As a native-English speaker now permanently based in Italy, I am in awe of Conrad. The contemporary analogue who comes to mind is Jhumpa Lahiri who, after establishing an accomplished career as a native English-language author, moved to Italy and now writes and publishes exclusively in Italian. Language acquisition is something I have prioritized in my life, and it is a dream to become so proficient as to publish in a second or third language. I know that you understand this drive! Thank you for this thoughtful review, which included a great reflection on the importance of learning languages!
Thank you for your comment! I admire writers who venture into other languages. I've read a couple of books by Jhumpa Lahiri, including her memoir In altre parole in which she writes about her language-acquisition journey. Very inspiring!
I read this book about 15 years ago and don't remember much of it. I keep seeing it maligned on Booktube as people's most hated book! I really want to reread it now because I didn't have strong feelings about it, and see how I like it now. I appreciate that you motivated us to read it with your mention of the ending, but didn't spoil it. Even though classics have been around forever, I still hate spoilers and like to discover surprises on my own, so thank you! :)
Fantastic review! I read heart of darkness in high school AP literature. I absolutely hated it. I tend to call it the worst book I've ever read. Naturally, I've been wanting to reread it. I'd love to do a reading of it alongside Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart which I read in in college lit.
Thank you, Josh! I wouldn't recommend Heart of Darkness to high school students! No wonder you hated it. I need to read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Love your review. As a Polish reader I can tell you Conrad is not popular here (although he has a great munument where I live), the language he uses is difficult, too difficult for a contemporary reader, I think.Conrad is not in a syllabus of any school in Poland, oddly enough not even when I was a student of English Philology in Poland. Btw, the sound "rz" in Korzeniowski is read as the final sound in mirage or the initial in French j'aime;)
Concerning your comment "... the language he uses is difficult, too difficult for a contemporary reader...", the literature study guide series NO FEAR LITERATURE includes "Beowulf" (which was written a thousand years ago) where the Old English text is on the left-hand page and facing it on the right-hand page is the text in modern English. That series also includes "Heart of Darkness" which was written only a little more than a hundred years ago. Young readers today probably find the 1899 text just too difficult to fathom
If a good system brings out the best in people, then doesn't a bad system (e.g., colonialism) bring out the worst? Could the following said of A PASSAGE TO INDIA also apply to HEART...?: - Although Forster ultimately offers no concrete alternative to British colonialism, his overall message is that colonialism in India is a harmful system for both the British and the Indians.
HEART OF D. has to do with colonialism which can be described as one form of man 'playing God'. As far as I am concerned, A. NOW has to do with another side of man's desire to play God--warmongering.
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As a native-English speaker now permanently based in Italy, I am in awe of Conrad. The contemporary analogue who comes to mind is Jhumpa Lahiri who, after establishing an accomplished career as a native English-language author, moved to Italy and now writes and publishes exclusively in Italian. Language acquisition is something I have prioritized in my life, and it is a dream to become so proficient as to publish in a second or third language. I know that you understand this drive! Thank you for this thoughtful review, which included a great reflection on the importance of learning languages!
Love Jumpa Lahiri! I admire her so much! Im reading her In other words now.
Thank you for your comment! I admire writers who venture into other languages. I've read a couple of books by Jhumpa Lahiri, including her memoir In altre parole in which she writes about her language-acquisition journey. Very inspiring!
I read this book about 15 years ago and don't remember much of it. I keep seeing it maligned on Booktube as people's most hated book! I really want to reread it now because I didn't have strong feelings about it, and see how I like it now. I appreciate that you motivated us to read it with your mention of the ending, but didn't spoil it. Even though classics have been around forever, I still hate spoilers and like to discover surprises on my own, so thank you! :)
I want everyone to be able to watch and enjoy my reviews, so I'm very careful to never include spoilers. Thanks for your comment! :)
Fantastic review! I read heart of darkness in high school AP literature. I absolutely hated it. I tend to call it the worst book I've ever read.
Naturally, I've been wanting to reread it. I'd love to do a reading of it alongside Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart which I read in in college lit.
Thank you, Josh! I wouldn't recommend Heart of Darkness to high school students! No wonder you hated it. I need to read Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Love your review. As a Polish reader I can tell you Conrad is not popular here (although he has a great munument where I live), the language he uses is difficult, too difficult for a contemporary reader, I think.Conrad is not in a syllabus of any school in Poland, oddly enough not even when I was a student of English Philology in Poland. Btw, the sound "rz" in Korzeniowski is read as the final sound in mirage or the initial in French j'aime;)
That's so interesting! I've often wondered what Conrad status was in Poland. Thank you for your comment and for the Polish pronunciation tip ;)
Concerning your comment "... the language he uses is difficult, too difficult for a contemporary reader...", the literature study guide series NO FEAR LITERATURE includes "Beowulf" (which was written a thousand years ago) where the Old English text is on the left-hand page and facing it on the right-hand page is the text in modern English. That series also includes "Heart of Darkness" which was written only a little more than a hundred years ago. Young readers today probably find the 1899 text just too difficult to fathom
As you read HEART... in English, did you ever get the sense that Conrad's writing style was influenced by the Polish language?
If a good system brings out the best in people, then doesn't a bad system (e.g., colonialism) bring out the worst? Could the following said of A PASSAGE TO INDIA also apply to HEART...?:
- Although Forster ultimately offers no concrete alternative to British colonialism, his overall message is that colonialism in India is a harmful system for both the British and the Indians.
Apocalypse Now ..
HEART OF D. has to do with colonialism which can be described as one form of man 'playing God'. As far as I am concerned, A. NOW has to do with another side of man's desire to play God--warmongering.
The article "WHO GETS TO PLAY GOD? REVISITING 'APOCALYPSE NOW'" may be of interest.