Books › The diary of a drug fiend
The diary of a drug fiend
First published 1922 · 384 pages
A frenzied, imagery-rich plunge into the ecstatic highs and crushing lows of addiction, culminating in a quest for spiritual self-mastery.
What it feels like
Reading this 1922 psychological novel feels like being swept into a frenzied, hallucinatory whirlwind that abruptly crashes into the starkest despair. The narrative pace mirrors the volatile cycle of addiction itself, launching the reader into an ecstatic, propulsive haze of heroin and cocaine before plunging into the agonizing depths of withdrawal. What makes the experience uniquely captivating is the prose, which shifts and deepens in uncanny parallel with the characters' psychological unraveling and eventual reconstruction. It is an intense, shockingly detailed immersion into the extremes of human experience, blending visceral realism with esoteric philosophy. Readers drawn to vivid, imagery-rich explorations of the mind's darkest corners and the pursuit of spiritual liberation through sheer will find this an unforgettable, dizzying descent.
- Mood
- frenzied
- ecstatic
- despairing
- hallucinatory
- Tone
- intense
- shocking
- psychological
- didactic
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- psychology of addiction · pursuit of ecstasy · spiritual liberation · despair and withdrawal · mastery of the True Will
- The writing
- Brilliant and imagery-rich, with a shifting structure that mirrors the psychological descent and subsequent growth of its characters.
- The arc
- Moves from a frenzied, ecstatic high into abrupt, crushing despair, ultimately climbing toward spiritual liberation and self-mastery.
- Who it's for
- Readers fascinated by early 20th-century psychological fiction, the visceral realities of addiction, and esoteric paths to self-mastery.
Content notes
- drug addiction
- drug abuse
- heroin use
- cocaine use
- withdrawal
About the book
Diary of a Drug Fiend was Aleister Crowley's first published novel. To the reader of 1922 it presented a shocking look at a little known phenomenon. Today, while we are more familiar with drugs because of their widespread use in our culture, Diary of a Drug Fiend remains one o fthe most intense, detailed and accurate accounts of drug addiction and the drug experience.
The book was written by Crowley after years of deep personal study and experimentation with drugs. It is the story of a young man and woman who fall madly in love and whirl through Europe in a frenzied haze of heroin/cocaine adventure. Their ecstacy is brought to an abrupt end when their drug supply is cut off and despair replaces joy. Through the guidance of King Lamus, a master Adept, they free themselves from the entanglements of addition by the application of practical Magick.
The narrative carries the reader aloft through the brilliance of the imagery created by this master of language; his prose development parallels the growth and increasing depth of his characters in an uncanny fashion. This is a book to be read and reread. It will also prove a useful document to doctors, lawyers, police and addicts for its unique and precise presentation of the psychology of addiction and the possibility of its cure through the development of the True Will.
Description from Open Library.
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