Heart of Darkness and The Congo Diary

US: Penguin Classics, 2007. Paperback. Good. Joseph Conrad's enduring portrait of the ugliness of colonialism. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read Heart of Darkness is the thrilling tale of Marlow, a seaman and wanderer re counting his physical and psychological journey in search of the infamous i vory trader Kurtz. Traveling upriver into the heart of the African continen t, he gradually becomes obsessed by this enigmatic, wraith-like figure. Mar low's discovery of how Kurtz has gained his position of power over the loca l people involves him in a radical questioning, not only of his own nature and values, but of those that underpin Western civilization itself. This ed ition also includes Conrad's Congo Diary, a glossary, and an introduction d iscussing the author's experiences of Africa, critical responses, and the n ovel's symbolic complexities. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of clas sic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to pro vide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguish ed scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Editorial Reviews About the Author Joseph Conrad (originally Józef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski) was born in the Ukraine in 1857 and grew up under Tsarist autocracy. In 1896 he settled in Kent, where he produced within fifteen years such modern classics as Youth, Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Typhoon, Nostromo,