-
Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Lord Jim
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his many years on the high seas as a mariner, mate, and captain, Joseph Conrad created unique works, including Heart of Darkness, that have left an indelible mark on world literature. First published in 1899, his haunting novel Lord Jim is both a riveting sea adventure and a fascinating portrait of a unique outcast from civilization.
-
-
One of my all time favourites
- By Elisa on 05-03-16
By: Joseph Conrad
-
Moby-Dick
- By: Herman Melville
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 21 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Labeled variously a realistic story of whaling, a romance of unusual adventure and eccentric characters, a symbolic allegory, and a drama of heroic conflict, Moby Dick is first and foremost a great story. It has both the humor and poignancy of a simple sea ballad, as well as the depth and universality of a grand odyssey.
-
-
Renewed appreciation
- By C.B.E. on 09-03-11
By: Herman Melville
-
King Leopold's Ghost
- A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
- By: Adam Hochschild
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the late 1890s, Edmund Dene Morel, a young British shipping company agent, noticed something strange about the cargoes of his company's ships as they arrived from and departed for the Congo. Incoming ships were crammed with valuable ivory and rubber. Outbound ships carried little more than soldiers and firearms. Correctly concluding that only slave labor could account for these cargoes, Morel almost singlehandedly made this slave-labor regime the premier human rights story in the world.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Edith on 01-20-11
By: Adam Hochschild
-
Metamorphosis
- A BBC Radio 4 Reading
- By: Franz Kafka
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Benedict Cumberbatch reads the enduring classic of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa wakes to discover that he has turned into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. He attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repelled by the horrible creature he has become. First published in 1915, Kafka's darkly comic novella explores concepts such as the absurdity of life, alienation and the disconnect between mind and body.
-
-
Very Sad
- By ilene on 02-05-18
By: Franz Kafka
-
Heart of Darkness (Unabridged)
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long hailed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, Joseph Conrad's tale of one man's descent into the mysterious and deadly Congo jungle to find a messianic ivory trader is a journey into the depths of man's own greed and quest for power. Marlow, our narrator, relates his story of his slow upriver quest to meet the strange and enigmatic Kurtz, who lives isolated in the jungle and is revered by the natives he exploits.
-
-
Great Narrator!
- By BOA on 09-25-20
By: Joseph Conrad
-
The Sound and the Fury
- By: William Faulkner
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1929, Faulkner created his "heart's darling", the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers: the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin, and the monstrous Jason.
-
-
Perfect!
- By Bryan on 12-07-05
By: William Faulkner
-
Lord Jim
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his many years on the high seas as a mariner, mate, and captain, Joseph Conrad created unique works, including Heart of Darkness, that have left an indelible mark on world literature. First published in 1899, his haunting novel Lord Jim is both a riveting sea adventure and a fascinating portrait of a unique outcast from civilization.
-
-
One of my all time favourites
- By Elisa on 05-03-16
By: Joseph Conrad
-
Moby-Dick
- By: Herman Melville
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 21 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Labeled variously a realistic story of whaling, a romance of unusual adventure and eccentric characters, a symbolic allegory, and a drama of heroic conflict, Moby Dick is first and foremost a great story. It has both the humor and poignancy of a simple sea ballad, as well as the depth and universality of a grand odyssey.
-
-
Renewed appreciation
- By C.B.E. on 09-03-11
By: Herman Melville
-
King Leopold's Ghost
- A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
- By: Adam Hochschild
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the late 1890s, Edmund Dene Morel, a young British shipping company agent, noticed something strange about the cargoes of his company's ships as they arrived from and departed for the Congo. Incoming ships were crammed with valuable ivory and rubber. Outbound ships carried little more than soldiers and firearms. Correctly concluding that only slave labor could account for these cargoes, Morel almost singlehandedly made this slave-labor regime the premier human rights story in the world.
-
-
Fascinating
- By Edith on 01-20-11
By: Adam Hochschild
-
Metamorphosis
- A BBC Radio 4 Reading
- By: Franz Kafka
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Benedict Cumberbatch reads the enduring classic of Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis. Gregor Samsa wakes to discover that he has turned into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. He attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repelled by the horrible creature he has become. First published in 1915, Kafka's darkly comic novella explores concepts such as the absurdity of life, alienation and the disconnect between mind and body.
