Book Report - Reading Conrad in Constanta

This was several years ago, but a recent reddit thread brought back the memories...

I finished reading Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness in a sweltering, Soviet-era bus traveling between Mangalia and the port city of Constanta, or Tomis, as the ancient Greeks had called it.

It was at the height of summer, early in August, and the temperature inside the rickety old bus had to beat the 38°C reported outdoors. Sweating profusely, along with every member of Marlow's jungle expedition, but wholly immersed in their journey, I couldn't keep from running a palm across my damp brow and upper lip every few minutes, leaving dark marks of perspiration in the corners when turning the pages.

There was a period of respite, somewhere around the part where the crew boarded the river boat (but not sure if the first or the second time), as the driver had taken pity on us and opened the rear doors, allowing for the odd, lazy breeze to soothe our flushed and frazzled countenance.

Taking a position on the ship's deck, I moved from the bench and went down to sit on the moulded rubber steps by the wide-open doors, the grey road rushing by mere feet away, like steel river currents, relishing every blissful gust, diesel laden though it was. It was not a true steamer journey, but it was a steamy journey. And though there was no Kurtz nor hails of arrows from angry locals, we did hit a traffic jam a few pages before the ending. As if the oppressive heat wasn't enough, we now had to contend with the midday cacophony of the civilization surrounding - and confronting - us.

I shut the book and looked out through the open doors at Mazare's Constanta: the swarm of cars, the rundown sidewalks with their equally rundown stores, the tiny newsstands now selling more water than news, the cracked cement of the road and the cracks in the small four-story blocks, thinking to myself, the horror.

All in all, I like to think the thematic atmosphere paid homage to Conrad's novel. I also encourage anyone reading this to pay a visit to the Black Sea coast, but maybe save your copy of Heart of Darkness for the beach.

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