Book Launch: Joseph Conrad’s Eastern Voyages with Ian Burnet

Join historian and author Ian Burnett as he talks about his new book on Joseph Conrad and the voyages of the barque Otago to Australia

Joseph Conrad’s greatest honour was to have his novels regarded as English classics in his own lifetime, even though English was not his native language.

However, before Conrad was a Master storyteller, he was a Master Mariner, and his first command was the three-masted barque Otago on a voyage from Bangkok to Sydney.

He lived an adventurous life at sea in the final and glorious days of sailing ships and his favoured destination was Asia, the port of Singapore and the remote ports of the Indonesian archipelago.

In this fascinating talk, Ian Burnet explores the life and times of Conrad and the voyages of the Otago to Australia, including its final demise on the banks of the Derwent River in Hobart.

Copies of Ian's book will be available for purchase and for the author to sign after the event.

Ian Burnet grew up in South Gippsland, Victoria, and graduated with a degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Melbourne. He first went to work in Indonesia in 1968 as a young geologist and became fascinated by the diverse cultures and rich history of the archipelago. He has spent thirty years living, working and travelling in Indonesia.