Conrad is no more racist than other 19th century authors, if you ask me. Both the stories you mention are classics and fascinating to read, and “Heart of Darkness” is the story that the renowned film “Apocalypse Now” is based on.

Conrad’s use of psychological atmosphere is so much more important than his attitude towards “native” people that you have to take this attitude with a grain of salt. At worst, it can be mentioned and dismissed: the stories are not about racial oppression but about human issues and the depths of the mind, and the characters and situations are utterly memorable.

There’s a similar controversy over Shakespeare’s attitude towards Jews in “The Merchant of Venice”, and I think one has to draw similar conclusions: it’s a memorable play, still performed today, and hardly anybody complains.

A troubling artwork of ultimate linguistic precision with the aid of a guy for whom English grew to become into no longer the mum tongue. that is possibly Conrad’s greatest declare to popularity – the reality that like the Irish he mastered the English language properly previous a lot of his English writing friends. that’s additionally the tale that made Francis Coppola a titan of the action picture industry. Apocalypse Now additionally set off off a around of ’80s video clips appropriate to the U.S. ****-kicking in Vietnam, which in turn provided an excuse to re-subject ’60s rock standards on a form of soundtracks.