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Confessions of an English Opium-Eater Thomas De Quincey

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater By Thomas De Quincey

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey


£9.99
Condition - Very Good
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Summary

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is a powerful nineteenth-century autobiography tracing Thomas De Quincey's journey of addiction, introduced by biographer, critic and academic Dr Frances Wilson.

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater Summary

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey

Explosive and unforgiving, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater describes in searing detail the pleasure, pain and mind-expanding powers of opium.

Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is introduced by biographer, critic and academic Dr Frances Wilson.

Thomas De Quincey takes us on a journey from his grammar school childhood to his homeless adolescence in Wales, from befriending prostitutes during his nocturnal wanderings in London to enrolling at Oxford University only to drop out when his drug use overcomes him. Thrust into a disorientating world of extreme euphoria and vivid nightmares, De Quincey's life story is both unpredictable and deeply personal. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater is considered to be the first published autobiography to explore the lure and effects of addiction.

Confessions of an English Opium-Eater Reviews

Among the best essayists of the Romantic era . . . De Quincey may be viewed as a proto-Burroughs, as well as a British cousin to Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire * Washington Post *
Thomas De Quincey was the original cosmonaut of inner space, his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater predating the wave of drug buddy literature from William Burroughs to Irvine Welsh by half a century or more * Glasgow Herald *
A stimulating cocktail: exotic dream sequences conjured up in baroque prose-poetry, camp Gothic effects worthy of Hammer Horror, classical quotations, London street-slang and sprawling footnotes on German philosophy * Mail on Sunday *
The first - and still the finest - literary dope fiend * Guardian *
It is one of the classics of nineteenth-century life writing and its influence is still felt * Observer *

About Thomas De Quincey

Thomas De Quincey was born in Manchester in 1785. Highly intelligent but with a rebellious spirit, he was offered a place at Oxford University while still a student at Manchester Grammar School. But unwilling to complete his studies, he ran away and lived on the streets, first in Wales and then in London. Eventually he returned home and took up his place at Oxford, but quit before completing his degree. A friend of Coleridge and Wordsworth, he eventually settled in Grasmere in the Lake District and worked as a journalist. He first wrote about his opium experiences in essays for The London Magazine, and these were printed in book form in 1822. De Quincey died in 1859.

Additional information

GOR010104286
9781509899791
1509899790
Confessions of an English Opium-Eater by Thomas De Quincey
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Pan Macmillan
20190905
128
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

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