The Secret Agent (1907) by Joseph Conrad

The 1880s and 1890s saw the beginnings of modern terrorism in the west with assassinations of prominent figures and explosions, helped by the invention of dynamite. Various Irish revolutionary groups undertook bombing campaigns in London but in 1894 it was a member of a continental anarchist group who blew himself up at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The incident formed the basis for a magnificent short novel, The Secret Agent (1907) by the Polish-English novelist, Joseph Conrad (1857-1924). It is a work that combines savage political satire with heart-breaking personal tragedy. It is also a beautiful literary work of subtle patterns of imagery.
All are welcome. Feel free to take part by joining in discussion or simply by listening to the proceedings. You don’t have to have read the novel to take part. If you would like to read it (or, if a little of it, you might try reading Chapter Eleven) you can find the text here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/974/974-h/974-h.htm.