Confessions of an English Opium-Eater

First published in the London Magazine in 1821, Thomas de Quincey's autobiographical novel has become a classic as a work of literature, as a groundbreaking memoir, and, of course, as a milestone in the history of drug writing. De Quincey writes about his lifelong addiction to opium, describes the elaborate nightmares and hallucinations he experienced while on the drug, compares his altered state of mind to a heightened poetic awareness, and also vividly depicts the pain and suffering his addiction caused him. The account scandalized Victorian England with its Romantic sensibilities, and can be seen as a precursor to an entire genre of drug-influenced writing.