-
-
Very Sad
- By ilene on 02-05-18
By: Franz Kafka
-
Heart of Darkness (Unabridged)
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Long hailed as one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, Joseph Conrad's tale of one man's descent into the mysterious and deadly Congo jungle to find a messianic ivory trader is a journey into the depths of man's own greed and quest for power. Marlow, our narrator, relates his story of his slow upriver quest to meet the strange and enigmatic Kurtz, who lives isolated in the jungle and is revered by the natives he exploits.
-
-
Great Narrator!
- By BOA on 09-25-20
By: Joseph Conrad
-
The Sound and the Fury
- By: William Faulkner
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1929, Faulkner created his "heart's darling", the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers: the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin, and the monstrous Jason.
-
-
Perfect!
- By Bryan on 12-07-05
By: William Faulkner
-
Mrs. Dalloway
- By: Virginia Woolf
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is a June day in London in 1923, and the lovely Clarissa Dalloway is having a party. Whom will she see? Her friend Peter, back from India, who has never really stopped loving her? What about Sally, with whom Clarissa had her life’s happiest moment? Meanwhile, the shell-shocked Septimus Smith is struggling with his life on the same London day.
-
-
One Tough Read Perfectly Delivered
- By Chris on 06-11-12
By: Virginia Woolf
-
The Secret Agent
- Penguin Classics
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Luke Norris
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the only novel Conrad set in London, The Secret Agent communicates a profoundly ironic view of human affairs. The story is woven around an attack on the Greenwich Observatory in 1894 masterminded by Verloc, a Russian spy working for the police, and ostensibly a member of an anarchist group in Soho. His masters instruct him to discredit the anarchists in a humiliating fashion, and when his evil plan goes horribly awry, Verlac must deal with the repercussions of his actions.
By: Joseph Conrad
-
King Solomon's Mines
- By: H. Rider Haggard
- Narrated by: Toby Stephens
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On board a ship bound for Natal, adventurer Allan Quatermain meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. His new friends have set out to find Sir Henry's younger brother, who vanished while seeking King Solomon's legendary diamond mines in the African interior. By strange chance, Quatermain has a map to the mines, drawn in blood, and agrees to join the others on their perilous journey.
-
-
John Carter and Conan's African Daddy
- By Jefferson on 09-03-10
By: H. Rider Haggard
-
The Count of Monte Cristo
- By: Alexandre Dumas
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 52 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the eve of his marriage to the beautiful Mercedes, having that very day been made captain of his ship, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a charge of treason, trumped up by jealous rivals. Incarcerated for many lonely years in the isolated and terrifying Chateau d'If near Marseille, he meticulously plans his brilliant escape and extraordinary revenge.
-
-
This is the one to spend 50 hours listening to!
- By james on 03-05-13
By: Alexandre Dumas
-
Siddhartha
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Michael Scott
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Siddhartha, born the son of a Brahmin, was blessed in wealth, appearance, intelligence and charisma. In order to find meaning in life, he discarded his promising future for the life of an ascetic. He wandered as a shramana and searched for Gotama the Buddha. However, this man, Siddhartha, was not a follower of any but his own soul. This popular book provides the listener with insight into the philosophy and thoughts that shape Siddhartha's path to enlightenment.
-
-
Great book, not so great performance
- By N. Gray on 12-20-18
By: Hermann Hesse
-
The Son Also Rises
- Surnames and the History of Social Mobility
- By: Gregory Clark
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How much of our fate is tied to the status of our parents and grandparents? How much does this influence our children? More than we wish to believe. While it has been argued that rigid class structures have eroded in favor of greater social equality, The Son Also Rises proves that movement on the social ladder has changed little over eight centuries.
-
-
It’s mostly genetics
- By Nobody on 09-10-20
By: Gregory Clark
-
Six Short Stories
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Greg Wagland
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This wide-ranging collection comprises the following six short stories by Joseph Conrad: Youth: A Narrative (1902); Karain: A Memory (1898); An Outpost of Progress (1898); The Lagoon (1898); Amy Foster (1909); The Anarchist - A Desperate Tale (1903). 'Youth: A Narrative' is an epic tale of a perilous voyage under sail to Bangkok, with a cargo of coal, narrated by Charles Marlow.
