Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is Joseph Conrad's short novel about a river journey into the interior of Africa. Marlow, a seaman waiting on a yawl in the Thames, tells his companions how he took a job with a Belgian trading company, traveled upriver in a battered steamboat to collect ivory and fetch a sick agent named Kurtz, and found a man who had set himself up as a god among the people he was supposed to be civilizing. Conrad had made such a journey himself in 1890, and the book, first published in 1899, is both a record of the Congo under Leopold II and a meditation on what happens to Europeans when nobody is watching them. It is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, with the first chapter free.
Start reading right away, without signing up. The complete text is included in Vinteuil Reading, or yours forever with a one-time purchase.
Frequently asked questions about Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read Heart of Darkness online?
Yes. Heart of Darkness opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is Heart of Darkness free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of Heart of Darkness is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is Heart of Darkness in the public domain?
Yes. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is a public-domain work. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read Heart of Darkness?
About 2 h 34 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is Heart of Darkness?
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is filed under "Fiction" in the Vinteuil library.
