Issues of racial discrimination, imperialist exploitation, and accuracy of observation have long interested Conrad's critics. As a European writing about imperialism in exotic lands, Conrad offered a vivid, but subjective account of the confrontations between the cultures and peoples of East and West. Though some in Africa have condemned his novels as racist, the books have been used as models for the work of recent generations of native writers. This collection of essays places Conrad's work under the scrutiny of an international array of scholars, who explore the response to Conrad in contemporary times, as well as during his own era.