-
-
Charting the geography of the soul
- By Adeliese Baumann on 12-20-13
By: Joseph Conrad
-
Bartleby, the Scrivener
- By: Herman Melville
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The life of a Scrivener can be a dull one. After all, your entire occupation has to do with the handwritten copying of law documents. But when Bartleby arrives, he turns the office upside down with the enigmatic phrase: “I prefer not to.”
-
-
Listen to this version
- By Anthony on 05-26-17
By: Herman Melville
-
The Red Badge of Courage
- By: Stephen Crane
- Narrated by: Michael Scott
- Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This story is about a young soldier, Henry Fleming, fighting in the American Civil War. It is a vivid and stark portrayal of war on the human psyche, interspersed with symbolic imagery and biblical metaphors. The story realistically portrays the young soldier's physical and psychological struggles after fleeing from his first encounter with a battle. He returns to his regiment to become a strong soldier and even taking on the task of the flag bearer in the final battle.
-
-
Problematic narrator
- By J. Moyer on 04-21-19
By: Stephen Crane
-
The Sea Wolf
- By: Jack London
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wealthy ne'er-do-well Humphrey Van Weyden is a castaway who is put to work on the schooner Ghost, run by brutal Wolf Larsen. Toughened by life at sea, Humphrey develops the strength to protect another castaway, Maud Brewster, and stand up to the increasingly deranged Larsen. Experience the crashing, relentless power of the sea through this compelling story, made hauntingly immediate by author London's vivid prose.
-
-
Warning! You will listen to it multiple times.
- By derek on 11-12-14
By: Jack London
-
Great Expectations
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most revered works in English literature, Great Expectations traces the coming of age of a young orphan, Pip, from a boy of shallow aspirations into a man of maturity. From the chilling opening confrontation with an escaped convict to the grand but eerily disheveled estate of bitter old Miss Havisham, all is not what it seems in Dickens’ dark tale of false illusions and thwarted desire.
-
-
Great Performance of a classic!
- By Steven on 08-18-13
By: Charles Dickens
-
The Metamorphosis
- A New Translation by Susan Bernofsky
- By: Franz Kafka, Susan Bernofsky - translator
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Victor Bevine, Christa Lewis
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Franz Kafka's 1915 novella of unexplained horror and nightmarish transformation became a worldwide classic and remains a century later one of the most widely read works of fiction in the world. It is the story of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. This hugely influential work inspired George Orwell, Albert Camus, Jorge Louis Borges, and Ray Bradbury, while continuing to unsettle millions of readers.
-
-
Excellent!
- By Lampros on 12-12-16
By: Franz Kafka, and others
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.
Critic Reviews
Featured Article: Quotes About Hard Work to Keep You Motivated and Moving Forward
The things most worth doing require the most from us—it takes hard work to accomplish important tasks, achieve major goals, and realize your dreams. Commitment, sweat, exhaustion, frustration, and a willingness to fail are all necessary parts of taking on challenges. When you’re in the middle of a difficult project, there will be times when you’re tempted to simply give up. In such moments, look to these quotes about hard work to keep you going.
More from the same
What listeners say about Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Long_Schlong_Silver
- 09-27-18
Disgusting Revision
The text is exceptionally well recited. HOWEVER, in researching this novella I came to realize a disgusting change had taken place. The word "nigger" has been completely scrubbed from this reading and replaced with the word "black." I find this to be appalling, as it has substantially changed the tone of the narrator's commentary on black Africans. The text is now fundamentally changed. This change was no doubt well-meaning, but implies that historical reality itself is unsuitable, offensive, and so unnecessary to understanding the literature that it warrants revision. As a consequence, just to preserve an idiotic sense of comfy politeness during the reading of a novel which largely features violent European imperialism, the editors have disarmed the reality of the text and removed it from history. I am most offended in that I would have never noticed this change had I not researched it further, giving me a false impression of the author, rhe story's contents, and its place in history. I cannot stress enough how disappointed I am by this. It was such an excellent reading, otherwise.
