In these two magnificent novellas Conrad explores the question of self-discovery through powerful and exciting narratives: in
Youth, the experienced seaman Marlow tells the story of a young man's coming of age on his first voyage to the East, while in
Heart of Darkness he describes with terrifying depth and vividness the slide into corruption of an idealistic trader, Kurtz, who has become the demi-devil of the Inner Station in the Belgian Congo...
To supplement this reading of
Heart of Darkness, listen to
The SparkNotes Guide to Heart of Darkness.