Diary of a Drug Fiend
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| Author | Aleister Crowley |
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| Cover artist | Aleister Crowley |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Occult Novel |
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Publication date
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1922 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 383 pp |
Diary of a Drug Fiend, published in 1922, was occult writer and mystic Aleister Crowley's first published novel, and is also reportedly the earliest known reference to the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily.
The story is widely thought to be based upon Crowley's own drug experiences, despite being written as a fiction. This seems almost conclusively confirmed by Crowley's statement in the novel's preface: "This is a true story. It has been rewritten only so far as was necessary to conceal personalities." Crowley's own recreational drug use and also his personal struggle with drug addiction, particularly heroin, is well documented. Crowley made a study of drugs and their effects upon the body and mind, experimenting widely himself. Many of his conclusions are present within this novel. Diary of a Drug Fiend encapsulates much of Crowley's core philosophy concerning Thelema and his conception of True Will.
The story follows Sir Peter Pendragon a noble, aristocratic World War I veteran pilot who has come into a large inheritance following the death of his paternal uncle. Prior to the war Pendragon had been a medical student, and now finds himself dealing with depression and lacking direction. During a night out he encounters Louise Laleham, a devotee of occultist Basil King Lamus. Pendragon and Laleham quickly fall in love with each other and cocaine. The couple marry soon after meeting then leave for Europe for their honeymoon. While in Europe, they begin using heroin and engage in a drug binge stretching from France to Italy. While in Italy, their luggage and valuables are stolen by a school acquaintance of Pendragon's named Elgin Feccles, whom they had hired as a guide. Soon afterwards they return to England.
Back in England, the protagonists find themselves desperate after their drug supply diminishes due to laws that had been passed during their honeymoon. They move from the Pendragons' country estate to a room in a slum house on Greek Street. Their decline in health and financial problems leads to the couple making several unsuccessful attempts to quit heroin. The particulars of their desperate addiction and cravings are documented in realistic detail. During one of their attempts, they move back to their country estate. While there, the couple begins experimenting with magick. Louise is successfully able to communicate with her Holy Guardian Angel Keletiel. Peter's own experiments with magick and quitting heroin do not go as well, and in a moment of frustration he shoots himself in the chest. Louise nurses him back to health, but they soon fall back into a lifestyle of addiction.
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