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Heart of Darkness & Other Stories
Designed to appeal to the book lover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound pocket-sized gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.
One night on the Thames, Charles Marlowe tells his fellow sailors the vivid and brutal tale of his time as a riverboat captain in the Belgian Congo. From the mists of London we are whisked to the darkness of Africa’s colonial heart – and into the thrall of the tyrannical Kurtz, an ivory trader who has established himself as a terrifying demi-god.
Sinister and incisive, Heart of Darkness has retained the fascination of readers and scholars alike. It is accompanied here by the stories with which it has been published since 1902: the autobiographical Youth, and the tale of an old man's fall from fortune, The End of the Tether.
This elegant Macmillan Collector’s Library edition features an afterword by Dr Keith Carabine.
One night on the Thames, Charles Marlowe tells his fellow sailors the vivid and brutal tale of his time as a riverboat captain in the Belgian Congo. From the mists of London we are whisked to the darkness of Africa’s colonial heart – and into the thrall of the tyrannical Kurtz, an ivory trader who has established himself as a terrifying demi-god.
Sinister and incisive, Heart of Darkness has retained the fascination of readers and scholars alike. It is accompanied here by the stories with which it has been published since 1902: the autobiographical Youth, and the tale of an old man's fall from fortune, The End of the Tether.
This elegant Macmillan Collector’s Library edition features an afterword by Dr Keith Carabine.
312 pages, Hardcover
Published May 8, 2018
About the author
Joseph Conrad
3,321 books4,982 followersJoseph Conrad was a Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language and, although he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he became a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. He wrote novels and stories, many in nautical settings, that depict crises of human individuality in the midst of what he saw as an indifferent, inscrutable, and amoral world.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
August 14, 2023
took so long. reading challenge at risk
September 13, 2024
Conrad was born in Berdychiv, northern Ukraine - an area contested between the Austrian, Polish-Lithuanian, and Russian empires — so he directly experienced colonialism — and its racist rationales by craven opportunists with god complexes.
In his Yale lectures on “The Making of Modern Ukraine,” Professor Timothy Snyder cited Hannah Arendt’s study, THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM, as “a long riff on Conrad’s HEART OF DARKNESS.”
“Two new devices for political organization were discovered during the first decades of imperialism. One was race as a principle of the body politic, and the other bureaucracy as a principle of foreign domination. Without race as a substitute for the nation, the scramble for Africa and the investment fever might well well have remained the purposeless “dance of death and trade (Joseph Conrad) of all gold rushes.”
— THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM, Hannah Arendt (1948)
In his Yale lectures on “The Making of Modern Ukraine,” Professor Timothy Snyder cited Hannah Arendt’s study, THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM, as “a long riff on Conrad’s HEART OF DARKNESS.”
“Two new devices for political organization were discovered during the first decades of imperialism. One was race as a principle of the body politic, and the other bureaucracy as a principle of foreign domination. Without race as a substitute for the nation, the scramble for Africa and the investment fever might well well have remained the purposeless “dance of death and trade (Joseph Conrad) of all gold rushes.”
— THE ORIGINS OF TOTALITARIANISM, Hannah Arendt (1948)
June 24, 2008
I know this is one of the 1001 Books you must read, and I have to confess, I really only read it because it is on the Lost Lit List... as I am a huge fan of the show. But I really didnt get it. I was confused most of the time, and had to force myself to finish it in two days, as there was no way I would allow myself to drag out such a short novel for much longer than that.
Am I the only person who wasnt impressed with it? I understood the premise. Marlow lands himself on a steamer and heads into dark territory to find and rescue Mr. Kurtz. He encounters some angry natives, hires cannibals as his crew, and even watches a man die, bleeding into his shoes. But wow. What a tough read. I felt lost at times, and couldnt really locate a connection to the show Lost.. so it was a double whammy for me.
I think I am just relieved that I have read it and can add it to my bookshelf.
