Heart of Darkness
A steamer captain travels up an African river in search of Kurtz, an ivory trader who has gone beyond the reach of any law.
Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella is narrated by the sailor Charles Marlow, who recalls taking a job as a steamer captain for a Belgian trading company in the African interior. His assignment is to find Kurtz, a celebrated ivory agent at a remote station upriver. Drawing on Conrad’s own journey in the Congo Free State, it is read both as a critique of European colonialism and as a study of power and moral collapse. This Norton Critical Edition adds background and criticism.
Recommended by 1 Person
Michael Palin
A short, powerful tale about where an obsession can take you, about a character pushing into the unknown and entering a world whose values are turned upside down.
Article · September 2013
As an Amazon Associate, bookstoread.org earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon on this page may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Spotted an error on this page? Tell us and we will fix it.