In his first novel – ‚Almayer’s Folly‘ – Conrad describes a tragic family history that can be read as a confrontation with colonialism. In ‚Almayer’s Folly‘ Conrad’s criticism of the mentality of Europeans, and of their colonial arrogance is devastating. The narrator’s sympathy lies with the ‘wild’ and unspoiled existence of the Malays, but since Conrad, in accordance with his skepticism, does not offer any solutions, his portrayal of the Malay world is also reserved. In Conrad’s depiction of tropical nature, constituting the background of the events, this reservation increases to a hitherto to some extend underexposed metaphysical nihilism, revealing the ‚tragic‘ and ‚dark‘ worldview of Conrad.