Falk: A Reminiscence

by Joseph Conrad

"Falk: A Reminiscence" by Joseph Conrad is a work of short fiction completed in May 1901. In a harbor in the Malay Archipelago, a young ship captain finds himself caught between rival tensions when Falk, the owner of the port's only tugboat, suspects him of competing for a young woman's affections. When Falk finally reveals a dark secret from his past—an act of cannibalism committed for survival—the story confronts questions of morality, instinct, and what humans must do to preserve life in extreme circumstances.