Four Feet Under
By Tamsen Courtenay
Thirty homeless people share the secrets of their lives, through first-hand accounts, conversations and intimate photographs
Unbound Exclusives
About the book
A businessman, a builder, a transsexual woman, a soldier, a child prostitute, an elderly couple, a battered wife and many more describe - in their own words - the events that led to the life they live now, four feet under the rest of us, on pavements and in shop doorways. They talk of childhoods, jobs, their strengths and weaknesses, dreams and regrets. They share opinions, fears and petty snobberies, all with humour and a breathtaking lack of guile.
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The 30 people I met during two months on London’s streets became my heroes. Their stories are the backbone of the book, recorded and then transcribed verbatim, with portraits and photographs of their affairs. My adventures and observations are threaded throughout. I met people who made me laugh till I shook and changed forever the way I look at cardboard. I was beaten badly with a piece of wood by a drunk (non-homeless) man in a suit, and I discovered what ‘crack’ looks (and smells) like.
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It was a mini-odyssey spent mostly in the rain, with chewing gum stuck to my frozen backside, aching joints, bronchitis, blistered feet and coffee stains down my front where passersby had knocked me as I sat. For me, it was a privilege.I didn’t have to go very far to find these home-grown exiles. I didn’t need foreign currency, a phrase book (although there were times when one might have been handy) or a passport. My Oyster card was enough. They aren’t on distant shores, they’re at the bottom of your road. Have you ever wondered how they got there?
George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London meets Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York ... but with exceptionally intimate imagery and a directness and detail that is new.
Can you let us see some photos of the characters you interviewed? I think a few faces might be a nice way to engage fresh suppporters
Absolutely ... In fact, it's weird you mentioning it as I was thinking that I wish people could see more of the magnificent faces I photographed. It's a way of somehow feeling 'closer', and that's what the book is all about ... I'll get on and sort that out. Thanks for your encouragement!
Are any homeless charities benefiting from this book if it gets to publication? [I have just pledged on the hardback].
I’m not too sure what you mean by benefiting? Do you mean are they getting any money from my book? The answer to that is no, they aren’t. If you mean do they know about the book, are behind the idea, and are glad that it ‘benefits’ the cause, as it were, then yes, they are! It’s always tricky if you write about a subject or a group of people to whom charities have allied themselves. I haven’t been asked your question before but it is a good one! I am now a writer. Nothing much more than that! It is a job. I don’t know if you read the bit called ‘About the Author’ but I used to work as an investigative journalist - issues that are sensitive, difficult or are about people who live on the margins of society, have always interested me, concerned me. I feel that the book is really about benefiting the homeless themselves rather than charities. As individuals, the homeless don’t often get a very public opportunity to express their thoughts and so on in depth. The book is a homage to them – they won me over and earned my respect and admiration. Others will feel the same, I am sure, when they read it. I decided to give up my job and actually go out and talk to them, listen to them and what they had to say. They themselves desperately want the public to know who they are and how they got where are they are. I was happy to do that job. And in a way it was a job ... It took nearly 12 months to transcribe the 70 hours of conversations, deal with 300+ photographs, write the book, re-write the book and so on, and cost me a fortune one way and another – but totally, totally worth it. It is enormously encouraging for me to discover that people like you – who I don’t even know – bother to care, bother to get involved in some way. Crowdfunding a book is hard work. It takes up virtually all my waking hours and can be soul-destroying but then, someone does pledge, and it all seems possible. The crowdfunding will end with the production of the First Edition (which you will get!) and that done, it triggers the production of the trade editions for the bookshops and Amazon through Penguin-Cornerstone. So, you have helped take a step towards that and a step towards making people think twice about walking past a homeless person, sitting there, Four Feet Under. Tam and thank you for supporting this book
Hi. I'm the deputy editor of the Pavement Magazine. It's free and is written and published for the homeless community in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Do you have twenty minutes for a quick interview for the magazine focusing on your experience producing the book. I prefer doing interviews face to face but I could do it by phone or email (my least favourite option especially for this sort of thing cuz I want to focus on your humanity.) Not that it matters but I got involved with the Pavement after I ended up homeless myself squats, sofa surfing, shooting galleries, night shelters, street homeless, assessment centre, hostel, assisted living - just about the whole cycle. Check out our website https://www.thepavement.org. Our pocket sized paper magazine is obviously the priority and also contains listings for services such as soup kitchens, night shelters, needle exchanges, where to get a shower, wash your clothes, eat for free etc. I'll put the word around about your book regardless but If you have time for an interview message me on london@thepavement.org.uk. I'm based in London. Mat Amp 07595602324
Sounds terrific, Mat ... I'm in London for a couple of days next week ... Where are you based? In any event, you can email me on: tamsen.courtenay@googlemail.com Let's deal with stuff via that ... But yes, for sure, it would be my pleasure to natter with you! T