Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

It’s been a while since I finished this one so I will keep it short. I read this book inevitably in comparison with my favourite movie Apocalypse Now. The book is very graphic, perhaps more so than Apocalypse Now. The book tells the story of Marlow, who’s a captain of a minor boat and an adventurer, specifically his journey up the Congo River, in search of infamous ivory trader Mr. Kurtz. It takes place in Belgian Congo. Perhaps the darkest chapter in imperial history.

All the political and cultural debate aside, it’s undeniable that western civilisation, which became the staple of modernity as we know it, has a dark heart. This darkness is arguably unlike any previous war, conquest, slavery etc. that humanity has seen. Certainly unlike anything that agricultural civilisations produced. Heart of Darkness is a journey into the alienation of men against his fellow men and all the subversions one experiences with it. Despite the grimness, it’s a very fine read.