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King Leopold's Soliloquy
Twain's biting satire on the gruesome Belgian reign over the Congo. Rarely included in Twain collections.
95 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
About the author
Mark Twain
8,933 books17.7k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 4, 2013
Beginning in the 19th century, King Leopold II of Belgium set himself up as individual private owner and absolute sovereign of the Congo Free State and proceeded to rape it of ivory and rubber and, worse, to annihilate the population through forced labor, starvation, and outright murder. Estimates of the genocide instigated at the command of this single individual range from 2,000,000 to 10,000,000 human beings, as much as 50 percent of the entire population. Of those who survived, a great proportion were left mutilated, as the chopping off of hands was the standard punishment for almost any infraction.
Little is remembered of these horrors outside of a few history courses and books. Even less is remembered about the acquiescence in the situation by many of the so-called civilized nations, most prominently the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and France. Only the relentless work of missionaries and humanitarians who spread the word to the world's peoples over many years ultimately resulted in the end of Leopold's reign of terror, though Belgium itself continued to control the Congolese colony for many years.
In a nearly-forgotten work, the great American writer known as Mark Twain created a scathing indictment of Leopold II, in the form of an imaginary speech by the king in which he denounces his critics and explains that he only did what God wanted, since if God had not wanted these atrocities, he would not have allowed a monarch by divine right to perpetrate them. Like much of Twain's darkest works, KING LEOPOLD'S SOLILOQUY is bitter satire, as worthy of Twain as of his even more bitter contemporary, Ambrose Bierce. It is a brief read, but a powerful and devastating one. That Leopold II is no longer remembered as a historical heavy fully competent to stand alongside Hitler and Pol Pot is a reminder of George Santayana's warning, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Little is remembered of these horrors outside of a few history courses and books. Even less is remembered about the acquiescence in the situation by many of the so-called civilized nations, most prominently the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and France. Only the relentless work of missionaries and humanitarians who spread the word to the world's peoples over many years ultimately resulted in the end of Leopold's reign of terror, though Belgium itself continued to control the Congolese colony for many years.
In a nearly-forgotten work, the great American writer known as Mark Twain created a scathing indictment of Leopold II, in the form of an imaginary speech by the king in which he denounces his critics and explains that he only did what God wanted, since if God had not wanted these atrocities, he would not have allowed a monarch by divine right to perpetrate them. Like much of Twain's darkest works, KING LEOPOLD'S SOLILOQUY is bitter satire, as worthy of Twain as of his even more bitter contemporary, Ambrose Bierce. It is a brief read, but a powerful and devastating one. That Leopold II is no longer remembered as a historical heavy fully competent to stand alongside Hitler and Pol Pot is a reminder of George Santayana's warning, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
February 24, 2019
Uma leitura muito interessante e extremamente elucidativa dos horrores e barbárie infligidos à população do Estado Democrático do Congo, entre 1885 e 1908, durante a administração do mesmo pelo então rei da Bélgica, Leopoldo II.
Uma forte crítica política ao colonialismo e racismo que se vivia nas colónias europeias, no início do século XX.
Uma forte crítica política ao colonialismo e racismo que se vivia nas colónias europeias, no início do século XX.
