Heart of Darkness

By: Joseph Conrad

Narrated by: Lee Winfield

Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness (1902) is an expose of the cruelty that the author observed when he worked briefly in the Belgian Congo. The story is based on a journey that Conrad took up the Congo River in 1890, during King Leopold II of Belgium’s abusive rule of the area. The main thread follows the journey of the ferry-boat captain, Marlow, who must return Kurtz, an ivory trader, to Europe. The severely ill Kurtz dies on the journey after handling Marlow a collection of papers. Back in Europe, Marlow gives these to a journalist instead of those for which they were intended.

Heart of Darkness is a story of many layers and nuances, not only about exploitation but also about the emptiness which follows when the delusion behind certain lofty ideals is revealed.

Public Domain (P)2020 Museum Audiobooks