Heart of Darkness

By Joseph Conrad and Conrad

Book Overview

Although Polish by birth, Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) is regarded as one of the greatest writers in English, and Heart of Darkness, first published in 1902, is considered by many his "most famous, finest, and most enigmatic story." -- Encyclopaedia Britannica. The tale concerns the journey of the narrator (Marlow) up the Congo River on behalf of a Belgian trading company. Far upriver, he encounters the mysterious Kurtz, an ivory trader who exercises an almost godlike sway over the inhabitants of the region. Both repelled and fascinated by the man, Marlow is brought face to face with the corruption and despair that Conrad saw at the heart of human existence.
In its combination of narrative and symbolic power, masterly character study and acute psychological penetration, Heart of Darkness ranks as a landmark of modern fiction. It is a book no serious student of literature can afford to miss.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486264645
• ISBN13: 9780486264646
• Release Date: July 1990
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.3" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 11 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 6 and higher

Customer Reviews

Your Next Favorite Book for the Year!!

One thing that I truly admire about this novel, something that grasped me from the very beginning, was the tonality in how the story was expressed as it unfolded. When Marlow, (one of the main characters) spoke, and recited his experience to his crew, I felt the grit of his history. The wisdom and the expression of his life felt like a story told over a bonfire— through his articulation I heard the crackling of the forest wood expanding; like the warmth of the flames I felt the voyage over the sea; from the surrounding darkness the only thing in picture were the following words that flowed from his mouth. Outside of poetry, I have never felt words connect and evoke emotion and sentiment as did Marlow through his reciting.