Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Secret Sharer

by Norma Youngbirg

"Heart Of Darkness." The story of the civilized, enlightened Mr. Kurtz who embarks on a harrowing "night journey" into the savage heart of Africa, only to find his dark and evil soul. "The Secret Sharer." The saga of a young, inexperienced skipper forced to decide the fate of a fugitive sailor who killed a man in self-defense. As he faces his first moral test the skipper discovers a terrifying truth -- and comes face to face with the secret itself. "Heart Of Darkness" and "The Secret Sharer" draw on actual events and people that Conrad met or heard about during his many far-flung travels. In portraying men whose incredible journeys on land and at sea are also symbolic voyages into their own mysterious depths, these two masterful works give credence to Conrad's acclaim as a major psychological writer.

Genres: Reference

74 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1965

Reviews

[Johnny Galt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the original a long time ago and felt this would be a good refresher. While reading the Heart Of Darkness, it came to my mind that Apocalypse Now is not really much of a movie without this original. Just about every significant line of dialogue or scenic situation is a lift from the book. There are many original moments in the movie but they would be random and without structure which is to say the book complete fills that purpose.

While reading the Secret Sharer I decided that the story should have been much longer and someone should have made a movie out of this one also. I guess I should go back and read the original and look for movies with this theme.