Beschreibung
Produktdetails
Einband
Taschenbuch
Erscheinungsdatum
05.01.2026
Verlag
Edition AcéphaleSeitenzahl
49
Maße (L/B/H)
22,5/14,6/0,4 cm
Gewicht
92 g
Auflage
2. Auflage
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN
978-3-903582-12-5
A slim booklet that reads like a garish flash of the nineteenth century: The Chinese Opium Smoker does not unfold in chapters, but in twelve stark pictorial plates tracing the “career” of an addiction—from the first “harmless” puff to social, physical, and familial ruin. Originally circulated as Chinese moral cartoons in public spaces, these scenes were here translated and annotated for a British audience: a visual indictment of a vice, and at the same time of those who profited from it.
The dramaturgy is relentless. The plates move from seduction and secrecy to self-deception, the collapse of work and reputation, the selling off of possessions, the breakdown of relationships—culminating in utter destitution. Precisely because the booklet relies on images, it achieves a striking immediacy that feels surprisingly modern, almost like an early documentary “graphic narrative” about addiction and colonial political economy.
The visual sequence is complemented by revealing contemporary documents, including pointed letters from Chinese statesmen to British representatives that lay bare the moral and political core of the opium question. In this way, the booklet becomes more than a moral tract: it stands as a historical piece of evidence—disturbing, provocative, and uncannily relevant.
The dramaturgy is relentless. The plates move from seduction and secrecy to self-deception, the collapse of work and reputation, the selling off of possessions, the breakdown of relationships—culminating in utter destitution. Precisely because the booklet relies on images, it achieves a striking immediacy that feels surprisingly modern, almost like an early documentary “graphic narrative” about addiction and colonial political economy.
The visual sequence is complemented by revealing contemporary documents, including pointed letters from Chinese statesmen to British representatives that lay bare the moral and political core of the opium question. In this way, the booklet becomes more than a moral tract: it stands as a historical piece of evidence—disturbing, provocative, and uncannily relevant.
Kundinnen und Kunden meinen
Verfassen Sie die erste Bewertung zu diesem Artikel
Helfen Sie anderen Kund*innen durch Ihre Meinung
Kurze Frage zu unserer Seite
Vielen Dank für dein Feedback
Wir nutzen dein Feedback, um unsere Produktseiten zu verbessern. Bitte habe Verständnis, dass wir dir keine Rückmeldung geben können. Falls du Kontakt mit uns aufnehmen möchtest, kannst du dich aber gerne an unseren Kund*innenservice wenden.
zum Kundenservice