Thomas de Quincey's Subversive Works Published in Pléiade Edition

A new Pléiade volume of Thomas de Quincey's works, edited by Pascal Aquien, has been released by Gallimard. The collection includes his notorious essay "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts" and his opium confessions. Jacques Henric's feuilleton argues that de Quincey's provocative writings—glorifying murder, drug use, and invading Kant's privacy—would face legal trouble today for apologie du meurtre, glorification de la drogue, and violation de la vie privée. Henric recalls his own 1990s trial for his novel "Walkman" depicting Erik Satie's old age. The edition also features "Suspiria de profundis," where de Quincey recounts his sister Elizabeth's death, a trauma he calls "absolute distress." Henric praises de Quincey's extravagant humor and irreverence as a rare antidote to today's insipid moralism.