Aboard a boat anchored on the River Thames, Marlow, the narrator of Heart of Darkness, tells a story of a journey up the Congo River into the Congo Free State in heart of Africa in search of an ivory trader named Kurtz. Conrad had taken a similar journey, and based the narrator in part on himself. Things are seldom as they should be. The first station he visits is a scene of brutal devastation. The steamboat he is to pilot is wrecked and takes months to repair. The company personnel are lazy and self-serving. After two months his vessel is attacked a few miles from their destination. Fending off the attack, he arrives and is met by a bizarre Russian wanderer and discovers posts adorned with the severed heads of natives. Marlowe soon learns that Kurtz is worshiped by the natives, is very ill, and is likely out of his mind. Marlowe manages to get Kurtz aboard against his will for the return journey, which, of course, is filled with further perils and disasters. Marlowe returns to Europe deeply disillusioned and highly skeptical of humanity’s attempts to achieve any kind of real civilization. His perspectives are among the first to expose the pretenses of civilized people and question the motives and behavior of imperialist and colonial powers. Modern Library ranks Heart of Darkness at number 67 on its list of the 100 best novels of the twentieth century.  It is further distinguished as the most analyzed of all books taught in literature courses in high schools and colleges.

Play sample: 

Download A PDF datasheet