Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

By: Joseph Conrad

Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh

Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Prose that demands to be read aloud requires a special kind of narrator. For the Audible Signature Classics edition of Joseph Conrad’s atmospheric masterpiece, Heart of Darkness, we called upon four-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh.

Branagh’s performance is riveting because he reads as though he’s telling a ghost story by a campfire, capturing the story’s sense of claustrophobia, while hinting at the storyteller Marlow’s own creeping madness. Heart of Darkness follows Captain Marlow into the colonial Congo where he searches for a mysterious ivory trader, Kurtz, and discovers an evil that will haunt him forever.

With this landmark work, Conrad is credited with bringing the novel into the twentieth century; we think Branagh brings it into the twenty-first.

Stay tuned for more one-of-a-kind performances from actors David Hyde Pierce, Leelee Sobieski, Tim Curry, and more, only from Audible Signature Classics.

Listen to more Audible Signature Classics.

Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Acclaimed Irish actor/director Kenneth Branagh impersonates Marlow in this recording. Admirably, while fully playing the drama, he never goes overboard. He plays the tale for the great yarn that it is." ( AudioFile)

This version is edited; Short but Powerful

This book is short, but the imagery and messaging are incredibly powerful. Branagh does a great job with his performance.

I do note that the publisher changed the original text of the book, substituting "native" for the n-word. I loathe these types of changes as we should read what the artist wrote, not what editors decades or centuries later want us to hear. Perhaps Branagh didn't feel safe or comfortable using this word in these hyper-sensitive and censorious times, but it was a glaring change which distracts from the art.

A Brilliant Reading of a Troubling Story

If you could sum up Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh in three words, what would they be?

Superbly Acted Reading

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Russian engineer/adventurer who has so totally fallen under Kurtz's sphere of influence and is willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of "this great man," is a character I have never really noticed before. Branaugh brings him to full vigorous life and his coversations with Marlowe become a key to the book.

What about Kenneth Branagh’s performance did you like?

Magnificent acting of every sentence. Nothing is thrown away or "phoned in." Branaugh lives and breathes the character of the narrator, Marlowe,and through him, all the other characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The death of the native helmsman and Marlowe's reaction to it, compared to his reaction to the death of Kurtz is a high point of the book.

Any additional comments?

Such a difficult novella, I have read it so many times, and there is something new in every reading, and yet the final essence, like Kurtz himself, is in the end, undefinable. I think that those who see "Heart of Darkness" as a simple indictment of colonialism, or the Belgians or the ivory trade, or whatever, are somehow missing a large part of the story. And yet, what is that story? Who, really, is Kurtz, or for that matter, Marlowe? I think the answer is as elusive at the answer to Conrad's other great story of identity, "The Secret Sharer." We can never really know. But this reading by a master actor, like the tides of the Congo River itself, brings us closer to an answer. Worth listening more than once.

Exceptional performance

A piece of art. A lot of admiration to the passion and mastery of Mr. Kenneth Brannah.

Excellent Rendition

Very, very good. It's better read aloud than read in a book, I think, at least by Kenneth Branaugh. It aided my understanding and retention.

The Horror

I always had trouble with Conrad's writing style, but Branagh really delivers a beautiful performance of this classic.

Branagh Strengthens A Remarkable Book

First serialized in 1899, Conrad's haunting critique of Imperialism has been both rightly praised for its underlying message of the pretentiousness of European "civilization" and the racist depersonalization of black Africans as a backdrop to the larger narrative. Branagh's highly engaging interpretation not only strengthens but brings his own critical voice to the work. This is highly worthwhile listening, whether or not you have previously read Conrad, adding another layer to the conversation which can help lead the listener to deeper (if not always darker) contemplation and exploration.

To the edge of darkness and back

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, this narration provided an actual voice for an elusive persona. The character Marlow is supposed to be second to the character Kurtz but Branagh's performance puts Marlow at the center. It is Marlow's journey and the audience gets to right with him.

Any additional comments?

I used this performance to study for a graduate level literature exam and did very well on the exam. I recommend this as a study resource.

Best narration ever

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I think I would. It was relatively short and the narration was just wonderful.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting part was wondering if he would ever reach his goal, finding Kurtz. The least interesting part was what he saw along the way, I kind of zoned out during those parts.

What about Kenneth Branagh’s performance did you like?

Everything! I have listened to over 150 books on Audible, and this was by far the best narration ever. His tone of voice, his pace, everything was perfect.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men...

Any additional comments?

I could listen to anything Kenneth Branagh reads. He could read me the stock quotes and I would be riveted.

best narration for this story

The mystacism in this story is beautifully expressed in this narration of Heart of Darkness. It took my up the dark and eerie Congo river remarkably

Bravo, Branagh!

Kenneth Branagh truly takes us into the "Heart of Darkness" in a splendid reading. We feel the power of Conrad's prose, and the graphic descriptions enable us to sense the climate, the heat, and the darkness.

One cannot escape the inevitable questions with which we are left at the end of this tale. As much as I revere the work as a literary classic, I have long felt there was something "missing" -- or, perhaps more accurately, that I had "missed" something. I suspect that what I should really have liked (impractical as it may be) were Branagh's own insights into the character of Marlowe and the tale he told. Then again, perhaps I should also have appreciated Conrad's, too.

These subjective musings should in no way reflect negatively upon the production. The work is a classic, and this presentation is superb.