Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer
Joseph Conrad, Joyce Carol Oates, Vince Passaro
Mass Market Paperback
(Signet, Aug. 5, 2008)
In this pair of literary voyages into the inner self, Joseph Conrad has written two of the most chilling, disturbing, and noteworthy pieces of fiction of the twentieth century. Heart of Darkness is a devastating commentary on the corruptibility of humanity. Based on Conradâs own 1890 trip up the Congo River, the story is told by Marlow, the novelistâs alter ego. It is a journey into darkness and horrorâboth literally, as the narrator descends into a sinister jungle landscape, and metaphorically, as he encounters the morally depraved Mr. Kurtz. The Secret Sharer is the tale of a young sea captainâs first command as he sails into the Gulf of Siamâand into an encounter with his mysterious âdouble,â the shadow self of the unconscious mind. Joseph Conrad boldly experimented with the novella and novel forms, filled his writing with the exotic places he himself had traveled, and concerned himself with honor, guilt, moral alienation, and sin. Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer encapsulate his literary achievementsâand his haunting portrayal of the dark side of man. With an Introduction by Joyce Carol Oates and an Afterword by Vince Passaro