Derek Jarman: A Biography

Derek Jarman was many things - artist, writer, poet, filmmaker, gardener, political activist, etc. and you will feel like you knew him well after reading this excellent biography by Tony Peake, who was a friend and collaborator to Jarman. Beginning with Jarman's childhood, it was easy to see that he was highly sensitive to beauty and the arts - he was fascinated with flowers and nature which would lead to his development of his famous garden at Dungeness. Also, he was greatly affected by the art and entertainment medium around him - when his parents took him to the cinema for the first time, it was to see "The Wizard of Oz" and Jarman was so wrapped up in the film that he closed out everything else around him and thought the events occuring in front of him were real and at one point, to the embarrassment of his parents, ran screaming up the aisles in terror. Jarman's early adult years found him leading a very bohemian existence, experimenting with art and film and exploring his homosexuality. He was especially drawn to filmmaking and would eventually direct such avant garde features as "Sebastiane" and "The Last of England". When he was diagnosed with AIDS in the mid 80's, he became more and more involved in activism for AIDS reasearch and the basic rights of gays and lesbians. Jarman had many critics, both to his work and his activism, but he never buckled to them and spoke out any time he felt an injustice was being served. Peake's biography is daunting (533 pages) but it is not heavy handed and you almost feel that you are sitting with someone who knew Jarman well, listening to his stories about him. The last chapters deal with Jarman's devastating battle with AIDS, which left him crippled and blind, and if the last poem in the book (taken from Jarman's film "Blue") does not leave you teary eyed, nothing will.