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calwhimsey's review against another edition
To begin, I want to express my admiration and respect for Achebe, the father of African literature, and his wonderful lifelong work in pointing out the beauty and the riches of the Nigerian culture, thought and art. Indeed, it had been about time to draw the world's attention to it since the eyes of the "Western" culture sometimes tend to see but dimly through the fog of cultural differences.
However, I believe there are 2 things Achebe was not or did not make much effort to be aware of. First of all, in his essay he praises the missionary Albert Schweizer, who dedicated his life to improving hospitals in Africa, for having said: "The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother." Now, Heart of Darkness was published in 1899. Achebe wrote his essay in 1989. Wouldn't it be appropriate to look at Conrad as at "a junior brother" who was apparently and inevitably influenced by the contemporary thought? If we manage to look at Conrad's writing being well aware of the 19th century zeitgeist and popular beliefs, we might even be surprised how liberal his books were at the time of the publication.
Secondly, Conrad was not a British colonizer. Joseph Conrad was Polish, born in Polish Ukraine occupied (or shall I say colonized?) by the Russian Empire. Conrad grew up in Poland and did not even speak English until his early 20s, which is sufficient for his national identity to be deeply rooted in his soul and mind. The Poles are a nation which was repeatedly colonized (although this word is sadly not in popular use for the East European nations, maybe it's finally time to call things their proper names?) by the neighbouring nations. Conrad spent many years trying to get rid of his Russian citizenship in exchange for the British one, which he surely perceived as an escape to safety. Therefore he was not part of the imperialistic machinerie, quite the contrary, he was himself victim of imperialism and even denounced colonialism in his Heart of Darkness - using the means and thoughts available to him.
In my opinion, Chinua Achebe and Joseph Conrad have more in common than either of them would have expected.
However, I believe there are 2 things Achebe was not or did not make much effort to be aware of. First of all, in his essay he praises the missionary Albert Schweizer, who dedicated his life to improving hospitals in Africa, for having said: "The African is indeed my brother but my junior brother." Now, Heart of Darkness was published in 1899. Achebe wrote his essay in 1989. Wouldn't it be appropriate to look at Conrad as at "a junior brother" who was apparently and inevitably influenced by the contemporary thought? If we manage to look at Conrad's writing being well aware of the 19th century zeitgeist and popular beliefs, we might even be surprised how liberal his books were at the time of the publication.
Secondly, Conrad was not a British colonizer. Joseph Conrad was Polish, born in Polish Ukraine occupied (or shall I say colonized?) by the Russian Empire. Conrad grew up in Poland and did not even speak English until his early 20s, which is sufficient for his national identity to be deeply rooted in his soul and mind. The Poles are a nation which was repeatedly colonized (although this word is sadly not in popular use for the East European nations, maybe it's finally time to call things their proper names?) by the neighbouring nations. Conrad spent many years trying to get rid of his Russian citizenship in exchange for the British one, which he surely perceived as an escape to safety. Therefore he was not part of the imperialistic machinerie, quite the contrary, he was himself victim of imperialism and even denounced colonialism in his Heart of Darkness - using the means and thoughts available to him.
In my opinion, Chinua Achebe and Joseph Conrad have more in common than either of them would have expected.
arrianne's review against another edition
5.0
TWO SHORT ESSAYS — THE FIRST ON HEART OF DARKNESS WHICH HAS LONG BEEN ON MY TBR PILE & SEEMS AS IF IT’S AS RACIST AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT.
SECOND IS ACHEBE’S IDEAS ABOUT THE FAULTS OF NIGERIA & HOW TO FIX THEM. REALLY ELOQUENT, ON A SUBJECT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT, BUT HAVE AN INTEREST IN BECAUSE MY DAD SOMETIMES TALKS ABOUT HIS TIME IN NIGERIA WHEN HE WAS WORKING AS A MARINE ENGINEER.
SECOND IS ACHEBE’S IDEAS ABOUT THE FAULTS OF NIGERIA & HOW TO FIX THEM. REALLY ELOQUENT, ON A SUBJECT I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT, BUT HAVE AN INTEREST IN BECAUSE MY DAD SOMETIMES TALKS ABOUT HIS TIME IN NIGERIA WHEN HE WAS WORKING AS A MARINE ENGINEER.
lovefromhannah's review against another edition
3.0
I was pleasantly surprised when [a:Chinua Achebe|8051|Chinua Achebe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473806077p2/8051.jpg]'s essay [b:An Image of Africa|9227004|An Image of Africa|Chinua Achebe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356445369l/9227004._SY75_.jpg|14107106] was set as secondary reading for my modern fictions module as I had only recently been introduced to his work. This was through an anthology that included [b:Dead Men's Path|40227862|Dead Men's Path|Chinua Achebe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550565190l/40227862._SY75_.jpg|62477770], which I quite enjoyed.