214 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Darwin8u
- 11-21-12
Conrad's Brilliant & Wild Novella
The novella is literature's most compellingly roaming form and Conrad absolutely owns it with Heart of Darkness. I first read Conrad in high school, with throngs of other pimply kids. I liked it sure, but didn't understand all of the conflciting currents of this brilliant story. I was re-introduced to Heart of Darkness when I recognized it in Francis Ford Coppola brilliant Apocalypse Now. During the last few years I've been on a huge Conrad kick, listening or reading to Lord Jim, Victory, The Secret Agent, Nostromo, etc.
The man is simply amazing. It is incredible to think that he could write better in his 3rd language (English) than most writers could ever hope to write in their first. In this way, he shares a lot with Nabokov.
Anyway, this is one of those few works I constantly return to for its humanity and for its inspiriation. Kenneth Branagh's reading of HoD is amazing in both its depth and nuance.
68 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael
- 06-11-17
God is Dead (for the first time)
I had not read any Conrad until recently, and was mildly surprised Conrad had four novels on Modern Library's Top 100 list (more than any other author). Having now completed the four Conrad novels on that list (Nostromo, Lord Jim, The Secret Agent, and The Heart of Darkness) I definitely enjoyed this version of the Heart of Darkness the most, yet I did not find any of these "must reads" except to gain, first hand, a historical perspective on modernist literature.
Conrad's writing of around 1900 is essentially modern and the earliest novels I have found in which "God is dead". This is not at all explicit, but is subtly, yet distinctly, implicit. In the 1880's Nietzsche declared "God is dead" but it took a while before novels began to explore this viewpoint. I was not expecting this outlook when I started Heart of Darkness, I was expecting a dark adventure novel. I found the writing excellent, but was surprised by the modernist outlook and style elements.
Some have considered Heart of Darkness racist, as the novel clearly objectifies native Africans. I would contend that Conrad objectifies everybody in his novels. There is racism, but it is the racism of the the society and characters, not of the author. The author seems to point out the absurdity, and mindless conformity, of racism (and many other social constructs). The novels are not about story, or about character, but instead are impressionistic interpretations of the author's nihilistic existentialist world view. The author's language is rich and powerful with exaggerated and non-linear descriptions.
Sometimes a book makes a "best" list because it is truly great, sometimes because it is very good and was a creative first. I think the latter applies to these Conrad novels.
There is a strong similarity of fundamental outlook between these four novels. I am happy to have read them all, but won't recommend them all to my daughter...I will recommend Heart of Darkness.
The narration by Branagh is wonderfully perfect and this narration makes this a really wonderful first Conrad.
30 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Harold
- 12-11-10
From Civilization into Darkness
The enigmatic narrator Marlowe tells his dark story of madness and despair from the deck of a ship anchored in the Thames in the harbor of London, the then world's center of commerce and civilization. It ends in the heart of madness and despair, the Congo river deep in Africa. In this short novel, which has been called one of the most important works in modern literature, Marlow's voice is that of Kenneth Branagh, one of the finest of actors today. His voice gives a complete new dimension with an interpretation on a richer more meaningful level that is impossible with just the printed word.
51 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sher from Provo
- 11-05-11
Dark story, much to ponder
This book is so full of symbolism that I had to listen to it twice to get the most out of it. I checked out sparknotes in between listens so as to get as much as I could out of the second listen, and it was a smart move on my part. If I had been satisfied with one time through, I would have missed the whole point of the story. It is a short book, more of a novella, which might help entice me to read it again in the future. It is a great allegory and commentary on human nature. Conrad is a great writer. I think I will ponder on this story for a long time and try to determine which character I am most like at an given time. I will also use it to analyze (not judge) those around me. It is inevitable, I think. Read this book if you enjoy stories that make you think, dig deep for hidden meanings, and analyze. It will stay with you for a long time. However, keep in mind that it was written for another era and much of the structure should not be considered or evaluated according to modern standards. It is a classic and will stand up to the test of time if the reader remembers that fact. The story itself is timeless.
