Peter Ormerod Review: David Bowie as a "Modern Saint"

Published in January 2026 to mark the tenth anniversary of the icon’s passing, Peter Ormerod’s David Bowie and the Search for Life, Death and God has been hailed as one of the most original biographies in the "heaving Bowie library." Rather than focusing on the "chameleon" of reinvention, Ormerod argues that a singular, consistent spiritual thread powered Bowie’s creativity from his first notes to his final breath.

The book has sparked a significant critical conversation, with The Guardian notably describing the late artist's enduring legacy as the "making of a modern saint."

From Bromley Choirboy to Gnostic Seeker

Ormerod, a journalist who grew up in a clergy family, traces Bowie’s religious preoccupations through a series of chronological "spiritual phases":

• The Anglican Roots: The book begins with David Jones as a choirboy at St. Mary’s Church in Bromley, suggesting that the "shape" of Christian liturgy never truly left his songwriting.

• Tibetan Buddhism & Occultism: Ormerod deep-dives into the 1960s Buddhist investigations that inspired "Silly Boy Blue" and the "fetid brew" of Aleister Crowley-inspired occultism that defined the cocaine-fueled Station to Station era.

• The Stations of the Cross: A highlight of the book is Ormerod’s analysis of the title track "Station to Station," which he argues refers specifically to the Stations of the Cross rather than just railway travel.

• The Final Transcendence: The closing chapters on Heathen (2002) and Blackstar (2016) are cited by critics as the book's strongest, portraying Bowie’s final works as a sophisticated "existential plea" to a deity.

Critical Reception: "Singing in the Choir"

The review consensus for the 256-page Bloomsbury Continuum release has been largely glowing, though not without minor academic skepticism:

Why a "Modern Saint"?

The "saint" moniker, primarily championed by The Guardian’s review, refers to how Bowie has been canonized in the decade since 2016. Ormerod suggests that for many fans, listening to Bowie has become a form of "devotional practice."

The book argues that his V&A archive has become a "vast reliquary" and his childhood home a site of "pilgrimage," positioning Bowie as a figure who "liberated suburban teenagers" not just through fashion, but by validating the search for meaning in a chaotic, post-religious world.

Key Details for 2026

• Author: Peter Ormerod (Arts Editor for NationalWorld)

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Continuum

• Release Date: January 15, 2026

• Price: £20.00 (Hardback)

source - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/28/david-bowie-and-the-search-for-life-death-and-god-by-peter-ormerod-review-the-making-of-a-modern-saint

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