I recently started listening to your recording of “Heart of Darkness” on Librivox, and wanted to complement and thank you for your work; it has been an absolute pleasure to listen to. You have excellent enunciation, and a serene voice that’s very easy to listen to. I will say, though, that it’s a little strange to listen to a silky smooth voice narrate a tale of the abyssmal, hellish depravity of man.

Three years ago I traveled to the Heart of Darkness (well, not the Congo, so not really the Heart; maybe the Aorta of Darkness, or the Pulmonary Artery of Darkness). Before I went to Rwanda (it’s on the eastern border of the Congo) I read a short history of Belgian colonialsim in Africa called “King Leopold’s Ghost;” I highly recommend it if you have any further interest in central African history, beyond Conrad’s book. “King Leopold’s Ghost” was one of the books that got me interested in “Heart of Darkness;” the author frequently refers to “HoD,” and devotes an entire chapter to dissecting Conrad’s experience in the Congo; he implies that “HoD” was largely an autobiographical account of Conrad’s own Congo experience. (It makes “HoD” all the more frightening to realize that it’s all true; even if it didn’t all happen to Conrad, almost all of it happened to someone in the Belgian Congo). It’s an easy, fairly short, horrifying read, if you’re interested.

Thank you again for your diligent work with Librivox. I have a wretched one-hour commute to work every day, but I make the most of it by listening to audiobooks; Librivox and people like you make that possible for me.

Sincerely,
Abram Hess

PS: The word “row” comes up several times in “HoD.” You pronounce it to rhyme with “throw,” but I’ve always heard it pronounced to rhyme with “cow.” “After the melee Mao’s brown cows vowed to never have another row.” I’m not sure which is correct.