Drug of Choice: Opium Recognised as a literary genius, and the creator of some of the world's best-known fictional characters, Victorian novelist and social critic Charles Dickens was a heavy opium user, continuing to use the drug up until the time of his death. In Dickens' Oliver Twist, the Artful Dodger and his gang are described as 'seated round the table... smoking long clay pipes'. Contemporary documents suggest these pipes contained tobacco and opium, as opium would not burn alone. The much-loved author of A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations, among many others, explored the use of opium in more depth in his last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Dickens was inspired to write the story after visiting the opium dens in Shadwell, London, in the 1860s, where he encountered an elderly addict known as 'Laskar Sal', forming the model for Opium Sal featured in the mystery tale. John Jasper, the villain of the story, leads a double life, crossing back and forth between the sober and provincial Cloisterham, where he acts as a respectable choirmaster, and a Docklands opium den, where he smokes the drug and fantasises about killing his nephew. The novel begins within the den, with Dickens providing the reader with access to the visions of Jasper's opium dream. Which author do you think struggled the most with their addiction? Let us know if you think this affected their work in the comments below...
