Luminous presence

<i>Luminous presence: Derek Jarman's life-writing </i>is the first book to analyse the prolific writing of queer icon Derek Jarman. Although he is well known for his avant-garde filmmaking his garden and his AIDS activism he is also the author of over a dozen books many of which are autobiographical. Much of Jarman's exploration of post-war queer identity and imaginative response to HIV/AIDS can be found in his books such as the lyrical AIDS diaries <i>Modern Nature </i>and <i>Smiling in Slow Motion</i>. This book fully explores for the first time the remarkable range and depth of Jarman's writing. Spanning his career Alexandra Parsons argues that Jarman's self-reflexive response to the HIV/AIDS crisis was critical in changing the cultural terms of queer representation from the 1980s onwards. <i>Luminous presence </i>is of great interest to students scholars and readers of queer histories in literature art and film.