August 19, 2020
Марк Твен приема за свой дълг да използва собствената си популярност, като чрез пиперливия си език даде гласност на разкритията за зверствата в "Свободната държава" Конго през двете десетилетия еднолично собственическо управление на белгийския крал Леополд II. При поделянето на африканската баница в края на 1870-те и началото на 1880-те тази огромна територия в Африка е избегнала "традиционна" колонизация от конкуриращите се европейски колониални империи - Великобритания, Франция, Португалия, Германия, Италия. Буквално е поверена от международната общност на крал Леополд II като лично опитно поле за "развитие и цивилизоване" на местното население. И Съединените щати, една от малкото републики сред великите сили на деня, имат най-силни основания за гузна съвест, защото първи са приели за чиста монета уверенията и обещанията му. Истинската същност на режима излиза наяве в Европа и Америка чак в началото на XX век. За разлика от другите колониални проекти, където макар и от позиция на бяло превъзходство все пак се прави опит да се изгради някакъв устойчив модел на развитие, в Конго за нищо друго не става дума, освен за извличане на природните богатства - от редки метали през слонова кост до каучук - по най-бруталния възможен, предполагаемо - немислим за модерния свят начин. Свидетели са както мисионери и изследователи на Африка, така и безпристрастният Фотоапарат, когото трудно ще заблудиш със думи. Формата на монолога е прелистване на техните памфлети и възмущение от недискретността им и неуважението към от Бога поставена на поста си кралска особа. И макар да е сатирично, не е смешно! В нито един абзац. Цитира се, например, един правилник за отчетност на всеки патрон, раздаван на наетите в опазването на реда. Прахосването било недопустимо и всеки изстрелян патрон, трябвало да се оправдае с пр��да��ена отсечена ръка на застреляния. Страничният ефект бил, че надзирателите имали интерес да замаскират даже своеволния си лов на дивеч като заложени в устава смъртни наказания по тяхно усмотрение и да предават по една човешка ръка за всеки улов. Включително - пропуснатия. В статистиката на жертвите в милиони, се твърди, че кралят е постигнал едноличен рекорд за всички времена, изпреварвайки признати лидери като Атила, Томас де Торквемада, Чингис хан и Иван Грозни (Сталин, Хитлер и Пол Пот имат тепърва да четат и учат!). И на логичния заключителен въпрос дали пък този човек не е за бесене, следва логичният отговор: Хората не отиват на бесило и не си поставят примката на врата, ако могат да избягнат това.
March 12, 2024
Φαίνεται πως το μικρό βιβλίο-μονολογος που έγραψε ο κορυφαίος λογοτέχνης Μαρκ Τουαίην για τον αρχιεγκληματία βασιλιά του Βελγίου Λεοπόλδου Β' έπαιξε θετικό ρόλο στο να σταματήσει η κτηνωδία στο Κονγκό. Αμφιβάλλω αν εκφράστηκε στο θέατρο αυτός ο μονόλογος, διότι είναι φρικιαστικός απ' την αρχή ως το τέλος: παρουσιάζει τον Λεοπόλδου να διαβάζει και να ειρωνεύεται τις αναφορές των εν Κονγκώ ιεραποστόλων ή δημοσιογράφων για τα τερατώδη εγκλήματα που διέπραξε η διοίκησή του. Το Κονγκό του ανήκε προσωπικά (!) και αυτά που γίνανε εκεί μέσα σε δέκα χρόνια είναι εφάμιλλα μόνο των ναζιστικών εγκλημάτων. Ο προοδευτικός Μαρκ Τουαίην δεν μπορούσε να μείνει ασυγκίνητος.
February 16, 2018
Nice quick read, I looked this up after reading King Leopold’s Ghost because I wanted to read what the best writer of his day had to say on the matter. It was a classy verbal smack down a well scripted assembly of the known facts written out in a manner as if the King himself was writing it as a defense of himself. An affective technique and given the current political embarrassment that occupies the White House I’m a little surprised this hasn’t inspired some current artist to write “Symphony for a billionaire” rap song but how times have changed I’m sure the strong clear voice of a Mark Train was heard all across Europe while today the noise and chatter is so loud and overwhelming no one would hear it and it would have no impact at all.
November 21, 2013
Excellent book written by an excellent writer. I never knew about king Leopold until recently. I had to get this book to get an idea of the crimes in which he created. It's a shame what the Congolese went through just for some rubber, minerals, and ivory. Greed is the number suspect when it comes to someone committing such harsh crimes. I hope I never experience any of it in my time on this wonderful earth.
May 18, 2019
Satire, sarcasm, reportage fired at a brutal dictator.
September 17, 2018
Why, certainly—that is my protection. And you will continue to do it. I know the human race.
