Congo Free State
Joseph Conrad’s novel "Heart of Darkness", originally published in 1899 as a three-part series in "Blackwood's Magazine", inspired by his service as a captain on a steamer on the Congo 12 years before, sparked an organized international opposition to Leopold's exploitational activities. In 1900, Edmund Dene Morel, a part-time journalist and head of trade with Congo for the Liverpool shipping firm Elder Dempster, noticed that ships that brought vast loads of rubber from the Congo only ever returned there loaded with guns and ammunition for the "Force Publique". Morel became a journalist and then a publisher, attempting to discredit Leopold's regime. In 1902, Morel retired from his position at Elder Dempster to focus on campaigning. He founded his own magazine, "The West African Mail", and conducted speaking tours in Britain.
Heart of Darkness
Originally issued as a three-part serial story in "Blackwood's Magazine" to celebrate the thousandth edition of the magazine, "Heart of Darkness" has been widely re-published and translated into many languages. Most famously, the story provided the inspiration for Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film "Apocalypse Now". In 1998, the Modern Library ranked "Heart of Darkness" 67th on their list of the 100 best novels in English of the twentieth century.