Am I the only person who wasnt impressed with it? I understood the premise. Marlow lands himself on a steamer and heads into dark territory to find and rescue Mr. Kurtz. He encounters some angry natives, hires cannibals as his crew, and even watches a man die, bleeding into his shoes. But wow. What a tough read. I felt lost at times, and couldnt really locate a connection to the show Lost.. so it was a double whammy for me.
I think I am just relieved that I have read it and can add it to my bookshelf.
July 17, 2020
I decided I wanted to re-read "Heart of Darkness" and so I picked up this beautiful little edition, which also includes "Youth" and "The End of the Tether," neither which I had read before. All three short stories are meticulously paced and just so tight, even with long descriptive passages. I was engrossed the entire time, even though I would have never imagined that sailor stories from the 1850s would have done it for me. Not a perfect five stars because the racial comments are clearly a product of the times, but overall I'm glad I picked up something different for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2023
If this is the version that also has The Secret Sharer, Karain, Youth, Typhoon and Falk: A Reminiscence then it is the book I read. After struggling through Heart of Darkness I guess I became used to Conrad’s writing style which seemed to make the other stories more enjoyable to me.
March 9, 2026
First of all, let me say what a charming little book this was to hold in my hands. When I collected ‘my reserved copy’ from the local library, a Macmillan Collector’s Library edition, I was surprised at how tiny the book was, with tiny print to match. A proclaimed much-loved literary classic, this is a book which appears to have continuous ‘reserves’ on it. Since 1902 it has been published together with the autobiographical ‘Youth’ and ‘The End of the Tether’.
A very insightful and sinister account into the harvesting of ivory and rubber in the heart of colonial Africa, Congo Free State, founded, owned, controlled, by King Leopold II of Belgium. A private colonial project undertaken on his own behalf from 1885 to 1908, as a personal union with Belgium.
Joseph Conrad, the author, was a Polish-British novelist, regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language. The novel is indeed very descriptive, often with long sentences, which I had to read over again to absorb the full meaning.
Joseph Conrad, as a young merchant seaman, travelled up the Congo River in a steamboat in 1890. He was one of the first foreigners to expose to the world the horrors he witnessed under Leopold’s regime in its greedy pursuit of Congo ivory and wild rubber. His novella “Heart of Darkness” was published in 1902.
The last words spoken by Kurtz, the fictional ivory trader in the book, who obviously represents a real person, were “the horror, the horror”. My interpretation of what Kurtz refers to here is the atrocious treatment and exploitation of the natives, who had to meet a high quota for the ivory and rubber. Kurtz himself is a perpetrator of the atrocities committed. The horror, very very sadly, does not, in my view, refer to the slaughter of the elephants for their tusks.
Conrad’s reference to “heart of darkness" is twofold, the dense and dark heart of the African jungle, and the dark and dire hearts of mankind.
“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.” - Charles Marlowe, the main character, whose voyage up the Congo accounts for most of the novella. This comment begs the question “who are the real savages?”
[The “sepulchral city” Brussels, which Conrad refers to, symbolises all of European civilisation. The beautiful white outside evokes the lofty ideas and justifications that Europeans use to justify colonisation, while the hidden hollow inside the sepulchre hides the hypocrisy and desire for power and wealth that truly motivate the colonial powers.] Reference: https://www.litcharts.com/lit/heart-o...
This is a book for readers and scholars, it has so much depth, so much so, that I accessed ‘Cliffs Notes’ for “Heart of Darkness” after finishing the book, to gain a better understanding. [Conrad intentionally made “Heart of Darkness” hard to read. He wanted the language of his novella to make the reader feel like they were fighting through the jungle, just like Marlow fought through the jungle in search of Kurtz.] Reference: https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literatur...
I will read this book again at some point.
A monument of Leopold II stands in Arlon, Luxemburg, Belgium, inaugurated in 1931, which reads “I have undertaken the work of Congo for the sake of civilisation and for the benefit of Belgium”. The monument is a subject of ongoing controversy due to Leopold II's colonial regime, and the atrocities committed during his rule. Declared a protected monument in 1981.