I only discovered recently Mark Twain’s commitment to the American ‘Anti-Imperialist’s League’ who, among other causes, opposed Teddy Roosevelt’s ambition in the Philippines. But this anti-colonial impulse went beyond his own shores: Twain opposed imperialism in any country that was worse off for it. The most shameless example was King Leopold of Belgium’s personal ownership of the African Congo. Having acquired possession through recognition by the other European (and American) powers, Leopold began decades of horrific and violent virtual slavery, where he forced the native populations to collect ivory and rubber for his personal wealth. I warn you: this is not pleasant stuff. Most famous is the habit of the imperial overseers to maim the Congolese by cutting off their hands and feet, as first as punishment, but eventually as arbitrary and cruel entertainment. This is important. While only the tip of the iceberg—I’ll spare you the imagery of the mass murder, rape, torture, and psychological damage that accompanied this—it stresses how the people of the Congo were less an important financial asset of the colonialists (compare chattel slavery), but fodder for gruesome proclivities. This is the most extreme form of evil possible, and it was done under the world’s apathetic nose.
Mark Twain found this intolerable. King Leopold’s Soliloquy is a satirical pamphlet where a fictitious King Leopold defends himself against journalists and the growing awareness of his activities in Africa. As you can imagine, the defense is not convincing. It’s more about him hand waiving away accusations, complaining about exaggerated or fabricating reporting, diverting attention to what good he has done (some of the wealth he accumulating went to public works in Belgium, so much so that he’s still known as the “Builder King”), and appealing to God to curse those who smear him, and who will assuredly burn in hell. His speech is broken up by reciting actual journalism detailing the Congo atrocities, and here we see Twain’s intent. He is transmitting this material—thereby spreading awareness—through a satirical framing device that, while not funny, highlights the already staggering horror of the Belgian king’s private enterprise. By either ignoring or condoning these activities the reader is on par with Leopold himself: someone who is ignorant or indifferent to evil. The closing line, reproduced above, is a damning criticism of not just Leopold, but of the world that won’t lift a finger to stop him.
One interesting tidbit in the pamphlet is Leopold’s frustration with the Kodak camera, a new invention in Twain’s age, and essential to being able to show what’s actually happening, but also to contradict the disinformation campaign that the Belgian state media are peddling to counter the reports and testimonials from the Congo. Twain puts photographs right into the work, and, in addition to being very upsetting, it drives home the notion that a picture is worth a thousand words. It’s a damning indictment. But here it’s important to distance ourselves from the pathos for a moment. For all the crystalline truth on display, we must realize that Twain is still making a rhetorical argument—one to correct Leopold’s (and colonialism’s) own. The soliloquy the Builder King gives provides the logos: he comically contradicts himself and is unable to rebuff his critics with arguments that are purposefully littered with holes. And the reading of journalists and life testimony from the Congolese provides the ethos that lends credibility to the piece. Twain isn’t perfect—he once met with someone from the US State Department who pointed out that Congress never ratified the recognition of the Congo as Leopold’s personal asset. But these seem like insulting trifles to the momentous suffering occurring in Africa and elsewhere: suffering that Twain tries to quantify through mathematical images of lining up all the dead bodies from the Congo and how far they would reach, etc.
There is an artistic truth here as well. The best satire doesn’t just use humor as a delivery system for communicating difficult or upsetting truths. Some people compare contemporary works like The Daily Show or SNL as modern uses of political satire. What they miss, and why they can never compare to a Twain or Swift or Voltaire, is that the former use humor as a palliative; they’re meant to help the audience acclimate to the horror, while still recognizing it as such. It’s a coping mechanism. The great satirists used comedy as a confrontation with evil—where the audience either finds themselves laughing at something despicable (and therefore sparks self-reflection), or become offended at something despicable being made light of (and inspires them to take action). In other words, the humor is deathly serious, and is transgressive to the extent that it teaches morality. Part of what makes King Leopold’s Soliloquy so unnerving is not just the perverse violence on display. It’s the awareness that the evil, idiotic, apathetic, and ridiculous figure of Leopold that Twain presents is completely right: the world watched and did nothing, and may well continue to do nothing. To be horrified at something, but to not make use of that horror, is a mockery of ethics all on its own.
