Diary of a Drug Fiend - Tapa blanda

Sinopsis

Diary of a Drug Fiend is a semi-autobiographical novel by the occultist, poet and painter Aleister Crowley.

The book follows a young couple: the aristocratic Sir Peter Pendragon and his lover Louise Laleham. Following the First World War, Sir Peter - a veteran pilot - comes into a large inheritance, which he promptly begins to spend recklessly. Peter and Louise fall deeply in love with one another, bonding over cocaine which lifts their spirits to ungainly heights.

Together, the pair elope across France and Italy, taking increasing amounts of cocaine and combining the drug with heroin. Their binge causes Peter to behave aggressively by brandishing a gun in public, and the two are apprehended by the police. As the pair sit in custody, their guide steals their belongings and valuables - the first in a series of misfortunes.

This novel, Aleister Crowley's first, may be interpreted as an account of his own drug addictions. The delightful, euphoric highs of both heroin and cocaine are much elaborated on, as is the horrific pain of cravings and withdrawals. Much like Crowley himself, Louise and Peter are devotees to the occult and magick - it is this devotion that presents itself as an alternative to a life spent addled by drugs.

When this book was published in 1922, neither cocaine nor heroin were illegal in many jurisdictions in Europe. As such, it was possible to acquire large - and very pure - amounts of both drugs with relative ease. Within two decades of this novel's publication however, the drugs were banned in many countries on account of their addictive qualities.

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