Thomas de Quincey (15 August 1785 – 8 December 1859) was an English author and intellectual, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821).
He was born in 86 Cross Street, Manchester, England. His father was a successful businessman with an interest in literature who died when Thomas was quite young. Soon after Thomas's birth the family went to The Farm and then later to Greenhay, a larger country house near Manchester. In 1796 ...
more
Thomas de Quincey (15 August 1785 – 8 December 1859) was an English author and intellectual, best known for his Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821).
He was born in 86 Cross Street, Manchester, England. His father was a successful businessman with an interest in literature who died when Thomas was quite young. Soon after Thomas's birth the family went to The Farm and then later to Greenhay, a larger country house near Manchester. In 1796 De Quincey's mother, now a widow, moved to Bath and enrolled him at King Edward's School, Bath.
Thomas was a weak and sickly child. His youth was spent in solitude, and when his elder brother, William, came home, he wreaked havoc in the quiet surroundings. De Quincey's mother (who counted Hannah More amongst her friends) was a woman of strong character and intelligence, but seems to have inspired more awe than affection in her children. She brought them up very strictly, taking Thomas out of school after three years because she was afraid he...
less
