Historical Background
	In April of 1878, Joseph Conrad became an English sailor.  He continued this profession for seventeen years.  Over this period, Conrad served on 18 different ships and even commanded one of them.              In 1890 he sailed to the Belgian Congo.  What he witnessed here was the mistreatment of the natives to benefit the Belgians in the trading of ivory.  Conrad was disgusted by what he had seen.  It was this trip to the Congo that inspired him to write his short novel "Heart of Darkness."
			Historical Background Heart of Darkness Setting Characters "Life and Debt" Home