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Heart of Darkness is a novella by Joseph Conrad. Summary of the Book Captain Charles Marlow anchors his ship, the Nellie, in the River Thames near Gravesend, England. During the calm, he tells his crew about how he became the captain of a river steam-boat for an ivory trading company. Marlow tries to meet with a Mr. Kurtz, who is rumoured to be an idealistic man of great abilities. He travels along the Congo and watches the Company’s atrocities across its stations. Through his surroundings, Marlow examines his own subconscious and is overwhelmed by the things that he sees around him. He begins to question what civilization really means and comes to a startling conclusion about imperialism and civilized society. Conrad’s book is hailed as one of the greatest classics on colonialism and racism. About Joseph Conrad Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski was a Polish author who wrote in English. He is best remembered for Victory, The Rescue, The Secret Agent, Lord Jim and other novels. Joseph Conrad settled in England and only learnt the English Language when he was over 20 years of age. He is considered one of the greatest writers in the English Language. This book was loosely adapted into Apocalypse Now, a 1979 American epic war film set during the Vietnam War by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall.