Heart of Darkness and Other Tales (Full Version)

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad sends his reflective narrator, Marlow, upriver in the Congo in search of the enigmatic agent Kurtz, only to find that the real subject is not geography but the perilous instability of conscience. With its layered storytelling, hypnotic imagery, and charged ambiguity, the novella exposes imperial “progress” as a theatre of exploitation—while refusing the comfort of simple verdicts.

Accompanying tales deepen the book’s range: An Outpost of Progress offers a ruthless irony about colonial administration and the fragility of European self-control; Karain probes loyalty, superstition, and betrayal in the Malay world; and Youth captures the romance and recklessness of early adventure, tinged with hindsight and disillusion. Together, these works mark Conrad’s emergence as a key innovator of modern fiction, confronting the listener with enduring questions about power, identity, and the stories we tell to justify what we do.

• Listeners drawn to psychologically intense classics that explore moral ambiguity, guilt, and self-deception
• Those interested in literature’s confrontation with empire, “civilization,” and the rhetoric of progress
• Fans of modernist storytelling—framed narratives, unreliable perspectives, and prose with atmospheric force

Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in partitioned Poland, spent nearly two decades at sea before becoming one of the most influential writers in English. His maritime experience and extensive travels informed works such as Lord Jim, Nostromo, and The Secret Agent. Conrad’s fiction helped reshape the modern novel through complex narrative framing, moral scrutiny, and a distinctive, rhythmic prose style. Though acclaimed by critics, he struggled financially until later success broadened his readership. Today he is regarded as a foundational modernist whose work continues to provoke debate about power, ethics, and the human capacity for darkness.