Heart of Darkness

Richard Hanania on Conrad's Nostromo, Latin American Crime, and Populism

Conversations with Tyler, 4 November 2026. The book comes up at 9 min 38 sec in.

Both speakers reference Heart of Darkness at several points. Tyler notes it shows Conrad's cynicism about foreign presence more directly than Nostromo. Richard Hanania says he was fascinated by Conrad's portrayal of the Congo River and watched BBC documentaries to visualise it; he also discusses how Kurtz's self-deification represents what happens in a religious vacuum, possibly reflecting Conrad's view that religion is domination.

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