Heart of Darkness

'Your strength is just an accident arising from the weakness of others.' First published in 1899 and often considered a scathing critique of European colonialism in Africa, Heart of Darkness remains one of the finest, yet ambiguous, novels of the twentieth century. Introspective sailor Charles Marlow recounts a life-changing and deeply unsettling expedition to Congo as riverboat captain for a Belgian trading company. He is eager to find Kurtz – an allegedly progressive thinker and talented man – during his travels. The journey to Africa is long and arduous; the surrounding jungle is dense and oppressively quiet, causing havoc among the ship's crew. Marlow also begins to sense all is not well with Kurtz – the others seem to be fearful of him and he is rumoured to be ill. Before long, Marlow discovers the atrocities of the trading company's actions to be manifold, with Kurtz responsible. Native inhabitants of the area are treated abhorrently, overworked, abused and forced to live in squalor. A haunting tale which questions what lies beneath the sleek but fragile veneer of 'civilisation', Heart of Darkness is a horrifying reminder of the consequences of imperialism. This audio edition is brilliantly brought to life by Ben Allen. Joseph Conrad (1857 – 1924) was a British-Polish novelist short story writer. Thought of as one of the greatest writers in the English language, he is best known for his novels Lord Jim, Nostromo and The Secret Agent, along with the novella Heart of Darkness. His work often featured anti-heroic characters, and explored the impact of power and morality on the human psyche, set against the backdrop of British colonialism.