Heart of Darkness (version 2)
Joseph Conrad
Read by Bob Neufeld
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series (1899) in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon. The story centres on Charles Marlow, who narrates most of the book. He is an Englishman who takes a foreign assignment from a Belgian trading company as a river-boat captain in Africa. Heart of Darkness exposes the dark side of European colonization while exploring the three levels of darkness that the protagonist, Marlow, encounters: the darkness of the Congo wilderness, the darkness of the Europeans' cruel treatment of the African natives, and the unfathomable darkness within every human being for committing heinous acts of evil. Although Conrad does not give the name of the river, at the time of writing the Congo Free State, the location of the large and important Congo River, was a private colony of Belgium's King Leopold II. In the story, Marlow is employed to transport ivory downriver. However, his more pressing assignment is to return Kurtz, another ivory trader, to civilization, in a cover-up. Kurtz has a reputation throughout the region. (Summary by Wikipedia) (4 hr 38 min)
Chapters
| 01 - Chapter 1 - Part 1 | 52:17 | Read by Bob Neufeld |
| 02 - Chapter 1 - Part 2 | 48:58 | Read by Bob Neufeld |
| 03 - Chapter 2 - Part 1 | 47:14 | Read by Bob Neufeld |
| 04 - Chapter 2 - Part 2 | 40:28 | Read by Bob Neufeld |
| 05 - Chapter 3 - Part 1 | 46:55 | Read by Bob Neufeld |
| 06 - Chapter 3 - Part 2 | 42:53 | Read by Bob Neufeld |
Reviews
Fantastic Reading.
Va_Poet
Bob Neufeld did a wonderful job with this classic. I could almost see the old sea captain sitting in a ships smoking room with a pipe in hand, telling his story to a rapt audience. When reading this as a younger man, Bob's voice is how I always imagined Marlow to sound. The story itself is a brilliant descent into savage Africa, which is a mirror for our own savage nature. It's definitely not to be missed.
An Haunting Look into the Duality of Man
Fan of the (19th) century
A *must read* for anyone who wants to be well read. Great job by narrator who has the perfect voice for this strange and fascinating tale. The concepts of hero worship, wasted potential, wanton greedy colonialism, unregulated capitalism, corporate and global politics, the thirst for adventure, and truth (& more) are all examined in light and in the unavoidable darkness that reside inside us all. Not an easy book to read but, even after all these years, a relevant and important one. Kudos to Mr Neufeld. I can't imagine anyone, with the possible exception of John Barrymore, could have read it better.
A fine reading.
Sandy
Although the book is disturbing , the reader is very good.
the original apocalypse now! only better
JaxScript
Another great classic book, read by another excellent reader. Aside from the fact that this is usually on the top 10 list of best novels ever, if you've ever seen the movie Apocalypse Now, you owe it to yourself to read, or listen to, this this book to know the origin of that story.
A LibriVox Listener
A very good book read by a very skilled and appropriate narrator. However, the language and writing style can make the story difficult to understand. Just like the dark jungles of the african continent its easy to get lost in the intricate web of sentences and descriptions of joseph conrads most iconic novel.
amazing
ally
the reader is amazing the book is amazing loved it
Bravo from Borneo
Lord Jim
Joseph Conrad is my favourite author and I have read Heart of Darkness many times. However, Bob Neufeld's narration was sublime and brought a new insight into this masterpiece of a novella. Chapeau to you sir! Conrad is brilliant in his ability to describe people and settings, painting such a vivid and emotional picture in the minds eye if his audience. In essence, Heart if Darkness explores how an oppressive jungle setting can change a person's mental state. The book maintains a tension almost throughout and is certainly an experience that I commend unreservedly.
Great reading of a challenging text
Aunteffy
Great reading voice. A period novel, reflecting attitudes that are not current. However, if we get rid of writing that is not in line with current thinking, how will we know to not repeat the mistakes and attitudes of the past? Literature needs to challenge our thinking. Literature should not be a mirror that just reflects back what we already think.