An interesting point, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are first cousins of Leopold II.
[Despite the 1989 ivory trade ban, elephants continue to be killed to harvest their tusks for ivory. Since 2008, this poaching has increased to unprecedented levels driven by consumer demand for ivory products.] Reference: www.sciencedirect.com
The 1979 film “Apocalypse Now” was inspired by this novella, although the setting was moved to the jungles of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
References:
Wikipedia
January 18, 2020
This was on my bucket list of books of must-reads. I can understand that some will find it overrated or hard to understand why this short story should feature in every list of the Top 100 books ever written. It's concise, beautifully written and every word counts: it underlines all we have ever heard about Belgium's colonial rule in the Congo. The tension builds till the anti-climatic climax. Who really is Kurtz? What turned him from the well-intentioned into a tyrant? Who is the demonic Wonder Woman? The list goes on.
But to understand the real masterly qualities the book, it's the very last pages that count: "I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary."
But to understand the real masterly qualities the book, it's the very last pages that count: "I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary."
September 18, 2025
2,5 stars
Considering that English was Conrad's third language, word choices were delightful. However, since his second language is French, I felt the influence of the Latin language syntax.
The painful scene with Mr. Kurtz was so theatrical and artistic.
I love it.
The maddness, the mental spiral Mr. Kurtz fell into...
The story telling was not for my taste. We are listening to the story from Marlow's mouth and he is quite messy in narrating the story.
Either way, I can see why this book is classified as a classic.
Considering that English was Conrad's third language, word choices were delightful. However, since his second language is French, I felt the influence of the Latin language syntax.
The painful scene with Mr. Kurtz was so theatrical and artistic.
I love it.
The maddness, the mental spiral Mr. Kurtz fell into...
The story telling was not for my taste. We are listening to the story from Marlow's mouth and he is quite messy in narrating the story.
Either way, I can see why this book is classified as a classic.
July 17, 2019
Apparently this is a classic, but I did not enjoy at all. A bit too racist to my liking (especially in Heart of Darkness). The story promotes a prejudiced image of Africa. So I do not think it should be considered a great work of art. Also I cannot stand long dialogues (so long that it is a monologue) for the life of me. I am surprised I finished the book because my brain would wondered in its thoughts all the time. Would not recommend.
November 22, 2018
Contains three very good nautical stories: the very famous "Heart of Darkness", "Youth" and "The End of the Tether".
The last one, 'The End of the Tether" is a bit long-winded, although I liked its atmosphere of the East.
The last one, 'The End of the Tether" is a bit long-winded, although I liked its atmosphere of the East.
February 28, 2026
Weird an un-understandable. But also from a very different time of course
May 14, 2026
Heart of Darkness: 4, other two stories: 3
Read
October 20, 2025This was recommended because of the powerful language and imagery (true). I feel like I experienced that and can put this aside.
February 3, 2024
"Mörkrets hjärta" har en mångfald möjliga vinklingar. Där ligger dess litterära storhet. Kriteriet för det arketypiskt moderna - mångfalden tolkningsmöjligheter. Hur än många gånger jag läser den, så känns den alltid flyktig, och jag hittar nya nav att fokusera på och kring.
Denna gång noterade jag särskilt att Marlow sitter som en 'Buddha-bild' när han återberättar sina upplevelser från Kongo för sina vänner. Berättelsen har tre delar, alla inom samma ramberättelse. Fem vänner sitter på en båt i Themsen, med Londons silhuett skönjbar. Vännerna är bolagsdirektör, bokhållare, advokat, jag-berättaren och Marlow som är den ende riktige sjömannen. Direktören ger trygghet genom sitt Lots-utseende. Summan av dessa yrkeskategorier ger bilden av det företag som själva imperialismen byggde på. Den ytligt förtroendeingivande, handeln, pengarna, och så lagvrängarna som får till det efter eget ändamål. Jag-berättaren är en okritisk beundrare av allt det storartat brittiska, deras storartade utbredande av 'civilisationen'.