I only discovered recently Mark Twain’s commitment to the American ‘Anti-Imperialist’s League’ who, among other causes, opposed Teddy Roosevelt’s ambition in the Philippines. But this anti-colonial impulse went beyond his own shores: Twain opposed imperialism in any country that was worse off for it. The most shameless example was King Leopold of Belgium’s personal ownership of the African Congo. Having acquired possession through recognition by the other European (and American) powers, Leopold began decades of horrific and violent virtual slavery, where he forced the native populations to collect ivory and rubber for his personal wealth. I warn you: this is not pleasant stuff. Most famous is the habit of the imperial overseers to maim the Congolese by cutting off their hands and feet, as first as punishment, but eventually as arbitrary and cruel entertainment. This is important. While only the tip of the iceberg—I’ll spare you the imagery of the mass murder, rape, torture, and psychological damage that accompanied this—it stresses how the people of the Congo were less an important financial asset of the colonialists (compare chattel slavery), but fodder for gruesome proclivities. This is the most extreme form of evil possible, and it was done under the world’s apathetic nose.
Mark Twain found this intolerable. King Leopold’s Soliloquy is a satirical pamphlet where a fictitious King Leopold defends himself against journalists and the growing awareness of his activities in Africa. As you can imagine, the defense is not convincing. It’s more about him hand waiving away accusations, complaining about exaggerated or fabricating reporting, diverting attention to what good he has done (some of the wealth he accumulating went to public works in Belgium, so much so that he’s still known as the “Builder King”), and appealing to God to curse those who smear him, and who will assuredly burn in hell. His speech is broken up by reciting actual journalism detailing the Congo atrocities, and here we see Twain’s intent. He is transmitting this material—thereby spreading awareness—through a satirical framing device that, while not funny, highlights the already staggering horror of the Belgian king’s private enterprise. By either ignoring or condoning these activities the reader is on par with Leopold himself: someone who is ignorant or indifferent to evil. The closing line, reproduced above, is a damning criticism of not just Leopold, but of the world that won’t lift a finger to stop him.
One interesting tidbit in the pamphlet is Leopold’s frustration with the Kodak camera, a new invention in Twain’s age, and essential to being able to show what’s actually happening, but also to contradict the disinformation campaign that the Belgian state media are peddling to counter the reports and testimonials from the Congo. Twain puts photographs right into the work, and, in addition to being very upsetting, it drives home the notion that a picture is worth a thousand words. It’s a damning indictment. But here it’s important to distance ourselves from the pathos for a moment. For all the crystalline truth on display, we must realize that Twain is still making a rhetorical argument—one to correct Leopold’s (and colonialism’s) own. The soliloquy the Builder King gives provides the logos: he comically contradicts himself and is unable to rebuff his critics with arguments that are purposefully littered with holes. And the reading of journalists and life testimony from the Congolese provides the ethos that lends credibility to the piece. Twain isn’t perfect—he once met with someone from the US State Department who pointed out that Congress never ratified the recognition of the Congo as Leopold’s personal asset. But these seem like insulting trifles to the momentous suffering occurring in Africa and elsewhere: suffering that Twain tries to quantify through mathematical images of lining up all the dead bodies from the Congo and how far they would reach, etc.
There is an artistic truth here as well. The best satire doesn’t just use humor as a delivery system for communicating difficult or upsetting truths. Some people compare contemporary works like The Daily Show or SNL as modern uses of political satire. What they miss, and why they can never compare to a Twain or Swift or Voltaire, is that the former use humor as a palliative; they’re meant to help the audience acclimate to the horror, while still recognizing it as such. It’s a coping mechanism. The great satirists used comedy as a confrontation with evil—where the audience either finds themselves laughing at something despicable (and therefore sparks self-reflection), or become offended at something despicable being made light of (and inspires them to take action). In other words, the humor is deathly serious, and is transgressive to the extent that it teaches morality. Part of what makes King Leopold’s Soliloquy so unnerving is not just the perverse violence on display. It’s the awareness that the evil, idiotic, apathetic, and ridiculous figure of Leopold that Twain presents is completely right: the world watched and did nothing, and may well continue to do nothing. To be horrified at something, but to not make use of that horror, is a mockery of ethics all on its own.
