Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

By Quincey

"I here present you, courteous reader, with the record of a remarkable period in my life: according to my application of it, I trust that it will prove not merely an interesting record, but in a considerable degree useful and instructive." So begins "The Confessions of an English Opium-Eater." Originally published in two parts in the "London Magazine" in 1821, it is a gripping account of one Englishman's addiction to opium. Thomas De Quincey details the effects of his opium use and in so doing warns the reader of the dangers and terrors of serious drug addiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Start Publishing LLC
• Release date: Nov 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781625580061

Reviews for Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

[william345 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. One can see why Confessions was such a favorite among the drug-addled youngsters of the 60s and 70s. The title is catchy but--surprise!--its not primarily a book about drug experiences, only the last 20 or so pages plumb that. It's about suffering, homelessness, and penury. There were passages that reminded me of 1993's Travels With Lizbeth by Lars Eighner, a wonderfully written book about homelessness.

The class system of Britain, thank God it's dying, systemically prevented true eleemosynary activity. Anyone deemed to be a victim of their own excess was not considered worthy of care. As de Quincey states: The stream of London charity flows in a channel which, though deep and mighty, is yet noiseless and underground; not obvious or readily accessible to poor houseless wanderers; and it cannot be denied that the outside air and framework of London society is harsh, cruel, and repulsive. It took me ten pages to acclimate to the slightly archaic diction, but once I did the reading was enjoyable. There's a guardedness about certain episodes in the author's life which evoked wonder and curiosity in this reader. He focuses on opium addiction almost to the utter exclusion of everything else. The focus is laser-like. Recommended.

[takeitorleaveit_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Most likely my favorite autobiographical essay, for many reasons, but ultimately not because Quincey delicately describes the persuasions of a most desirable experience I have found myself in but more because he sets the scene for a man who would want to feel "agitated, writhing, throbbing, palpitating, shattered" in the mental faculties that were only heightened by his usage of the drug, at the time one that was not proper to write about. I’m not sure if the group Death in June named themselves after the following passage but I shall quote:June, 1819.I have had occasion to remark, at various periods of my life, that the deaths of those whom we love, and indeed the contemplation of death generally, is (caeteris paribus) [‘other things being equal’], more effecting in summer than in any other season of the year. De Quincey's explanation of why this is the case is phenomenal, but the album "But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?" suffices to aurally describe his words.

[wonderperson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good attempt to write an honest account of what it is like to live as a Male Lifelong Opium Eater; that is in drops of Red Poison Tincture gotten from the Chemist, whose first use was to relieve the pain of toothache.
Da Quincey is less inclined to open his heart as to the negative effects of Opium which he defends to the end and even tries to take himself off it- a difficult exercise which leads to much suffering which he details in his book.
The Author is nomadic, homeless (what you would get today), independent, suffering the full effect of uninhibited memory release as a result of the Opium.
When he tries to come off it as if Memories buried beneath the fog of the drug come to the surface.
A very interesting book and one of many I am reading into the lives of those who are addicted.

[jhudsui_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Back in the 19th century Erowid trip reports featured a lot more orientalism and bragging about how much Ancient Greek you knew but were otherwise essentially as we know them now.

[jonpgorman · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

i found this book to be very dry and difficult to get through

[p_s_patrick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the autobiography of Thomas de Quincey, a 19th century intellectual who indulged in opium use for a large proportion of his life. The book only gets onto the opium after half way through, and spends a while detailing his childhood and younger years. Smaller sections toward the end give account of the pleasures and pains of opium, and are just as interesting to read as the earlier parts. What is distinctive of this book is the apparent candor with which the author writes, the details of his thoughts and feelings through the various times in his life, and his observations on human nature. This is as much a view onto life in the period as it is a view onto the life of Quincey, and as it also contains his views of literary contemporaries, it should be of interest to fans of literature of this time.