After reading Derek Jarman’s Diary, my imagination conjures only one scenario for the continuation of my existence – a vast garden, preferably in the suburbs of London (naturally, near some eerie nuclear power plant, like Jarman’s), with plenty of roses, lilies, hyacinths, immortelles, columbines, and of course, an abundance of magnolias, critically abundant magnolias. Then everything will be fine.

Overall, this diary is very calming, immersing you in a cozy place. Moreover, it is insanely informative (gentle information). Did you know, for example, that Goethe, while strolling around his town, always scattered violet seeds, and that Egyptian seers placed forget-me-nots on their eyes to induce dreams? No one knows about this, and no one loves flowers as much as Jarman.

June 2015