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Derek Jarman: The Authorised Biography
By Tony Peake. Foreword by Olivia Laing. Afterword by Jon Savage.
"Peake has given Derek Jarman the biography he deserves." —Gay Times
This volume is the official authorized biography of artist, filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman (1942–94). First published in 2011, this classic biography returns in a new edition featuring contributions by bestselling authors Olivia Laing and Jon Savage looking at Jarman's impact and legacy over the past five decades. The book was authored by Jarman’s longtime literary agent, Tony Peake, who was given unprecedented access to Jarman’s archives. Jarman’s story stretches from the bleakness of postwar Britain and his RAF childhood to studenthood at the Slade and work as a designer for such figures as John Gielgud and Ken Russell. It is the story of a filmmaker, a gay activist, a painter and a gardener, and a vivid bohemian existence in a London long gone. Jarman created a singular garden in the shingle surrounding his simple fisherman’s cottage at Dungeness in Kent, which has become a site of memorial, celebration and pilgrimage. He became known as an impassioned and provocative spokesperson not only for gay men, but for anyone oppressed by bigotry. Derek Jarman died of AIDS-related causes in February 1994; Peake describes the inimitable courage and grace he possessed in the face of painful death, and the legacies he left behind. Tony Peake was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1951 and is based in London and Essex. He is a novelist, short story writer, biographer and celebrated literary agent. He has written three novels: A Summer Tide (1993), Son to the Father (1995) and North Facing (2017).
Above: Jarman admiring his multiple for the Lisson Gallery—which proved too expensive and fragile to mass produce. John Dewe-Mathews
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Allison & Busby’s 640-page, updated reissue of Little, Brown’s critically acclaimed 1999 authorized biography of artist, filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman (1942–94) could not come at a better time. As the current administration bears down against diverse belief systems, gender and sexual orientations and race-based initiatives throughout our society, Jarman’s exploration of identity and his indomitable advocacy not just for gay men, but for anyone oppressed by bigotry, remain a beacon. Written by Jarman’s longtime literary agent, Tony Peake, this tender and immaculately researched life story also features new contributions by bestselling authors Olivia Laing and Jon Savage. Pictured here—from Pansy: a true story, a screen musical recalling and examining British attitudes toward homosexuality over Jarman’s lifetime—Jarman appears with pioneering Scottish pop singer and LGBTQ+ advocate Jimmy Somerville at an OutRage! demonstration to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Britain's 1967 Sexual Offences Act, July 25, 1992. (Photo by Bill Short.) “With the aid of a megaphone, Jarman read Sonnet 116: ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediment.’ Around his neck hung a placard which made a simpler statement: ‘still waiting and f*cking furious.’” continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 6 x 9.25 in. / 640 pgs / 8 color / 16 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $39.95 LIST PRICE: CANADA $59.95 ISBN: 9780749032906 PUBLISHER: Allison & Busby Ltd AVAILABLE: 4/15/2025 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: NA LA
Published by Allison & Busby Ltd. By Tony Peake. Foreword by Olivia Laing. Afterword by Jon Savage.
"Peake has given Derek Jarman the biography he deserves." —Gay Times
This volume is the official authorized biography of artist, filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman (1942–94). First published in 2011, this classic biography returns in a new edition featuring contributions by bestselling authors Olivia Laing and Jon Savage looking at Jarman's impact and legacy over the past five decades. The book was authored by Jarman’s longtime literary agent, Tony Peake, who was given unprecedented access to Jarman’s archives.
Jarman’s story stretches from the bleakness of postwar Britain and his RAF childhood to studenthood at the Slade and work as a designer for such figures as John Gielgud and Ken Russell. It is the story of a filmmaker, a gay activist, a painter and a gardener, and a vivid bohemian existence in a London long gone. Jarman created a singular garden in the shingle surrounding his simple fisherman’s cottage at Dungeness in Kent, which has become a site of memorial, celebration and pilgrimage. He became known as an impassioned and provocative spokesperson not only for gay men, but for anyone oppressed by bigotry. Derek Jarman died of AIDS-related causes in February 1994; Peake describes the inimitable courage and grace he possessed in the face of painful death, and the legacies he left behind.
Tony Peake was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1951 and is based in London and Essex. He is a novelist, short story writer, biographer and celebrated literary agent. He has written three novels: A Summer Tide (1993), Son to the Father (1995) and North Facing (2017).