I can't say enough good about narrator Kenneth Branagh. Fabulous!!
31 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Thomas
- 02-06-18
Branagh kills it
Branagh's performance is absolutely stunning, especially so in the 3rd & final chapter. Would highly recommend
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Kyle
- 12-10-10
Great narration
This is where I wish we could give two scores, one for narration and one for writing.
I was assigned The Heart of Darkness in high school and despised every minute of it. In fact, I have often referenced it as my most-abhorred book.
As an adult, I wanted to give the book a second chance, and I figured if I didn't like it with Kenneth Branagh narrating it, there was no hope for reconciliation. I figured that four hours was short enough a time to devote to this experiment.
Branagh gets an A+. The narration is impeccable. If you like this story, you're in for a treat.
Unfortunately, I still can't stand the book. I didn't agree with Conrad's premise as a kid and nothing has changed in the interim.
But, that's just me. If you like this story or want to experience it for the first time, this is in the upper echelon of audiobooks.
65 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 12-07-10
Highly enjoyable.
This was my first time reading Heart of Darkness. It was highly gripping, and Kenneth Branagh does a great job at narrating. I listened to the entire book in one sitting. There's not much more for me to add, because it is such a classic novella.
37 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Paul
- 02-24-11
Great Performance
Branagh gives a masterful performance and, yes, it is a performance. His confident portrayal of the characters, even the female ones, is so spot on. This is the kind of book that I joined Audible for. My education left me with a few holes literature-wise and Audible is how I'm going to plug those holes. I can only hope that other books will be given the bravura effort that Branagh gives here. I can not think of any reservation although it might be interesting to see the movie "Apocalypse Now" before or after hearing this book.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Daniel
- 02-18-11
GREAT AUDIOBOOK!
It is tempting to see Heart of Darkness as a masterfully constructed parable on human nature (witness Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation, in which the action was transposed to south-east Asia) but as historian Adam Hochschild has pointed out in King Leopold's Ghost, about the king's rape of the Congo, Conrad himself was quite clear that it was based on specific events he had witnessed, saying it was "experience… pushed a little (and only very little) beyond the actual facts of the case". Despite his protestations, this is undeniably an invaluable historical document offering a glimpse into the horrific human consequences of the imperial powers' scramble for Africa as much as it is a compelling tale.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- S. Goodyear
- 04-13-16
Haunting and beautiful
This classic text was beautifully narrated and evoked such vivid images of the events taking place that you could imagine yourself part of the story each time you listened.
Anyone who enjoys a well written and decadent story should listen to this recording. I have read the story many times but to hear it read to you by such a well spoken and emotional voice is fantastic. Kenneth Branagh is amazing as the story teller and with his perfect diction and English accent transports you back in time to the setting of the tale without affectation or pretence.
Although the subject matter is dark it is a joy to hear the tale told.
A must listen!
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Fiona
- 05-13-16
Just bliss
Such a strange eerie story. So beautifully read - Kenneth Branagh has such a rich, expressive voice. Highly recommended.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Mr
- 12-23-12
A treat for the senses
Ever since I first read this novella as part of my studies for A Level English Literature, Conrad's prose transported me to a radically different world where colonial Africa became an arena where mankind itself battled to remain uncorrupted and unaffected by the darker side of humanity. Branagh, as we would expect from a master actor of his calibre, captures this conflict for man's soul excellently as he assumes the character of Marlow and takes us through his journey to Africa, up the snake-like river and into the very heart of darkness.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Amit
- 05-27-11
Heart of Darkness - Read by Kenneth Branagh
I must confess I was initially put off by the "celebrity" author tag, but I am very glad I did get the audiobook. Branagh's reading verged on the lyrical in places - and he makes full use of his theatrical skills.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Anthony
- 01-19-13
Superb narration of a timeless classic
"The horror, the horror" ... timeless classic novel about colonial exploitation and oppression. Beautifully written, full of foreboding from the start. Difficult to switch off; probably best read/heard one uncluttered day from beginning to end as if you were sitting with Marlowe and listening to his tale via Conrad.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Howler
- 04-07-12
Five stars!
