Les Paradis artificiels

Les Paradis Artificiels (English: Artificial Paradises) is a book by French poet Charles Baudelaire, first published in 1860, about the state of being under the influence of opium and hashish. Baudelaire describes the effects of the drugs and discusses the way in which they could theoretically aid mankind in reaching an ideal world. The text was influenced by Thomas De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Suspiria de Profundis. His longtime friend and colleague Gautier also wrote reminiscences about his experiences at the Club de Hashischins, held for a time at the Hotel Pîmodan, which is where he and Baudelaire first became acquainted. Baudelaire analyzes the motivation of the addict, and the individual psychedelic experience of the user.