September 7, 2020
This is more of a pamphlet than a book, but does appropriately indict King Leopold for his atrocities in the Congo through both a satirical first person complaint and testimonies from missionaries and other witnesses. Also on trial is the complicity of the US by first acknowledging Leopold’s sovereignty in the Congo.
April 17, 2016
This rare book ought to be more well-known and widely read. It's written in the form of a soliloquy by a real-life monster named King Leopold, who ruled the Congo with an iron fist, and ended up killing 10 million people. Mark Twain shows his great skill in writing, and uses this soliloquy to show the wealth of evidence of King Leopold's litany of horrors that he unleashed upon the world. One could well picture Satan standing in for Leopold, reading off the same dialogue.
November 3, 2020
In 1905, Mark Twain published this pamphlet, commenting on the atrocities happening in the Congo, which was the private property of the king of the Belgians, Leopold II since 1885, and then was the Congo's absolute sovereign.
The pamphlet is a satirical soliloquy by Leopold himself defending his rule. Several extracts of published critical reports on the cruelties are entwined within the monologue and in the pamphlet's supplementary. Millions of Africans were exploited, lost their lives and were mutilated because Leopold wanted rubber and ivory for his own personal gain.
Even with Twain's wit, this writing was an important statement against Leopold's rule.
Twain was a supporter of the Congo Reform Association, which was initiated in Britain after British consul Roger Casement published a report about the abuses in 1904. It finally led to Belgium taking over the Congo Free State as a colony - only a year before Leopold II's death of natural causes.
The pamphlet is a satirical soliloquy by Leopold himself defending his rule. Several extracts of published critical reports on the cruelties are entwined within the monologue and in the pamphlet's supplementary. Millions of Africans were exploited, lost their lives and were mutilated because Leopold wanted rubber and ivory for his own personal gain.
Even with Twain's wit, this writing was an important statement against Leopold's rule.
Twain was a supporter of the Congo Reform Association, which was initiated in Britain after British consul Roger Casement published a report about the abuses in 1904. It finally led to Belgium taking over the Congo Free State as a colony - only a year before Leopold II's death of natural causes.
August 10, 2021
Mark Twain escreveu este panfleto em 1905 para denunciar no que o Rei Leopoldo da Bélgica transformou o antigo reino do Congo, com a complacência das outras potências europeias e dos seus próprios cidadãos: uma enorme vala comum. As consequências desses anos em que seres humanos tiveram rédea solta para mostrar que o inferno está bem aqui connosco ainda hoje reverberam. Não se pense que nós, portugueses, nada temos com isso, pois também estivemos entre os europeus colonialistas até há bem pouco tempo.
Neste texto curto mas sarcástico, o rei Leopoldo faz um monólogo defensivo em que não encontra nada a lamentar na sua conduta, mas apenas exageros e má fé. Um texto que continua actual pois este rei Leopoldo pode ser qualquer déspota de qualquer tempo.
Só é pena que a edição não indique a autoria das ilustrações.
Neste texto curto mas sarcástico, o rei Leopoldo faz um monólogo defensivo em que não encontra nada a lamentar na sua conduta, mas apenas exageros e má fé. Um texto que continua actual pois este rei Leopoldo pode ser qualquer déspota de qualquer tempo.
Só é pena que a edição não indique a autoria das ilustrações.
September 20, 2023
Until I came upon a 1905 first edition of this slim paperback recently, I'd had no idea Mark Twain ever addressed the horrors of Leopold II's atrocities in the Congo Free State. Written in first person, as if the Belgian king were making a speech in his own defense, the voice is petulant, self-righteous, indignant, and thoroughly repulsive.
Mark Twain is a master at the scathing reproach.
Reading the soliloquy printed on paper freshly milled while Leopold still held personal ownership of the entire country? Chilling.
