Description

In his 1902 novel Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad brings us a shocking tale of adventure into the very depths of the soul. Marlow is a sailor sent to pilot a river voyage on the Congo River in the days of Belgian imperial rule. His mission is to find a legendary man named Kurtz who may be extremely useful to the empire's interests in the area. On his way, Marlow encounters the dark and horrific truths of the Belgian colonial project to profit from the back-breaking and cruel enslavement of native inhabitants. He hears much of Kurtz from those he meets, unsure of whether to fear or admire the man based on all that is said of him. Just who is Kurtz and how has he become so powerful? At long last, when Marlow finally meets Kurtz, what he learns from him is a dark and confusing vision of his quest for power, fraught with brutality and ugliness. A mystical and perplexing novel, Heart of Darkness is a sobering meditation on the dark side of European empire, suggesting that domination and profit can never come at any less than a terrible price.

About the Author

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) was born to a poor family in Poland. His father was a passionate playwright, and instilled in his son a fervent love of reading. Sadly, Conrad lost both parents by the age of eleven, and was sent to live with an uncle. Seeking a life of adventure, Conrad became a merchant seaman and traveled the world for many years. His experiences abroad, in foreign lands and among many cultures, would serve as inspiration for some of his most famous writings. After extensive service on British ships, Conrad was awarded English citizenship in 1886. He chose, however, to return to the sea, traveling to Africa to fulfill a childhood dream. In the 1890s, Conrad finally settled down in England and began to write, drawing on his many impressions of life and people around the world. He would publish several novels, among them Lord Jim, Nostromo, and Heart of Darkness. Conrad's writings are more than simple tales of adventure, often making use of extreme and unusual settings to explore the heights and depths of human nature. Controversial and provocative, Conrad is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the modern novel.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

The Nellie, a cruising yawl, swung to her anchor without a flutter of the sails, and was at rest. The flood had made, the wind was nearly calm, and being bound down the river, the only thing for it was to come to and wait for the turn of the tide.
The sea-reach of the Thames stretched before us ...