Book Review: The Diary of a Drug Fiend by Aleister Crowley

The Diary of a Drug Fiend

by  Aleister Crowley  © 2010

Weiser Books  ISBN:  978-1-57863-494-1

Paperback        384 pages

$18.95  (U.S.)

Crowley’s first published  novel (1922) explores a world which is familiar to many of today’s society (albeit from a slightly different perspective) – that of an abuser of cocaine and heroin.  Many modern users are not in a position of being able to indulge their every whim,  nor are the drugs as readily available as they were in post- Great War Britain.  They can, certainly, relate to the effects of the drugs – the exhilaration of the cocaine and the obsessive focus of the heroin (and no, I haven’t indulged, although I do know those who have).

The book is stuffed with poetry (both Crowley’s and others).  Regardless what you think of his reputation(s) [he was a mountaineer, a poet, a Ceremonialist and a writer, among other accomplishments], it must be admitted that he was a prolific author of diverse forms.  Of course, he was writing in a different time and environment. So his profuse, flowery style may not be to everyone’s liking

His powers of description cannot be challenged.  You see exactly what he wants you to see.  You get the vicarious experience as he dashes along the page.  There is nothing lackadaisical in his approach, it is all or nothing.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of this book is that Crowley knew what he was writing about.  So, in spite of it being a novel, it rings absolutely true on many levels and in many ways.  The narrative is frequently disjointed and (sometimes) may appear to be nonsensical, but this accurately reflects the experience of those who use these drugs.  There are quotations from other of his works, (unacknowledged, naturally).  What  might be easily dismissed from another, less talented, writer strikes the reader on a visceral level.

It take a serious application of the mind to get through this book.  The flow and style are so unfamiliar to the average reader of today’s novels that many will give up on it before long, and that is unfortunate.  It is only in the final portion of the work that Crowley begins to lay out his message of magickal education (without harping on the fact that is is magickal).

You won’t find rituals in this final section (it isn’t that kind of book) except in broad outlines, and then not as the primary focus.  You will find some poetic praise pieces.  But what you will find is magickal philosophy which is couched in terms any layman can understand.

As is noted on the cover “It is a terrible story but it is also a story of hope and of beauty.”  I can’t argue with that, nor can I sum it up any better.