"His understanding couldn't be more trivial. It's not simply a betrayal of politics and history. It's a betrayal of literature. It's supposed to add something. It's supposed to be worth our fucking time. It's supposed to be better than reading the newspapers. And this isn't. "
We don't often disagree. I guess this is one of those times. I don't think Conrad failed to write "King Leopold's Ghost." I think he was trying to write something else. And as for racism, it seemed odd for me for Achebe to be accusing him of that; I mean, it's an odd experience reading Achebe if you're a woman, but I doubt Achebe is aware of that. We each have different blind spots.
I've read a fair amount of Conrad; he hasn't disappointed. I have no sense of white civilization being anything more than dust and ashes under Conrad's gaze.....?
Joanna