Furthermore, what Achebe mentioned throughout this essay has (and will) helped me to view [b:Heart of Darkness|4900|Heart of Darkness|Joseph Conrad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392799983l/4900._SX50_.jpg|2877220] differently to how I would have normally.
read for a university year one, semester one modern literature class.
Furthermore, what Achebe mentioned throughout this essay has (and will) helped me to view [b:Heart of Darkness|4900|Heart of Darkness|Joseph Conrad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392799983l/4900._SX50_.jpg|2877220] differently to how I would have normally.
read for a university year one, semester one modern literature class.
nicolasrumpf's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
ije's review against another edition
4.0
"Gandhi was real. Aminu Kano was real. They were not angels in heaven, they were human like the rest of us, in India and Nigeria. Therefore, after their example, no one who reduces the purpose of politics which they exemplified down to a swinish scramble can hope to do some without bringing a terrible judgement upon himself.
Nigeria cannot be the same again because Aminu Kano lived here"
'An Image of Africa' and 'The Trouble with Nigeria' are brilliant essays that explore the European construction of Africa as a foil to Europe's perceived identity while dehumanizing Africans and post-colonial issues facing Nigeria (with a focus on leadership).
I will admit that I was not convinced by some of the arguments made in 'The Trouble with Nigeria' because they seem delusionally optimistic - particularly those that imply that widespread indiscipline and corruption can be fixed by the examples of a small group of leaders (It is impossible to reconcile this with both the idea that corruption naturally pulls in the common man and my experience of how things work in 21st century Nigeria). Overall, it provided an enlightening look into Nigeria's political past along with the depressing realization that things have only gotten worse since Achebe penned this essay thirty years ago.
Nigeria cannot be the same again because Aminu Kano lived here"
'An Image of Africa' and 'The Trouble with Nigeria' are brilliant essays that explore the European construction of Africa as a foil to Europe's perceived identity while dehumanizing Africans and post-colonial issues facing Nigeria (with a focus on leadership).
I will admit that I was not convinced by some of the arguments made in 'The Trouble with Nigeria' because they seem delusionally optimistic - particularly those that imply that widespread indiscipline and corruption can be fixed by the examples of a small group of leaders (It is impossible to reconcile this with both the idea that corruption naturally pulls in the common man and my experience of how things work in 21st century Nigeria). Overall, it provided an enlightening look into Nigeria's political past along with the depressing realization that things have only gotten worse since Achebe penned this essay thirty years ago.
andrea_f's review against another edition
4.0
Siempre es un placer leer críticas demoledoras de El corazón de las tinieblas y más cuando es todo un ejemplo en ese campo.
El ensayo sobre Conrad es corto pero potente. Achebe menciona varias cosas que considero que son muy relevantes cuando tratamos el canon literario. Entre ellas recalca el hecho de que los textos considerados clásicos no existen en un lugar separado en el que no tienen ningún tipo de efecto en la realidad sino que pueden molder la percepción de la persona que los lee. El autor afirma que Conrad es un buen escritor pero eso no hace que su texto más conocido sea un ejemplo de lo ignorante y racista que era. Por lo tanto, es un problema bastante grande que siga siendo una de las novelas de lengua inglesa más presentes en diferentes etapas educativas. Es especialmente negativo cuando no se discute el racismo de sus descripciones del Congo y de su población.
La segunda parte de este libro es un pequeño resumen de la historia política de Nigeria y las consecuencias que tiene en el momento en el que se escribió ese ensayo. Personalmente, quitando lo poco que tratamos en alguna asignatura en la carrera de filología, sé poco de la historia del país. Por lo tanto, este ensayo es bastante iluminador en ese aspecto.
El ensayo sobre Conrad es corto pero potente. Achebe menciona varias cosas que considero que son muy relevantes cuando tratamos el canon literario. Entre ellas recalca el hecho de que los textos considerados clásicos no existen en un lugar separado en el que no tienen ningún tipo de efecto en la realidad sino que pueden molder la percepción de la persona que los lee. El autor afirma que Conrad es un buen escritor pero eso no hace que su texto más conocido sea un ejemplo de lo ignorante y racista que era. Por lo tanto, es un problema bastante grande que siga siendo una de las novelas de lengua inglesa más presentes en diferentes etapas educativas. Es especialmente negativo cuando no se discute el racismo de sus descripciones del Congo y de su población.
La segunda parte de este libro es un pequeño resumen de la historia política de Nigeria y las consecuencias que tiene en el momento en el que se escribió ese ensayo. Personalmente, quitando lo poco que tratamos en alguna asignatura en la carrera de filología, sé poco de la historia del país. Por lo tanto, este ensayo es bastante iluminador en ese aspecto.