Mark Twain is a master at the scathing reproach.
Reading the soliloquy printed on paper freshly milled while Leopold still held personal ownership of the entire country? Chilling.
October 27, 2019
This historical pamphlet is now widely available online, and well worth a perusal in 2019, as inequality takes a major role in our discourse again. According to the Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Mark Twain was at first excited for American efforts in Philippines, but changed his mind when he saw we were exploiting the country’s first imperial colony. He then attacked colonialism in a number of different pamphlets of which this was one. The whole structure of the text, a satirical "soliloquy" in King Leopold's voice, as he quotes primary sources about the situation, cerca 1905, is a brilliant one that could make for a good blog structure today. I suppose it is sort of like what the Onion does, though they do not invoke primary sources directly for long quotations.
The most bemusing aspect of the pamphlet is pointed out forthrightly enough by the author himself: the horrors of a subject like Leopold’s exploitation of Congo’s people are so numerous and so intense that the very listing of them creates a feeling of tedium, of getting used to the reality of policy-determined mass suffering. Then one either passes over it quickly, or else learns to turn away from it. As Leopold says in the soliloquy, "Why certainly -- that is my protection. And you will continue to do it. I know the human race." The challenge of mass communication is to identify human suffering and mobilize hearts and minds to action for it. As the New York Times has reported this past October of 2019, public protests against governments in Hong Kong, Chile, Lebanon, and other places are part of a growing trend towards more public protests, but scholars find they are less successful than before at attaining their ends.
The most bemusing aspect of the pamphlet is pointed out forthrightly enough by the author himself: the horrors of a subject like Leopold’s exploitation of Congo’s people are so numerous and so intense that the very listing of them creates a feeling of tedium, of getting used to the reality of policy-determined mass suffering. Then one either passes over it quickly, or else learns to turn away from it. As Leopold says in the soliloquy, "Why certainly -- that is my protection. And you will continue to do it. I know the human race." The challenge of mass communication is to identify human suffering and mobilize hearts and minds to action for it. As the New York Times has reported this past October of 2019, public protests against governments in Hong Kong, Chile, Lebanon, and other places are part of a growing trend towards more public protests, but scholars find they are less successful than before at attaining their ends.
June 13, 2020
This book is the Portuguese translation of King Leopold's Soliloquy, Mark Twain's political intervention denouncing the atrocities of Belgian king Leopold II rule in the Congo. It is written as a soliloquy by the king, trying to defend himself of the accusations of the gross criminal violence and inhumanity of his rule in that vast region of Central Africa. But in the process he acknowledges as true all the charges made against him in the international campaign of which this text was part. This extraordinary little book, with its illustrations and photographs, is a vigorous denunciation of colonialism not only in its abject, murderer, Leopold version, but in general. About half of this edition consists of an introduction contextualizing Leopold's II international machinations that enabled him to secure his personal rule in Congo, the violent nature of it (particularly after the start of the "rubber fever"), the international outcry (induced in large part by the militancy of Edmund Morel, the reports of the British consul Roger Casement, and others) of which this pamphlet was a part. This is, indeed, a very interesting and informative book about those dark times nowadays almost forgotten in Western society.
January 1, 2015
This short book gives really useful insight into Leopold's reign of terror and the massacres he did in Congo.
The good thing about this book is that the way Twain really makes you believe that Leopold tried to do good for the people of Congo. The latter actually believed that he was trying to help them and the rest of the world was simply against him for no good reason. His 'enemies' only published things that made him look bad, and not the 'good' things he was doing in Congo.
The good thing about this book is that the way Twain really makes you believe that Leopold tried to do good for the people of Congo. The latter actually believed that he was trying to help them and the rest of the world was simply against him for no good reason. His 'enemies' only published things that made him look bad, and not the 'good' things he was doing in Congo.
