Iain Sinclair & Xiaolu Guo: Pariah Genius

During the Covid lockdown Iain Sinclair took delivery of two large yellow boxes containing fresh prints of photographs by the master-chronicler of Soho John Deakin who died, obscure and penniless, in a Brighton hotel room in 1972. Sinclair, another master-chronicler of London’s hidden past, uses those and other images and memories – (‘an invaluable catalogue of artists and divas, actors, film producers, criminals and derelicts’) – to bring back to life the unique artistic milieu of Bohemian London in the 50s and 60s.

Iain Sinclair read from Pariah Genius (Cheerio) and discussed the book with memoirist, novelist and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo.