Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad's harrowing novella, Heart of Darkness, plunges the reader into the Belgian Congo as narrator Charlie Marlow recounts his journey up the immense Congo River to find the enigmatic and brilliant ivory agent, Kurtz. More than a mere adventure tale, the book is a chilling critique of European colonialism, exposing the devastating hypocrisy and moral rot beneath the veneer of civilizing mission. Marlow’s quest becomes a terrifying psychological descent into the brutal realities of imperial exploitation and the primal darkness lurking within both the wilderness and the human soul. This powerful, influential work remains a cornerstone of Modernist literature.