Heart of Darkness
A great book. First published AD 1899, written in British English
Heart of Darkness is an 1899 novella by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad, in which sailor Charles Marlow tells the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgian company in the African interior. The novel is widely regarded as a critique of European colonialism in Africa, whilst also examining the themes of power dynamics and morality.
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Where it is set
- River Congo
Angola
Although Conrad does not name the river on which most of the narrative takes place, at the time of writing, the Congo Free State—the location of the large and economically important Congo River—was a private colony of Belgium's King Leopold II. Source: Wikipedia, reviewed
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Its heirs
Later works that draw on Heart of Darkness.
Things Fall ApartGreat book
Chinua Achebe, AD 1958
Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart against books like Conrad's, which he later called 'an offensive and deplorable book': Africa seen from a steamer as darkness. His novel tells the coming of the Europeans from inside an Igbo village, with its own law, language and history.
Source: Wikipedia, Heart of Darkness
“Chinua Achebe's 1958 novel Things Fall Apart is Achebe's response to what he saw as Conrad's portrayal of Africa and Africans as symbols: "the antithesis of Europe and therefore civilization".” Read it there
The author’s life
- Bishopsbourne
Died here, United Kingdom
