Synopsis "Pariah Genius (in English)"
In Pariah Genius, literary giant Iain Sinclair follows in Deakin’s footsteps, chronicling his Soho life — and the world of Francis Bacon and his friends — which has so influenced our perception of that generation’s work. In this bold fictionalisation, Sinclair enters the underworld of Deakin’s life and imagination, pursuing his subject across continents, in dive bars, and bedrooms.
Don’t let the historical material or the cultural enormity of its subjects fool you into thinking you’re in for anything remotely dry or academic with this book — Sinclair’s narrative steers clear of what we might expect from any historical narrative or biography we’ve ever read before. Sinclair doesn’t care for facts, and neither do we by the end of the first page. Instead, he gives us what we want to believe. Is any of it true? Quite possibly. But even googling any minor detail feels like breaking the spell that Sinclair casts on us. As the narrator says, “I read it somewhere, or perhaps dreamed it”, and who actually cares which.
Each chapter of Pariah Genius is opened with one of Deakin’s photographs, ensued by a spiraling narrative that descends from the context of the image itself, to the tantilising — and borderline gossipy — details of both Deakin and the subject’s life. The fictionalised biographer has sharpened their quill to a dagger to expose the guts of almost every character they come into contact with. Deakin’s photographic subjects are described as his “victims”, and the narrator reproduces the same effect in their writing.
Speaking of writing, Sinclair dons the cap of “literary giant” for good reason. His writing is seamless and absorbing, with the right injection of cynicism and dark humour to match his subjects, and plenty of gems to dog-ear and underline as you go. Some of my favourite descriptions of Deakin include: “Disliked by those who didn’t know him well, and loathed by those who did (affectionately loathed in some cases), John Deakin made his long and stuttering career into an arc of revenge” and “Deakin’s prints expose the crimes of others, while concealing his own. His gift came at a cost. Recording everything, he was obliged to eat the sins he depicted. His true confession was never heard.“.
In case you couldn’t already tell, this reader was enraptured by Pariah Genius from cover to cover. The subject matter is tantilising and the writing highly addictive. Future readers (yourself inevitably included) will find themselves entirely immersed in Deakin’s world without the faintest desire to pull away.
