Heart of Darkness (1899) is a novel by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad about a voyage up the Congo River into the Congo Free State in the heart of Africa by the story’s narrator Marlow. Marlow tells his story to friends aboard a boat anchored on the Thames River, London, England. This setting provides the frame for Marlow’s story of his obsession with the ivory trader Kurtz, enabling Conrad to create a parallel between London and Africa as places of darkness.
Central to Conrad’s work is the idea there is little difference between so-called civilized people and those described as savages; Heart of Darkness also raises questions about imperialism and racism.
Originally published as a three-part serial story in Blackwood’s Magazine, Heart of Darkness has been variously published and translated into many languages. In 1998 the Modern Library ranked Heart of Darkness as No. 67 of the 100 Best Novels in English of the Twentieth Century.
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