Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer encapsulate Joseph Conrad's literary achievements and his haunting portrayal of the dark side of man. In these two masterful works, Conrad delves into the inner self with chilling, disturbing, and noteworthy pieces of fiction of the twentieth century.

Heart of Darkness is a devastating commentary on the corruptibility of humanity, based on Conrad's own 1890 trip up the Congo River. The story, told by Marlow, Conrad's alter ego, is a journey into darkness and horror—both literally, as the narrator descends into a sinister jungle landscape, and metaphorically, as he encounters the morally depraved Mr. Kurtz.

The Secret Sharer tells the tale of a young sea captain's first command as he sails into the Gulf of Siam—and into an encounter with his mysterious “double,” the shadow self of the unconscious mind. Joseph Conrad boldly experimented with the novella and novel forms, filled his writing with the exotic places he himself had traveled, and concerned himself with honor, guilt, moral alienation, and sin.

With an Introduction by Joyce Carol Oates and an Afterword by Vince Passaro, these works offer a deep exploration of the complexities of the human soul.