Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

Name: Confessions of an English Opium-Eater
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Rating: 2.7 (3 reviews)
Author: Thomas De Quincey
ISBN: 9781481541916

Author: Thomas De Quincey

Narrator: Thomas Whitworth

Unabridged: 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook (DRM Protected)

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 01/01/2007

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Literary Collections, Psychology, Psychopathology, Self-help, Substance Abuse & Addictions

Synopsis

In 1804, while a student at Oxford, Thomas De Quincey was looking for relief from excruciating pain when a college acquaintance recommended opium. "Opium!" De Quincey wrote. "Dread agent of unimaginable pleasure and pain! I had heard of it as I had of manna or of ambrosia, but no further: how unmeaning a sound it was at that time!"Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, De Quincey's best-known work, is an account of his early life and opium addiction, in prose that is by turns witty, conversational, and nightmarish. The Confessions involve the listener in De Quincey's childhood and schooling, describing in detail his flight at age sixteen from Manchester Grammar School, his wanderings in North Wales and London, and his experiences with opium, which developed into a lifelong dependency.

About Thomas De Quincey

Thomas De Quincey (1785–1859) was born in Manchester, England, the son of a textile merchant. After his father’s early death, he was sent away to school, but he ran away to wander in North Wales and London. He later attended Oxford where he befriended Coleridge and William and Dorothy Wordsworth. The success of his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater launched him in a career as an essayist and critic. De Quincey’s work was widely admired, but he spent much of his life in poverty and debt until the last decade of his life.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul

If there is reincarnation I want them to put a hold on mine until humanity has invented drugs that don't have a down-side to them. No tiresome side effects, like early death. And they'll be cheap. And you'll still be able to fire up your jet pack and get to the office and do your job and impress you......more

Goodreads review by William2

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 pas......more

Goodreads review by J.L.

“Oh! just, subtle, and mighty opium! that to the hearts of poor and rich alike, for the wounds that will never heal, and for 'the pangs that tempt the spirit to rebel,' bringest an assuaging balm; eloquent opium!” While it is somewhat interesting to learn the path Thomas De Quincey took before his ad......more

Goodreads review by Julian

A fascinating insight into a different life from the one I've led, so far at least. It only seems right to read The Doors of Perception next! Thomas de Quincey really landed on his feet when the Wordsworths moved out of, what was to become later, Dove Cottage in Grasmere and he moved in. The book no......more

Goodreads review by °°°·.°·..·°¯°·._.· ʜᴇʟᴇɴ Ροζουλί Εωσφόρος ·._.·°¯°·.·° .·°°°

•Το φαινόμενο αποκαλύφθηκε στη στιγμή, ήταν μια μεγάλη πόλη - και άφοβα θα ‘λεγα - μια ερημιά κτιρίων, που βούλιαζε μακριά Και απομακρυνόταν σε ένα θαυμάσιο βάθος, βούλιαζε μακριά στο μεγαλείο, χωρίς τέλος! Φαινόταν φτιαγμένη απο διαμάντια και χρυσό. Με αλαβάστρινους θόλους και ασημένιες στέγες. Και λ......more