Thomas de Quincey was a writer, born in Manchester, England. He was a bright student, having learned fluent Greek, both written and verbal, by the age of 15. At the age of 17, and with the support of his mother and uncle, he ran away from school to Wales and then London. He attended school at Oxford where he became addicted to laudanum (opium in an alcohol tincture), and left school without a degree. While visiting Bath, he met the writer Taylor Coleridge, and through him Robert Southey and William Wordsworth; in 1809 went to live near them in Grasmere. Due to a series of illnesses in 1812-13, he again began using opium and became a daily user. He married Margaret Simpson, and eventually had 8 children with her. Having spent his fortune, he began supporting his family through writing and journalism. In 1821, after returning to London, he wrote Confessions of an English Opium Eater, which brought him instant fame.

In 1828 he moved to Edinburgh, and following the death of his wife in 1837, he again began using opium heavily. He continued to write for various magazines, and without great financial success, until his death in 1859.