Through the Billboard Promised Land Without Ever Stopping

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Through the Billboard Promised Land Without Ever Stopping is Derek Jarman's only narrative fiction, published for the first time by House Sparrow Press. Written in 1971, this surreal, lyrical work blends elements of a literary fairytale and an acid-trip road movie, influencing much of Jarman's later artistic endeavors. The poetic tale follows a blind young King and his valet, who, disguised as beggars, embark on a meandering journey without a clear destination. Their travels take them from Fargo through Movietown and along the Superhighway, where they picnic on the Lawns of Paradise and meet colorful characters like Pierrot, Borgia Ginz, and an Emperor who "smiles with the art of mirrors," alongside a Sphinx inscribed with "Silence is Golden." This foundational text introduces themes, images, and styles that permeate Jarman's work in painting, film, and design, while also reflecting the emerging ecological crisis through its contrast of nature's beauty and modernity's consumption. This edition includes facsimile images of Jarman's handwritten drafts, a link to an exclusive audio recording of him reading the story, a vivid foreword by Philip Hoare, a researched afterword by Declan Wiffen, and a heartfelt memoir by Michael Ginsborg, a close friend of Jarman during the story's creation.