229h 19m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Sea Tales of Joseph Conrad (Annotated)Joseph Conrad74h 51m$2 · $0.00
Nostromo (Politischer Roman) (Kommentiert)Joseph Conrad22h 45m4.2 (18)$1 · $0.00
Der GeheimagentJoseph Conrad9h 28m3.8 (56.4K)$16 · $0.00
The Rose CodeKate Quinn16h 2m4.4 (493.7K)$33 · $0.00
The ReunionJana Deleon6h 31m4.6 (1.6K)$26 · $0.00
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m4.6 (1.1K)$8 · $0.00
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Complete Edition)Arthur Conan Doyle12h 28m4.6 (286.7K)$2 · $0.00
Farewell My Lovely (Annotated)Raymond Chandler10h 37m4.6 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m4.5 (77.2K)$53 · $0.00
Olympic Mountain PursuitJodie Bailey5h 55m4.6 (638)$12 · $0.00
Glen AffricKarine Giebel22h 51m4.5 (3.2K)$46 · $0.00
Deadly Badlands PursuitSharee Stover5h 53m4.6 (361)$12 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
Three ComradesErich Maria Remarque15h 50m4.5 (47.3K)$2 · $0.00
AngelAnita Waller10h 30m4.6 (672)$30 · $0.00
The BorderDon Winslow29h 8m4.5 (35.7K)$53 · $0.00
FlashpointCatherine Coulter11h 38m4.5 (11.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Man in the Brown Suit & They Came to BaghdadAgatha Christie15h 43m4.6 (495)$33 · $0.00
Fang Si-Chi's First Love ParadiseYi-Han Lin8h 25m4.5 (4K)$26 · $0.00
No Woman Left BehindJulie Moffett8h 49m4.5 (3K)$25 · $0.00
CovertJanie Crouch6h 15m4.5 (2K)$12 · $0.00
Cold Case InvestigationNicole Helm5h 30m4.6 (321)$5 · $0.00
The ReunionJana DeLeon6h 31m4.5 (1.6K)$12 · $0.00
You may also like
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad10h 10m3.7 (34K)$4.70 · $0.00
The Secret Agent: A Simple TaleJoseph Conrad9h 38m3.7 (35.2K)Free
The IntimidatorsDonald Hamilton7h 8m4.2 (696)$17
The Tears of AutumnCharles McCarry9h 18m4.0 (3.3K)$20
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad10h 12m3.7 (34.3K)$2.30 · $0.00
WatergateThomas Mallon15h 54m3.7 (2.3K)$28
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad10h 12m3.8 (35.8K)$12 · $0.00
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad10h 36m3.7 (35.6K)$25
Fletch’s FortuneGregory Mcdonald5h 53m3.9 (3.9K)$20
The BelieverJoakim Zander, Elizabeth Clark Wessel12h 48m3.6 (1.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Black TulipAlexandre Dumas7h 43m4.0 (29.6K)Free
The Secret AgentJoseph Conrad10h 10m3.7 (36.3K)$0.60 · $0.00
Code Name Blue WrenJim Popkin10h 25m3.9 (6.2K)$29 · $0.00
The RemoversDonald Hamilton5h 8m4.1 (1.1K)$14
HubrisMichael Isikoff, David Corn18h 55m4.0 (2.3K)$32
Blood MoneyPeter Schweizer7h 43m4.5 (3.8K)$28 · $0.00
The Buck Passes FlynnGregory Mcdonald5h 54m4.1 (1.1K)$17
The Secret LoversCharles McCarry11h 4m3.9 (1.2K)$21
EscapeRobert K. Tanenbaum22h 36m3.9 (1.2K)$30
In the Morning I’ll Be GoneAdrian McKinty9h 51m4.3 (14.6K)$20