Iain Sinclair’s latest book delves into the unreliable recollections and striking portraits of photographer John Deakin, shedding light on his troubled life and unique contributions to capturing old Soho. ‘Pariah Genius’ offers a complex view of Deakin and the changing landscape of Soho, coinciding with an exhibition and short film premiere dedicated to the underrecognized artist.
Writer Iain Sinclair has recently released a book titled “Pariah Genius,” exploring the life and works of the underrecognized photographer John Deakin, a key figure in capturing the essence of old Soho, London. The book, which Sinclair himself describes as a “mythology” rather than a straightforward biography, delves into Deakin’s unreliable recollections and striking portraits of renowned figures like Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud. This release coincides with an exhibition of Deakin’s work at Swedenborg House in Bloomsbury and a forthcoming short film set to premiere at the Barbican on May 30.
John Deakin, known for his vivid photographic contributions, lived a turbulent life marked by his problematic behavior and alcoholism, which often alienated him from others yet paradoxically helped him create honest and unembellished portrayals. Despite his talent, Deakin faced financial struggles and relative obscurity, sharply contrasted by the success of his subjects, such as Francis Bacon. Deakin’s life ended following a drinking binge in Brighton, symbolically coinciding with the fading vibrancy of Soho’s cultural scene.
Sinclair’s narrative does not just recount an individual’s history but comments on the broader shifts in Soho, emphasizing its transformation from a cultural hideaway to a more commercialized and less spirited locale. The book “Pariah Genius” is available for purchase, offering readers a complex view of a man and the mythologized Soho he documented.
