Conrad, Joseph

He was born under the name of Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Berdychiv, Ukraine. His family belonged to the lower nobility and was of Polish lineage. His father was a patriot, an author and a translator of Hugo, Shakespeare and others. Poland was under Russian rule, and the family was under constant surveillance by the Czar's police due to the father's patriotism. In 1861, his father was arrested, and the entire family was deported to Vologda, a city some 300 miles north of Moscow. Both parents died of tuberculosis while in exile, and Conrad was sent to his uncle in Krakow. The uncle made sure the young man received a solid education. A French governess from the local university was hired to teach him Latin, Greek, mathematics and geography.