Derek Jarman

Taken decade by decade, Derek Jarman's life is a virtual encapsulation of the social and cultural history of the latter half of the twentieth century, from post-war austerity through the liberated sixties and the perplexing seventies to the eighties of Aids and Thatcherism. Always influential in artistic and film-making terms, and within the gay community, Jarman had attained before his death a figurehead status that is now very generally recognised, and can only increase with time. His extraordinary garden in Dungeness in Kent has become a major tourist attraction and his films still compel massive critical attention. Tony Peake was Derek Jarman's literary agent, and knew him well. His authorised biography is based on first-hand interviews and primary research and does immense justice to a brilliant - and singular - subject.