Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh cover art

Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

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Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

By: Joseph Conrad
Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
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About this listen

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.

Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Classics Scary Imperialism British Mysteries

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Editor reviews

"The horror! The horror!" In this brooding and justly celebrated novella of 1902, seaman Charles Marlow is cruising quietly down the Thames at dusk with some friends. As night begins to fall, he tells them of his harrowing journey down an African river in search of the unscrupulous and near-legendary ivory trader named Kurtz, a quest deep into inky spiritual and symbolic darkness. 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. But had he taken more cognizance of its trajectory and subtleties, he would have made the listening experience far richer than he has.

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)
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Superb narration by Kenneth Branagh - he injects such realism into the narrative. He must be my favourite male narrator of all time!

Five stars!

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Kenneth Branagh gives a typically superb reading of a somewhat overrated classic (imho) that has been forever elevated by association with 'Apocolpse Now'.

Class Storytelling

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Perhaps it is a generational divide that robs this novel of the awe it assumes in the reader. Being from the late 1800s i assume that its contemporaries where astounded at the mystery of travel into the unknown. I was unfortunately less astounded.

The key problem of 'heart of darkness' is that it is based in a physical journey that we as readers are unmotivated to follow. There are no magnetic mysteries or pushing motivations to move the characters on their journey. We jist aren't interested in the thirty or forty minutes spent trying to find supplies for the boat, we could be if we were invested in an overarching goal. Were it written today i believe that the editor would have asked for a revised copy that stressed the intruige of the trail that had to be followed to find Kurtz.

I can forgive the book being slightly lacking in this quality as it sits at the end of the 'rise of the novel' period in Literary history. So whilst the novel is well established it is not necessarily well honed in the 1890s.

Apart from that Branagh does a good job voice acting the parts and producing an expressive narrator throughout. I would buy something that had him as narrator again, but not this book.

Well read, uncompelling writing

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Branagh is superb - although "Heart of Darkness" is a short book, it is not an especially easy read, but Branagh makes it effortless and exotic, and very dark.

Taught, and wonderfully read.

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while the quality of the reading might result in sleepy eyes, I thought it was a great read, and the confusion permeating the book comes through

fantastically read!

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Excellent and accessible performance of a notoriously dense but rewarding classic. I have attempted to read Heart Of Darkness a number of times and never successfully managed to wade through the prose, however this performance by national treasure Kenny B has certainly made me want to go away and read it again. Astounding and unparalleled descriptions and atmosphere from Conrad, brought to life in this performance.

Landmark performance of a classic

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a brilliantly narrated version of this classic...if u have seen the film Apocalypse Now you might be disappointed in the lack of meat on this original on which is was based...but a beautifully crafted audio which transports u back in time and into the damp heat of the jungle

Dark and atmospheric

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Listen for the performance if nothing else. Otherwise join him for a journey to the uttermost depths of the soul.

Sublime

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Second time I’ve listened to this - Kenneth Branner is sublime. The most powerful narration I have heard

Impressive

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Kenneth Branagh’s performance is sublime. I sometimes think of his thespianism as over the top, but this performance is spot-on. He is a consummate professional and portrays the Joseph Conrad story in a gripping and captivating way. Many thanks, Mr Branagh.

The Horror

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