Nostromo unfolds in the fictional Latin American republic of Costaguana, where the English Gould family has controlled the country's sole natural resource, a silver mine, for three generations. They are allowed to manage the mine as long as they pay the current government sufficient bribes. As the country teeters on the brink of yet another revolution, the English family no longer trusts that they can retain control of the mine. Instead, they entrust their servant, "Nostromo," with the task of safely transporting the silver treasure beyond the country's borders on a large barge. Nostromo is Joseph Conrad's [1857-1924] most political novel, written in 1904, containing prophetic insights into our era of global capitalism. This breathtaking maritime adventure is grounded in a true story Conrad encountered during his time as a sailor in the British Empire. JOSEPH CONRAD [1857–1924] was born in Ukraine to Polish parents, went to sea at the age of seventeen, and ended his career as a captain in the English merchant navy. His most famous work is the novella Heart of Darkness [1899], adapted to film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1979 as Apocalypse Now.