Nostromo
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Nostromo (1904) is a novel by Polish-born British novelist Joseph Conrad.
Conrad sets his novel in the mining town of Sulaco, an imaginary port in the occidental region of the imaginary country of Costaguana. This town and its denizens are believed by many to be amongst Conrad's greatest literary creations.
The book has more fully developed characters than any other of his novels, but two characters dominate the narrative: Seņor Gould and the eponymous anti-hero, the 'incorruptible' Nostromo.
Seņor Gould is an English expatriate who owns the silver mining concession in Sulaco. He is tired by the political instability in Costaguana and its concomitant corruption and puts his weight behind the Ribierist project, which he believes will bring stability to the country. In doing this, he sets himself up against the revolutionary Montero, who then invades Sulaco. Seņor Gould, adamant that his silver should not become spoil for his enemies, entrusts it to Nostromo, his trusted capataz de los cargadores.
Nostromo is an Italian expatriate who has risen to the position of capataz de los cargadores through his daring exploits. (Nostromo is Italian for mate or boatsman as well as a contraction of "nostro uomo", "our man". He is named such by his employer Captain Mitchell. His real name is Giambattista Fidanza, Fidanza meaning "trust" in Italian) He is what would nowadays be called a shameless self-publicist. He is believed by Seņor Gould to be incorruptible, and for this reason he is entrusted with hiding the silver from the revolutionaries. He accepts the mission not out of any loyalty to Seņor Gould, his employer, but rather because he sees an opportunity to increase his fame. In Conrad's universe, however, nobody is incorruptible. The exploit does not bring Nostromo the fame he had hoped for, and he feels slighted and used. Feeling that he has risked his life for nothing, the resentment burns within him, leading to his corruption and ultimately his destruction.
The names of starships Nostromo and Sulaco from the movies Alien and Aliens were taken from this book.