Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Out of the summer and into the darkness.

An enormously influential classic of Victorian literature, Conrad's disturbing masterpiece traces a visceral journey both psychological and physical as our narrator Marlow pursues the charismatic monster Kurtz upriver in Africa.

A haunting Modernist masterpiece and the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's Oscar-winning film Apocalypse Now, Heart of Darkness explores the limits of human experience and the nightmarish realities of imperialism.

Conrad's narrator Marlow, a seaman and wanderer, recounts his physical and psychological journey in search of the infamous ivory trader Kurtz: dying, insane, and guilty of unspeakable atrocities. Travelling upriver to the heart of the African continent, he gradually becomes obsessed by this enigmatic, wraith-like figure. Marlow's discovery of how Kurtz has gained his position of power over the local people involves him in a radical questioning, not only of his own nature and values, but also those of western civilisation.

Look forward to see you at the Metronome!