Superb narration by Kenneth Branagh - he injects such realism into the narrative. He must be my favourite male narrator of all time!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- fishfanatic
- 04-06-16
Very deep.
Fantastic story that formed the basis for the film Apocalypse Now. Far better than the film and vastly more expansive in scale.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Wras
- 03-06-15
A reminder to question the conceits of culture
This is a story laden with history and the shame of that history , also a story that has metamorphosed into Apocalypse Now and Hearts of Darkness: A Film-makers Apocalypse A documentary of the making of the film that resembles some of the struggles in the book. This makes it hard to judge or criticize without those influences prejudicing the commentary.
It is still a poignant story of the worst of colonial Africa, and the attitudes of the period. but at the beginning the narrator comments about how in the more distant past of Britain they had been the savages of the Roman empire giving us a glimpse that power and abuse are timeless.
If you have ever wonder why so many animals are nearly extinct this book and its language is a very good example, the companies main interest is ivory but the one word never mention in the book is elephant and all that this men do is collect ivory. The casual and institutionalised abuse of the locals is I am sure described in a very sanitized way, I suspect that the HORROR was much larger. Conrad also describes and inefficient colonial force and wonder why the people of this lands never just wiped them out, it is ponder many writers have made about other conflicts the best reasoning and perhaps the saddest was by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago “ you surrender because you think “It’s a mistake! They will set things right!” but they is just you, the other "they" are not there to set things right but to implement the new regime and so it goes.
Mr kurtz is not a truly well drawn character and the devotion felt by others seems strange to the modern reader; unlike Kurtz in Apocalypse Now who is charismatic and mad with modern Horror.
A good book to look back and not forget the unlimited inhumanity of man in the pursuit of profit. A reminder to question the conceits of culture and ideology.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Tom
- 04-13-11
An Old Master Brought to Life
This is the story of a young man who takes on the role of ferry boat captain on an African river when Africa was both unexplored and a mystery to the civilised world. As a book it is both compelling and shocking. It has really been brought to life by Kenneth Branagh whose wonderful narration keeps the pace going and brings the personalities of people to life. It satisfies on multiple levels, firstly as a good story, then in the sense that it made me realise how the world had changed since this was written and actually I was listening to a social commentary on the time when Great Britain had an Empire and knowledge of the world was limited. Finally it is a book which variously amused me, made me angry and has left a mark on me unlike many books that are so easily forgettable.
I will listen again and indeed seek out others from this genre. Well done Audible, good call.
18 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Emmanuel Zakebam
- 11-28-16
Unmissable!
A mellifluous romp through the darkest recesses of the human soul, beautiful and bitter in equal measure... Branagh's reading is unsurpassable and captures every subtlety of the text. Unmissable!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- David
- 10-16-20
Most enjoyable
Branagh’s reading of this dark yet rich tale was a transporting experience for me.
Recommended!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 03-23-21
memorable
wonderfully rich vocabulary beautifully narrated. A perceptive vision of a time of uncaring grasping wealth and a man who became swallowed up in it's darkness.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 01-25-21
Wow - great book and great audio recording
Really well done audiobook - very beautifully written book (with dated racism etc). Literary gem - Highly recommended.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Andrew
- 09-29-20
Stunning performance
Simply stunning performance by Kenneth Brannagh. This book is considered one of the greatest works of Western literature and deservedly so
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 09-25-20
An exceptional performance!
An utterly exceptional performance by Kenneth Branagh. His imaginative and articulate performance gives a great depth and richness to Conrad’s story.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 09-15-20
Greater than I ever thought possible
Greater than I ever thought possible. a shattering story of colonial adventurism as seen through the eyes of the protagonist
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 07-30-20
Heart of Darkness
Colonisation is bad and I feel very sad for the elephants. A product of its time.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Charles
- 05-24-20
Incredible
Amazing novel that will leave you captivated. Kenneth Branagh does an amazing job reading it. Highly recommend.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 09-30-19
classic
definitely worth a listen
excellently read and beautifully written with a dark and haunting story
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 05-29-19
Brought to life excellently
Branagh's performance really breathes life into this classic. I will definitely listen many times over.