--- product_id: 1697491 title: "Heart of Darkness & Selections from The Congo Diary" price: "VT5455" currency: VUV in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.vu/products/1697491-heart-of-darkness-and-selections-from-the-congo-diary store_origin: VU region: Vanuatu --- # Heart of Darkness & Selections from The Congo Diary **Price:** VT5455 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Heart of Darkness & Selections from The Congo Diary - **How much does it cost?** VT5455 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vu](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/1697491-heart-of-darkness-and-selections-from-the-congo-diary) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time • Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read Introduction by Caryl Phillips Commentary by H. L. Mencken, E. M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Bertrand Russell, Lionel Trilling, Chinua Achebe, and Philip Gourevitch Originally published in 1902, Heart of Darkness remains one of this century’s most enduring works of fiction. Written several years after Joseph Conrad’s grueling sojourn in the Belgian Congo, the novel is a complex meditation on colonialism, evil, and the thin line between civilization and barbarity. This edition contains selections from Conrad’s Congo Diary of 1890—the first notes, in effect, for the novel, which was composed at the end of that decade. Virginia Woolf wrote of Conrad: “His books are full of moments of vision. They light up a whole character in a flash. . . . He could not write badly, one feels, to save his life.” Review: Excellent edition of classic novel - Published in 1899, Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS is like a fingerpost for its time, pointing the way of human preoccupations as they probed the final frontiers left in the world to discover, both geographically and intrapersonally, equipped only with a 19th century worldview. Where fear and discomfort with the unknown had once been associated with leaving land and heading into the open sea, Conrad now placed it in turning inward, turning from the sea up a river that penetrates an unknown land. This is the story related one night to a group of London dwellers gathered on a dock boat in the safety and familiarity of the Thames. The speaker, a garrulous veteran seaman named Marlow, remembers how as a younger man he had pushed for the adventurous assignment of taking a steamboat up the Congo in search of a company's missing agent, Kurtz. His is a tale of horror, of what can happen to a person disengaged from civilization as it is known. This is an atmospheric exploration of knowledge, experience, innocence and morality. Conrad's language is complex but not opaque, has action but also a lot of description. As Virginia Woolf once said, Conrad could not write badly to save his own life. That his vision requires rooting the horror in a hostile jungle culture and its customs can present a problem for a contemporary audience. The Modern Library has done a good job in introducing this edition with notable criticism, positive and negative, excerpted from across the 20th century, including pieces by Mencken, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster and, more recently, Chinua Achebe. This edition also includes passages from Conrad's 1890 journal when he was traveling in the Congo. Several different publishers are publishing this novel, but this edition is the best I found. Review: Four Stars - Book was in great condition. Thank you. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #561,012 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,183 in Classic American Literature #11,059 in Classic Literature & Fiction #20,575 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 186 Reviews | ## Images ![Heart of Darkness & Selections from The Congo Diary - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/917fwa5zHbL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent edition of classic novel *by C***G on May 21, 2007* Published in 1899, Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS is like a fingerpost for its time, pointing the way of human preoccupations as they probed the final frontiers left in the world to discover, both geographically and intrapersonally, equipped only with a 19th century worldview. Where fear and discomfort with the unknown had once been associated with leaving land and heading into the open sea, Conrad now placed it in turning inward, turning from the sea up a river that penetrates an unknown land. This is the story related one night to a group of London dwellers gathered on a dock boat in the safety and familiarity of the Thames. The speaker, a garrulous veteran seaman named Marlow, remembers how as a younger man he had pushed for the adventurous assignment of taking a steamboat up the Congo in search of a company's missing agent, Kurtz. His is a tale of horror, of what can happen to a person disengaged from civilization as it is known. This is an atmospheric exploration of knowledge, experience, innocence and morality. Conrad's language is complex but not opaque, has action but also a lot of description. As Virginia Woolf once said, Conrad could not write badly to save his own life. That his vision requires rooting the horror in a hostile jungle culture and its customs can present a problem for a contemporary audience. The Modern Library has done a good job in introducing this edition with notable criticism, positive and negative, excerpted from across the 20th century, including pieces by Mencken, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster and, more recently, Chinua Achebe. This edition also includes passages from Conrad's 1890 journal when he was traveling in the Congo. Several different publishers are publishing this novel, but this edition is the best I found. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Four Stars *by F***O on December 14, 2016* Book was in great condition. Thank you. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The last word he pronounced was... *by A***R on January 7, 2022* ** spoiler alert ** Many individuals reduce books or movies to key quotes that over time have become cliches. Publishers also do this. Penguin Classics starts the back cover of "Heart of Darkness" with Kurtz's last words of horror. Quote repetition or scene reminiscing can lead some individuals to think they're familiar with a book or movie--even if they haven't read or seen it. Mention, for example, "Deliverance" to someone who was a young adult in the 1970s. They'll likely mimic the tune of "Dueling Banjos," though they never saw the film. I read "The Heart of Darkness" to let Conrad's character, Marlow, take me slowly up the Congo to the dim, muddy place that seems "of the first ages." Taking that trip, I'm reminded that the full story has as much richness and humor as darkness and horror. Kurtz's last words are frightening, but Marlow says something afterwards that's just as important. Those aware of the story easily recite the words that Kurtz "cried in a whisper," but they show no emotion since they can't say what brought Kurtz to that end. Few know who heard Kurtz's cry. They're not familiar with Marlow and what happens next. After Kurtz speaks his last (a whole year after), Marlow chooses to visit Kurtz's mourning fiancé. She knows that Marlow was the last one to see the man she loved, and she pushes Marlow to tell her what Kurtz said at his end. When a character has to make a big choice--one they can't go back on--that's key to a good story. Marlow either needs to tell the fiancé the truth, or he needs to make something up. "It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head." That's what Marlow feels when he tells Kurtz's fiancé... "The last word he pronounced was--your name." --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vu/products/1697491-heart-of-darkness-and-selections-from-the-congo-diary](https://www.desertcart.vu/products/1697491-heart-of-darkness-and-selections-from-the-congo-diary) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vanuatu* *Store origin: VU* *Last updated: 2026-05-19*