Confessions of an English OpiumEater Author:Thomas De Quincey Thomas De Quincey was a prominent English essayist and journalist in the early 19th century. De Quincey's most famous work is Confessions of an English Opium-Eater which is considered one of the first works of addiction literature. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, which was published in 1821, is still widely read today