Heart of Darkness is a novella by Joseph Conrad, first printed in a magazine, in which the sailor Marlow tells a group of listeners on a boat on the Thames about his journey up the Congo River to find Kurtz, a brilliant ivory trader who has become a figure of terror. It is based on Conrad's own journey in the Congo Free State, and it exposes the brutality of European colonial exploitation behind the claim of bringing civilization. The story is told in a dense, symbolic style that leaves much ambiguous. The Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe criticized it for its portrayal of Africans, which led to lasting debate. It inspired Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now.
Before and after
- 10 December 1898Treaty of Paris (1898)
- 24 December 1898Founding of Renault
- 1899Discovery of actinium
- 1899Discovery of radon
- 1899Publication of Heart of Darkness
- from January 1899 to August 1907Adamawa Wars
- 1899Construction of White Hart Lane
- 1899Founding of AFC Bournemouth
- 1899Founding of Nairobi
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1792Publication of Dream of the Red Chamber
- 5 May 1821Founding of The Guardian
- 7 April 1837Publication of The Little Mermaid
- 21 February 1848Publication of The Communist Manifesto
- 18 September 1851Founding of The New York Times
- 1857Rise of Symbolism
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.