March 15, 2018
Et smædeskrift! Et slags manus til et teaterstykke med Kong Leopold II alene på scenen, mens han raser over de tosser der vil tage hans koloni og hans rigdomme fra ham bare fordi det er bygget på slaveri, vold og mord. Iblandet vidnesbyrd fra ‘fristaten’ Congo om mord, kidnapninger, overgreb og slaverarbejde for at skaffe gummi, datidens guldfeber. Som tekst er det en sær størrelse, men som smædeskrift var det effektivt; det var et indlæg i debatten, der skulle få Kong Leopold til at udgive den rapport han selv havde bestilt ...fra betroede venner, der nu desværre havde hørt alt for mange sandheder og videreformidlet de uhyrligheder de havde set og hørt om. Twain går så langt som at foreslå Leopold stillet for krigsforbryderdomstolen i Haag. Dertil kom det ikke, men rapporten kom ud, og Leopold måtte afhænde Congo til Belgien (indtil da var det hans personlige ejendom) - ikke at det derfor blev helt godt for de lokale, for landet er stadig rigt på råstoffer. Læs hele historien i King Leopold’s Ghost.
May 15, 2023
Deze satire heb ik per toeval gevonden. Het lijkt me ook vrijwel onbekend in België en een Nederlandse versie is op Goodreads zelfs niet te vinden. Het is een pertinent bewijs dat de wandaden van onze eigen vorst in België systematisch zijn verhuld. Dit wordt gedetailleerd aangehaald in de rede zelf, maar ook nauwgezet beschreven in de begeleidende teksten van E.D. Morel die zijn opgenomen in de versie die ik in mijn bezit heb. Het geeft blijk van een internationale verontwaardiging, in 1905 al, die in België zelf monddood moet zijn gemaakt.
Het perspectief van buitenaf maakt deze tekst dan ook al zeker het lezen waard, maar daarbovenop is ze ook nog eens zeer uitgebreid gebaseerd op verslagen van missionarissen ter plaatse en gespekt met ontluisterende foto’s. Voeg daaraan de cynische humor toe, waarvan je je perfect kan inbeelden dat de destijdse functionarissen ze aanwendden ter zelfrelativering, en je krijgt een zeer relevant, doch tegelijkertijd stimulerend, historisch document voorgeschoteld.
Het perspectief van buitenaf maakt deze tekst dan ook al zeker het lezen waard, maar daarbovenop is ze ook nog eens zeer uitgebreid gebaseerd op verslagen van missionarissen ter plaatse en gespekt met ontluisterende foto’s. Voeg daaraan de cynische humor toe, waarvan je je perfect kan inbeelden dat de destijdse functionarissen ze aanwendden ter zelfrelativering, en je krijgt een zeer relevant, doch tegelijkertijd stimulerend, historisch document voorgeschoteld.
August 15, 2021
If Leopold lived today, he'd probably tweet like Trump did. Or at least that's how Twain's imagining of him seems.
Published in 1905 in the middle of one of the first human rights campaigns of the modern world, Twain's format here reminds me of Sarah Cooper's lip syncing of actual things Trump said; comedy plumbed from the tragedy of reality.
Twain's Leopold is a master of narcissistic self-pity combined with subterfuge combined with throwing blame around in all directions and at all walls, hoping some of it will stick well enough that people will forget the original sin.
Brilliant satire. Combined with excellent reportage, as Twain includes excerpts of some of the written and pictorial evidence of the atrocities, placing them artfully as as fodder designed to elicit a continuation of Leopold's rant but structurally educating the reader as to the realities of the horror in the Congo.
Published in 1905 in the middle of one of the first human rights campaigns of the modern world, Twain's format here reminds me of Sarah Cooper's lip syncing of actual things Trump said; comedy plumbed from the tragedy of reality.
Twain's Leopold is a master of narcissistic self-pity combined with subterfuge combined with throwing blame around in all directions and at all walls, hoping some of it will stick well enough that people will forget the original sin.
Brilliant satire. Combined with excellent reportage, as Twain includes excerpts of some of the written and pictorial evidence of the atrocities, placing them artfully as as fodder designed to elicit a continuation of Leopold's rant but structurally educating the reader as to the realities of the horror in the Congo.
