Diary of a Drug Fiend and Other Works

by Aleister Crowley

If you are interested in the arcane, the occult, the erotic or the highs and lows of drug addiction, then this book is for you. A piece of fiction inspired by Crowley's own experience of drugs and first published in 1922, Diary of a Drug Fiend follows Sir Peter Pendragon, a veteran pilot of World War I, who comes into money and saves himself from life-sapping indolence by marrying Louise Laleham, a devotee of the occultist Basil King Lamus. The couple marry and leave for Europe on honeymoon, then return to England to fight their demons as the book paints a vivid picture of their love set against a lifestyle of decadence, addiction and 'magick'. An uplifting and inspiring work of literary genius. Provides insight into the truth about drug-taking as well as psychological insight into the mind of an addict. A must-read for those interested in the occult. 'We must conquer life by living it to the full, and then we can go to meet death with a certain prestige.' Aleister Crowley

Genres: Occult

928 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2018

About the author

Aleister Crowley was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, novelist, mountaineer, and painter. He founded the religion of Thelema, proclaiming himself as the prophet destined to guide humanity into the Æon of Horus in the early 20th century. A prolific writer, Crowley published extensively throughout his life.
Born Edward Alexander Crowley in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, he was raised in a wealthy family adhering to the fundamentalist Christian Plymouth Brethren faith. Crowley rejected his religious upbringing, developing an interest in Western esotericism. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, focusing on mountaineering and poetry, and published several works during this period. In 1898, he joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, receiving training in ceremonial magic from Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Allan Bennett. His travels took him to Mexico for mountaineering with Oscar Eckenstein and to India, where he studied Hindu and Buddhist practices.
In 1904, during a honeymoon in Cairo with his wife Rose Edith Kelly, Crowley claimed to have received "The Book of the Law" from a supernatural entity named Aiwass. This text became the foundation of Thelema, announcing the onset of the Æon of Horus and introducing the central tenet: "Do what thou wilt." Crowley emphasized that individuals should align with their True Will through ceremonial magic.
After an unsuccessful expedition to Kanchenjunga in 1905 and further travels in India and China, Crowley returned to Britain. There, he co-founded the esoteric order A∴A∴ with George Cecil Jones in 1907 to promote Thelema. In 1912, he joined the Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), eventually leading its British branch and reformulating it according to Thelemic principles. Crowley spent World War I in the United States, engaging in painting and writing pro-German propaganda, which biographers later suggested was a cover for British intelligence activities.
In 1920, Crowley established the Abbey of Thelema, a religious commune in Cefalù, Sicily. His libertine lifestyle attracted negative attention from the British press, leading to his expulsion by the Italian government in 1923. He spent subsequent years in France, Germany, and England, continuing to promote Thelema until his death in 1947.
Crowley's notoriety stemmed from his recreational drug use, bisexuality, and criticism of societal norms. Despite controversy, he significantly influenced Western esotericism and the 1960s counterculture, and remains a central figure in Thelema.

Reviews

[Jared Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly a one-of-a-kind work. Crowley opens up to give us a glimpse of the occult world with a story facade.

I would say that Diary of a Drug Fiend is probably the easiest and most enjoyable read in this volume. Moo child can be a bit difficult to follow along with. The rest is mostly poetry and short verses by Crowley.

Most of the works hint at magic/occult themes throughout. If you’re interested in something mystical and out of the ordinary, I’d highly recommend!

[S.M. Boren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book from a used book sale at the local library. All opinions are my own.  🌟 Diary of A Drug Fiend and other works by Aleister Crowley. Have you read this book? Let me just say do not waste your time it is 6 different book smushed into one hardback. Every story are characters who are trying to leave their earthly being by drug use to be a better being. Crowley even created a group of disciples called The Abbey of Thelema that believed in his ways. The Abbey of Thelema eventually became Thelema in which Crowley would exercise his authority and convince others that being high would make you a supreme being of some sort. It's 900+ pages of jibberish. The most interesting part of the book is the introduction when they explain who Aleister Crowley is and you get to learn that many bands used references of him in their songs and Jimmy Page was so obsessed with him that he purchased his old home and all the first editions of his book. Use it for lining in your hamster, gerbil, or rabbit cage but honestly I would be scared the rubbish in these pages might make them irritable as well. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com

[Clint Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, allow me to say, I did not read this whole book. I should have searched better. This review is only for "Diary of a Drug Fiend."

That being said, I can't really decide still yet on it. There's a certain amount of hype behind Crowley that I think doesn't come through. But then again, that's not necessarily anybody's fault. What you get here is a book that I kind of feel like would have been self-published nowadays. The story is decent, but meandering. It really reminded me of the arc you find in some Hesse books. Not necessarily a bildungsroman, but still in that range. Big fast first act, dark, slow-ish second act, then odd, philosophical "spiritual" third act. Kind of like a Baz Luhrmann film.

He does do a great job of giving you the kind of gritty, needy addict side of things. The other parts of it....I can't tell if they are there for fluff, or if there is something that I don't understand because of the "mysterious" qualities of Crowley.

I'll definitely keep reading this book, but certainly not straight through. But this is probably more due to my ignorance of what I was getting into that a fault of the book itself.

[Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Diary of a Drug Fiend. It gives a look into the mind of someone who is addicted without believing they are addicted. Moonchild had one good line and the rest was mid. White Stains and Household Gods, I enjoyed a few poems but a lot of his stuff was hard to find the cadence and it threw me off. Book of Lies was cool with the commentary explaining the meaning and symbolism of each chapter. Book of the Law would have been nonsensical if I didn't have previous experience reading occult books.

[Heather Marshall · Rating 1 out of 5]

This took me forever to read and I absolutely hated it. After reading it, I went online to read people's reviews and people love it which is amazing to me! There are actually 2 novels, a poem, a play, and other works in this book and it comes out to a whopping 925 pages. The play, "Household Gods" was actually pretty good and was the only redeeming quality of this book.

[Matthew Callis · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Diary’ captures the anxious turmoil of addiction, and expresses the Law in a narrative form digestible to the layman. It does these things so well that I can almost forgive Crowley for his masturbatory self-insert as King Lamus.

Almost.

[Teaandgraves · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you have an interest in the occult or the man himself, id say read it

[Justyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diary of a drug fiend and Moonchild are quite fun, but going through Book of Lies killed my enthusiasm. Only for hardcore fans of mythology, occultism and numerology at the same time.

[Spiral Breeze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this from cover to cover and now all I want to do is drink absinthe in a Parisian café with a glass vial of cocaine stashed in my beaded bag.