Heart of Darkness [Paperback]

As powerful a condemnation of imperialism as has ever been written (Observer )

Once experienced, it is hard to let Heart of Darkness go. A masterpiece of surprise, of expression and psychological nuance, of fury at colonial expansion and of how men make the least of life . . . endlessly readable and worthy of rereading (Telegraph ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

"evenhanded … it connects Conrad palpably to the European colonization of the continent." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

"[This edition is] far better than anything else on the market today." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

'He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision - he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath, "The horror! The horror!"' - Heart of Darkness --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Heart of Darkness has been considered for most of this century as a literary classic, and also as a powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism. It reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time. Conrad's narrator encounters at the end of the story a man named Kurtz, dying, insane, and guilty of unspeakable atrocities.

A critical edition of Joseph Conrad's classic short novel which features critical essays and, for this third edition, a new section of cultural documents and illustrations, and two new essays. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

‘’The reaches opened before us and closed behind us, as if the forest had stepped leisurely across the water to bar the way for our return. We penetrated deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness.’’

First published in 1902, Conrad's story describes intensely and in stark detail how greed can so easily drive civilised and enlightened men to revert to primitive savagery. Set against the background of the European ivory trade in Africa, 'Heart Of Darkness' is narrator Marlow's account of his journey in search of the legendary and mystical Kurtz, the most successful trader of them all, who is now reported to be ill. Marlow's quest becomes both a harrowing journey of self-discovery and haunting description of the brutality of colonial exploitation; while Kurtz himself is one of the most memorable creations in modern fiction.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Joseph Conrad was born in the Ukraine in 1857 and grew up under Tsarist autocracy. In 1874 Conrad travelled to Marseilles, where he served in French merchant vessels before joining a British ship in 1878 as an apprentice. In 1886 he obtained British nationality. Eight years later he left the sea to devote himself to writing, publishing his first novel, Almayer's Folly, in 1895. The following year he settled in Kent, where he produced within fifteen years such modern classics as Youth, Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Typhoon, Nostromo, The Secret Agent and Under Western Eyes. He continued to write until his death in 1924.