David Lenson Boeken

It has been more than twenty years since President Nixon declared the War on Drugs. In On Drugs, David Lenson delivers a scathing indictment of this war as an effort based, like all attempts to eradicate "getting high," on an incomplete understanding of human nature. From lotus-eaters to hippies to crackheads, he contends, history has shown the state's inability to legislate the bloodstreams of its citizens. Lenson ventures beyond conventional genres to view the drug debate from the largely forgotten perspective of those who use drugs. In successfully walking the fine line between the antidrug hysteria of the 1980s and an advocacy of drug use, Lenson shatters the ban on debate regarding drugs enforced in the "Just Say No" campaign and reveals the myriad ways "straight society" demonizes the drug user. After considering several specific issues associated with drug use - including sex, violence, and money - Lenson concludes with his vision of the end of the Drug War by questioning the sense in condemning millions of Americans to lives of concealment and deceit.

Exploring the evolution of tragedy over the last two centuries, David Lenson highlights how significant literary figures like Kleist, Goethe, Melville, Yeats, and Faulkner contribute to a broader understanding of the tragic tradition beyond traditional drama. He argues that tragedy persists in various forms, including the novel and lyric poetry, challenging the notion that creative practice has diminished. Lenson's analysis reveals the ongoing relevance and adaptation of tragic themes in diverse literary genres.