The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent is a novel written by Joseph Conrad and published in 1907. It is considered the first spy thriller in the history of literature.

The story is set in London in 1886 and focuses on the life of secret agent Adolf Verloc. This agent is hired by a foreign country to carry out an attack on the Greenwich observatory and will carry out a plan of dubious ethics to carry out said assignment, which will have profound consequences.

The book delves into the social background of terrorism and is a topic that is still relevant, especially after the 2001 attacks in New York.

With a rather dark tone, it complements the serious theme with dark humor. Joseph Conrad does not blame the individual, but rather establishes all of society as guilty.

"Verloc, going out in the morning, left his shop nominally in charge of his brother-in-law. It could be done, because there was very little business at any time, and practically none at all before the evening.

Mr. Verloc cared but little about his ostensible business. And, moreover, his wife was in charge of his brother-in-law..."