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Quote by Joseph Conrad

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Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' is a seminal work that delves into the dark underbelly of colonialism and the psychological impact of exploration. The narrative follows Marlow, a seaman, as he navigates the treacherous Congo River and encounters the enigmatic Mr. Kurtz. more

Author

Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad, born on December 3, 1857 in Poland and died on August 3, 1924 in the United Kingdom, was a renowned British author of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is known for his profound descriptions of maritime life and his insightful explorations of human nature. more

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“He is romantic—romantic,” he repeated. “And that is very bad—very bad. . . . Very good, too,” he added. “But is he?” I queried. ‘“Gewiss,” he said, and stood still holding up the candelabrum, but without looking at me. “Evident! What is it that by inward pain makes him know himself? What is it that for you and me makes him—exist?” ‘At that moment it was difficult to believe in Jim’s existence—starting from a country parsonage, blurred by crowds of men as by clouds of dust, silenced by the clashing claims of life and death in a material world—but his imperishable reality came to me with a convincing, with an irresistible force! I saw it vividly, as though in our progress through the lofty silent rooms amongst fleeting gleams of light and the sudden revelations of human figures stealing with flickering flames within unfathomable and pellucid depths, we had approached nearer to absolute Truth, which, like Beauty itself, floats elusive, obscure, half submerged, in the silent still waters of mystery. “Perhaps he is,” I admitted with a slight laugh, whose unexpectedly loud reverberation made me lower my voice directly; “but I am sure you are.” With his head dropping on his breast and the light held high he began to walk again. “Well—I exist, too,” he said.”

MetaphysicsMetaphysicalModernismModernistJoseph ConradConrad
Book:Lord Jim
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“In the outworks of our lives, we were almost strangers, but we shared a certain outlook on human life and human destiny, which, from the very first, made a bond of extreme strength . . . . At our very first meeting, we talked with continually increasing intimacy. We seemed to sink through layer after layer of what was superficial, till gradually both reached the central fire. It was an experience unlike any other that I have known. We looked into each other's eyes, half appalled and half intoxicated to find ourselves together in such a region. The emotion was as intense as passionate love, and at the same time all-embracing. I came away bewildered, and hardly able to find my way among ordinary affairs.”

PassionFriendshipAffinityKinshipJoseph Conrad
Book:Portraits From Memory and Other Essays
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“Conrad tillhör de sjömän som får uppleva hur ångan triumferar och seglen försvinner från haven. Han befinner sig mitt inne i ett väldigt maktskifte. En tusenårig tradition bryts och ett helt nytt element förs in. På segelfartyget är det kaptenen och hans män som är förmedlarna mellan Gud och världen. De fångar in och tyglar vinden som driver fartyget framåt. Seglaren lever i nära förbindelse med naturen, som han måste böja sig för, som han betjänar och utnyttjar. När ångan kom, togs makten från kaptenen och gavs åt maskinisten i maskindjupet. Man seglade inte på havet längre utan plöjde sig genom det. Befälet på bryggan flyttades ned, förnedrades, hade blott själva navigeringen kvar och inte kraftöverföringen.”

Joseph ConradSeafaringSteam EngineMan And Machine
Book:Färd med Mörkrets hjärta: En bok om Joseph Conrads roman
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“The social organization of Heart of Darkness – captured in the corporate culture of the ‘Company’ – is a metonym for modernity. It is powerfully linked to the psychic through the symbolic order. In the novel’s primal scene, young Marlow pores over maps, lingering over the ‘blank spaces’. ‘The biggest – the most blank, so to speak’ is the heart of Africa. From the Western perspective, these blank spaces are but undiscovered dominions, lacking proper social organization, civilization and especially enlightenment. It is somewhat perplexing, then, to find that the exploration and mapping that take place between the time of Marlow’s youth and maturity appear not as illumination but darkening: [B]y this time it was not a blank space any more. It had got filled since my boyhood with rivers and lakes and names. It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery – a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness.”

EnlightenmentImperialismHeart Of DarknessJoseph Conrad
Author:Stephen Ross
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“Sometimes fate or life or whatever you want to call it, leaves a door a little open and you walk through it. But sometimes it locks the door and you have to find the key, or pick the lock, or knock the damn thing down. And sometimes, it doesn't even show you the door, and you have to build it yourself. But if you keep waiting for the doors to be opened for you... I think you'll have a hard time finding single happiness, let alone that double portion.”

LifeFateKeyDouble Happiness
Book:Just One Year
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