A Personal Record · Character

Almayer

A trader in the Malay Archipelago whose story haunts the narrator's imagination, pulling him back to tropical rivers even as he paces London streets.

major

Also known as Mr. Almayer, Tuan Almayer, Nina Almayer, Nina

First appearance: A Personal Record

As a major figure in A Personal Record, Almayer is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

First sight of Almayer in Borneo, who becomes the subject of Conrad's first novel.

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Almayer is a person of weak character whose fate and surroundings have been the narrator's companions of imagination for years, living again with vividness in Pimlico lodgings. The tension lies in how this failed trader and his family—wife and daughter Nina—exert an irresistible, silent appeal on a man who should be attending to sea life. He matters because his story interrupts and reshapes the narrator's own, becoming the emotional core around which the memoir's early arc turns.

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The fuller portrait of Almayer sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Almayer in A Personal Record

Character Web

4 connections

A slice of how Almayer sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Professional
Social
Psychological

Character groups

Maritime and Literary Acquaintances
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the psychological turning point where Conrad, despit…

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Relationships

Narrator
professional · ambivalent
Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or… How this plays out →
Jacques
social · ambivalent
Our Master
professional · ambivalent
Emperor Napoleon
psychological · ambivalent
Narrator
professional · ambivalent
Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or… How this plays out →
Narrator
professional · ambivalent
Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or… How this plays out →
Our Master
professional · ambivalent

Narrator
Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or associate, with frequent interactions suggesting a complex professional and personal history.
Jacques
Almayer and Jacques have a minimal social connection, likely through the narrator's circle.
Our Master
Almayer and Our Master share a professional link, possibly as trading partners or ship captains.
Emperor Napoleon
Almayer and Emperor Napoleon are linked only in the narrator's mind, suggesting a symbolic or obsessive comparison.
Narrator
Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or associate, with frequent interactions suggesting a complex professional and personal history.
Narrator
Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or associate, with frequent interactions suggesting a complex professional and personal history.
Our Master
Almayer and Our Master share a professional link, possibly as trading partners or ship captains.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Almayer in A Personal Record

In the story

Almayer appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Almayer in A Personal Record