Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Conrad didn't start out as a writer. He worked for years as a sailor and didn't publish his first novel until he was 38 years old, in 1895. That book was Almayer's Folly. (Source.)
Many people found Conrad's style difficult. A lot of reviewers especially had trouble with Lord Jim when it was first published, finding the crazy flashbacks confusing. (They probably wouldn't have been fans of Lost.) One review from the Pall Mall Gazette in 1903 complained about Lord Jim's "formlessness," and called it "more than a little difficult to read." (Source.)
The Patna incident in Lord Jim is based on a real-life event. In 1880 a British crew abandoned their ship, the SS Jeddah, after it sprang some leaks in bad weather. (Source.)