Bara Marlow avviker. Han tar tidigt över ordet från jag-berättaren och behåller det sedan nästan hela tiden. Han sitter som en Buddha, blundar som i meditation, och begrundar lidandet, försöker betrakta det objektivt, men det går inte alltid. Han berättar att han rest i asiatiska farvatten under sex år innan han kom till Kongo. Asien gav honom insikter, som gjorde att han ville 'civilisera' sina London-vänner vid sin återkomst. Notera denna motsättning. Marlow tycker inte att London är den mest civiliserade och mest fantastiska staden. Den saknar den andliga balans han fann i Asien.
Här får vi alltså en flyktig doft av Asien, en imperialistisk europeisk ångvält och så den mystiska afrikanska urskogen, den natur som känns som ett vilt vidunder, i motsats till Europas numera välkammat civiliserade, välordnade jordbruksbygder.
Denna gång noterade jag särskilt att Marlow sitter som en 'Buddha-bild' när han återberättar sina upplevelser från Kongo för sina vänner. Berättelsen har tre delar, alla inom samma ramberättelse. Fem vänner sitter på en båt i Themsen, med Londons silhuett skönjbar. Vännerna är bolagsdirektör, bokhållare, advokat, jag-berättaren och Marlow som är den ende riktige sjömannen. Direktören ger trygghet genom sitt Lots-utseende. Summan av dessa yrkeskategorier ger bilden av det företag som själva imperialismen byggde på. Den ytligt förtroendeingivande, handeln, pengarna, och så lagvrängarna som får till det efter eget ändamål. Jag-berättaren är en okritisk beundrare av allt det storartat brittiska, deras storartade utbredande av 'civilisationen'.
Bara Marlow avviker. Han tar tidigt över ordet från jag-berättaren och behåller det sedan nästan hela tiden. Han sitter som en Buddha, blundar som i meditation, och begrundar lidandet, försöker betrakta det objektivt, men det går inte alltid. Han berättar att han rest i asiatiska farvatten under sex år innan han kom till Kongo. Asien gav honom insikter, som gjorde att han ville 'civilisera' sina London-vänner vid sin återkomst. Notera denna motsättning. Marlow tycker inte att London är den mest civiliserade och mest fantastiska staden. Den saknar den andliga balans han fann i Asien.
Här får vi alltså en flyktig doft av Asien, en imperialistisk europeisk ångvält och så den mystiska afrikanska urskogen, den natur som känns som ett vilt vidunder, i motsats till Europas numera välkammat civiliserade, välordnade jordbruksbygder.
August 4, 2019
Racism and sexism are not incompatible with art, as Chinua Achebe showed in his attack on Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” as racist.
from:
Close the Curtain on ‘Miss Saigon’
By VIET THANH NGUYEN
Why is a musical that perpetuates a Western fantasy of Asians as small, weak and effeminate people still so popular?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/op...
from:
Close the Curtain on ‘Miss Saigon’
By VIET THANH NGUYEN
Why is a musical that perpetuates a Western fantasy of Asians as small, weak and effeminate people still so popular?
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/op...
November 4, 2008
I read this book for an English class in high school. The subject matter is pretty grim and sad but it is a very interesting study on human nature and what man can become if they dont have a society or moral code that keeps them in check and they ultimately give into their natural man. It is interesting to notice the reference to this book in the "King Kong" movie (latest version), one character is reading this book and has questions.... and then shortly after, the evil natives are introduced.
June 24, 2008
Not so much a fan... sorry to those that are, but it just isn't my kind of book.
June 24, 2008
I read this in high school, so I don't know if my opinion would be different now, but I just didn't get it.
August 22, 2019
I guess I'm not a fan of seafaring tales....not a great read.
August 24, 2023
A few short, sea-based stories.
Not too easy to read, and once again,took me a while to get into them.
Not too easy to read, and once again,took me a while to get into them.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews