Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our next book club, hosted by Shirley Alexander and Cooper Coe. In our gathering, we will discuss Joseph Conrad's novella, Heart of Darkness.

WHEN: Monday, 12th October 2026, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore; please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

The mind of man is capable of anything - because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future. What was there after all? Joy, fear, sorrow, devotion, rage - who can tell? - but truth - truth stripped of its cloak of time. Let the fool gape and shudder - the man knows, and can look on without a wink.

The Book:

Marlow, a seaman, tells of a journey up the Congo. His goal is the troubled European and ivory trader Kurtz. Worshipped and feared by invaders and natives alike, Kurtz has become a godlike figure, his presence pervading the jungle like a thick, obscuring mist. As his boat labours further upstream, closer and closer to Kurtz's extraordinary and terrible domain, so Marlow finds his faith in himself and civilisation crumbling. Conrad's Heart of Darkness has been considered the most important indictment of the evils of imperialism written to date.

The Hosts:

Shirley Alexander has been an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction since her primary school days (when her local library changed their rules to stop her borrowing too many books). She has spent almost her entire career in academia and recently retired. When not reading, she is a cyclist, a surf ski paddler, a museum devotee and seeks out good food and wine.

Our youngest-ever book club host, Cooper Coe, recently completed the HSC, where he studied Extension 2 English. He says he would have been very happy to have English every period, and particularly loved the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. When not studying his other favourite, Shakespeare, he played representative rugby. He has already received an offer to study Law in 2025.

The Author:

Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski on December 3, 1857, in Berdychiv, Russian Empire [now Ukraine]—died August 3, 1924, in England) was a major English novelist and short-story writer of Polish descent.

Heart of Darkness has been considered for most of this century as a literary classic, and also as a powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism. It reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time.

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The group endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction.

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore:

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some homemade chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.

Contact the host of Heart of Darkness, Bondi Literary Salon Book Club