May 10, 2024
4 stars.
My interest in literature dealing with the Congo was jumpstarted by reading “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver earlier this year. I thence read “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, which truly reveals the depravity that man’s heart is capable of, and proceeded on to this acerbic satirical pamphlet by Mark Twain addressing the root cause of 19th century suffering in the Congo: King Leopold of Belgium. The references to documentation by the Christian missionaries is especially damning. It’s incredible that the atrocities which occurred here are so little known in comparison to those of WWII or the communist regimes of the 20th century. Not a light topic by any means, but an important one.
My interest in literature dealing with the Congo was jumpstarted by reading “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver earlier this year. I thence read “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, which truly reveals the depravity that man’s heart is capable of, and proceeded on to this acerbic satirical pamphlet by Mark Twain addressing the root cause of 19th century suffering in the Congo: King Leopold of Belgium. The references to documentation by the Christian missionaries is especially damning. It’s incredible that the atrocities which occurred here are so little known in comparison to those of WWII or the communist regimes of the 20th century. Not a light topic by any means, but an important one.
December 4, 2021
Как сатира от имени злого бельгийского короля - это не очень смешно. "О, да я злодей, сейчас почитаю про свои злодейства". Вообще после такого начинаешь как-то уважать Его Величество. Короли всегда кого-то убивали, здесь в промышленных масштабах, рука мастера. Но материал дико живописный, так что Твен кое-как натянул на три звёздочки.
Надо было писать наоборот , как поздравление Его Королевского Величества Леопольда, от благодарных жителей конго, простите за плохой почерк, без рук приходится держать перо зубами.
Надо было писать наоборот , как поздравление Его Королевского Величества Леопольда, от благодарных жителей конго, простите за плохой почерк, без рук приходится держать перо зубами.
January 12, 2019
I can see why this one doesn’t get much love. If you’re satirizing Leopold II it is not very funny if he is aware of his mendacity and cruelty, and is complaining about his critics accurately perceiving him and thinking of how to buy them off. Feels like it was written out of anger and rushed to market rather than polished to the level of scathing we all expect. This feels at most a glancing blow.
November 16, 2019
This a withering piece that completely and brutally skewers King Leopold II for the massive crimes that took place under his direction, in the Congo.
Twain's words have more power after reading about what happened in the Congo under King Leopold II. King Leopold's Ghost is a great option to read before this soliloquy.
Every modern example of "throwing shade" pales in comparison to Twain's mastery of boring sarcasm and vicious wit.
Twain's words have more power after reading about what happened in the Congo under King Leopold II. King Leopold's Ghost is a great option to read before this soliloquy.
Every modern example of "throwing shade" pales in comparison to Twain's mastery of boring sarcasm and vicious wit.
October 20, 2020
A brilliant and gruesome satire by Mark Twain, in which he incorporates evidences, images, even photos to demonstrate the atrocities in the Congo Free State. The introduction was also very helpful for placing this satire in context - Mark Twain wrote a lot of anti-imperialist literature around the turn of the century, and this fits into this broader theme of his later work.
June 3, 2017
Compared to King Leopold, Hitler and Stalin were boy scouts. Nearly 20 million human beings died under his reign of terror in Congo. I wonder why historians and politically correct minds don´t pay the same attention to this like they do to the Holocaust.
July 24, 2020
A well-done satire on the atrocities in Congo by King Leopold II.
It’s a gruesome read, but it illuminates History in an engaging way.
I picked this up by happenstance and continued reading based on the skill of communicating the information.
It’s a gruesome read, but it illuminates History in an engaging way.
I picked this up by happenstance and continued reading based on the skill of communicating the information.
June 29, 2017
This is the Mark Twain book that should have made it to required reading lists in high school.
November 15, 2017
Loved it.
August 20, 2019
Excellent satire
Written in Twain's trademark style, this book provides a quick read to get a take on King Leopold's atrocities in Congo.
Written in Twain's trademark style, this book provides a quick read to get a take on King Leopold's atrocities in Congo.
September 17, 2019
scathing
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