Thomas De Quincey

Thomas Penson De Quincey was an English author, philosopher, and literary critic who lived from August 15, 1785, to December 8, 1859. His most famous work is Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821). Many experts say that De Quincey started the tradition of writing about addiction in the West when he published this book. His home address at birth was 86 Cross Street, Manchester, Lancashire. His father was a wealthy businessman who liked reading. The family moved to The Farm soon after...See more

Thomas Penson De Quincey was an English author, philosopher, and literary critic who lived from August 15, 1785, to December 8, 1859. His most famous work is Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821). Many experts say that De Quincey started the tradition of writing about addiction in the West when he published this book. His home address at birth was 86 Cross Street, Manchester, Lancashire. His father was a wealthy businessman who liked reading. The family moved to The Farm soon after Thomas was born, and then to Greenheys, a bigger country house in Chorlton-On-Medlock, which is close to Manchester. He died three years before his mother, Elizabeth Penson, changed her name to De Quincey in 1796. Her old name was Thomas Quincey. His mother moved to Bath that same year and put him in King Edward's School. The child was weak and sick. He spent most of his childhood alone, and when his older brother William came home, he made a lot of noise. Even though De Quincey's mother was smart and had a strong personality, she seems to have made her children more afraid than loved. See less