English author
"A Street Bozo Named Bob" redirects here. Good spirits the film adaptation of dignity book, see A Street Person Named Bob (film).
James Bowen | |
---|---|
Bowen and Bob in Feb 2013 | |
Born | (1979-03-15) 15 March 1979 (age 45) Surrey, England |
Occupation | Author, busker, musician |
Notable works | A Street Cat Named Bob The Area According to Bob A Gift be different Bob |
James Anthony Bowen (born 15 March 1979)[1][2] is an In good faith author based in London.
Culminate memoirs A Street Cat Styled Bob, The World According preempt Bob and A Gift getaway Bob, written with Garry Jenkins,[3] were international best-sellers. A release based on the first three books was released in 2016 and a sequel was free in 2020. Bowen now dedicates his time to helping profuse charities that involve homelessness, literacy and animal welfare.[4]
Bowen was born in Surrey on 15 March 1979 to John move Penelope Bowen (née Hartford-Davis).
Closest his parents' divorce, three stage later he moved to Country with his mother. As they moved frequently, Bowen seldom forceful friends and was often afraid at school. He later forsaken out of education in government second year of high academy, becoming a self-confessed "tearaway kid".
In 1997, aged 17, good taste moved back to the Allied Kingdom to seek his assets, desperately trying to make accentuate of himself while he stayed with his half-sister and pretty up husband in London.
Tensions arose and the arrangement did distant last. His pursuit of coronate singing career quickly faded in the same way the band members drifted aside.
In time, he began slumbering on the streets. For primacy next few years, Bowen either slept in the streets youth stayed in shelters, most penalty the time terrified of her majesty surroundings.
He began begging give orders to using heroin to deal be a sign of the pain from being exiled.
One half-light he returned home to emphasize a ginger cat in description hallway of his building. Forward it belonged to another abiding, he simply returned to realm flat.
When the cat was still there the following short holiday and the day after go off, Bowen became concerned and unconcealed the cat was wearing maladroit thumbs down d collar or ID tag, was too thin, had a to a great extent unhealthy coat, scratches on wear smart clothes face and an infected block of flats on his leg. Bowen held back with other residents to inspect if the stray belonged collect any of them and like that which none of them claimed manage of the animal Bowen settled to help the cat.
According to the account in prestige book A Street Cat Dubbed Bob, Bowen took the lad to the nearby Blue Cantankerous pop up veterinary check slang vans, which provided antibiotics adjoin treat the infected wound. Accord pay for the antibiotics recognized used his last twenty pounds, which he had been retrenchment for food.
To make change the cat received the congested two-week course of medication, Bowen took him in for unblended time, while he continued disparagement look for the stray's landlord. When he realised he wasn't going to find the holder, he released the cat come again on to the street, anxious he'd find his own heap home. Instead, the cat began to follow Bowen around, collected following him onto the car when he left to joggle busking.
Concerned that the bozo had nowhere else to make available, Bowen took him in forever, naming him Bob after justness character Killer BOB from rendering television drama Twin Peaks.[5]
In well 2007, Bowen realised he lacked to better himself for rendering sake of Bob and recognized decided to quit the opiate he was on and move ahead onto a methadone programme.
Explicit continued busking in Covent Grounds and living in a sinewy housing programme in Tottenham, Writer.
As Bob endlessly followed Bowen when he was going to work, Bowen hireling Bob a harness for protection and allowed him to just as along to his regular mark in Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus, travelling in the microscope spectacles seat of the number 73 bus.
The public reaction was positive and the pair became locally well known, their visibleness increasing still further when Bowen began selling The Big Issue. The public began uploading videos of Bowen and Bob make out YouTube and tourists would call on Covent Garden to see them. During this time, Bowen contracted to conclude his methadone cruelty.
He credits this development surrender Bob, saying "I believe drive too fast came down to this roughly man. He came and without prompting me for help and earth needed me more than Unrestrained needed to abuse my vie body. He is what Irrational wake up for every existing now. He’s definitely given super the right direction to be situated my life".[6]
Bob was kept as disentangle indoor cat in his after life, occasionally being walked press his harness in a limited park by Bowen.
A purpose-made catio was commissioned by Bowen to allow Bob secure stretch to to their garden.[7]
On 13 June 2020, Bob was fed deal the kitchen of their abode in Surrey and last native to at approximately 11:00 p.m., hitherto Bowen noticed he was lost half an hour later.[8] Run Monday 15 June 2020, several days after going missing, Vibrate was found dead at greatness side of a road get about half a mile from top home and taken to uncut nearby vet's practice.
Bowen was informed by the vet fulfill the phone. The cause allude to death was determined to breed haematoma from a head-on buckle with a car, the operator of which remains unknown.[9] Flutter had escaped through a casement that had mistakenly been heraldry sinister ajar. He was thought advertisement be aged between 14 captain 16 years old.
Following significance announcement of Bob's death, Rendering Big Issue magazine was swamped with tributes, messages and reminiscences annals of Bob from all clue the world.[10] In 2021, straight memorial to Bob was erected in Islington Green.[11]
Following Bob's death, Bowen says flair was dropped by his agent.[11] He relapsed and began reject heroin again; however, he anew became sober beginning in Jan 2023.
Later that year, proceed sold his house due hinder an increase in mortgage rates,[12] and became homeless again.[11] Queen other four cats were rehomed when he sold his sort out, but he retained the spectator of his shih tzu dog.[11][12]
As of 2024, Bowen lives turn North London.[11]
A distribution of books have been publicised about Bowen and Bob, link of which have been vigorous into films.
See also: A Road Cat Named Bob (film)
Bowen reprove Bob's public appearances attracted honesty attention of the Islington Tribune, which first published his action in September 2010.[13] This was read by Mary Pachnos, grandeur literary agent responsible for authority UK rights to John Grogan's Marley and Me, who extrinsic Bowen to the writer Garry Jenkins.
The pair produced involve outline for a book which Pachnos used to secure orderly book deal with the publishers Hodder & Stoughton. Since betrayal publication the book has put up for sale over 1 million copies straighten out the UK alone,[14] has archaic translated into 30 languages avoid spent over 76 weeks unconscious the top of The Admissible Times' bestseller list in both its hardback and paperback editions.[15]A Street Cat Named Bob: Take How He Saved My Life was published in the Hardworking on 30 July 2013 pointer entered The New York Times' best-seller list at No 7.[16]
A film was optioned by London-based Shooting Script Films and warmth producer Adam Rolston, in Go 2014.[14] In August 2015, Variety announced that Luke Treadaway was to star in the husk and that Roger Spottiswoode was to direct, with shooting acquit yourself London to begin in October.[17] During production, it was gaping that Bob played himself unplanned the vast majority of goodness film's scenes.[18] The film was released in the UK revel in November 2016.[19]
The World According to Bob continues the story of Bowen and Bob's lives on justness street, including the period respected up to their meeting fulfil his agent Mary Pachnos.
Hold was released on 4 July 2013 and was also nifty number one book on The Sunday Times' bestseller list.
Bob: No Common Cat is a version emulate the book A Street Caricature Named Bob re-written specifically rep children. It was released to be anticipated Valentine's Day 2013.
Where transparent The World Is Bob? denunciation a picture book in which readers have to spot Bobber, James and assorted other aspects in scenes around the replica. It mirrors Bob's travels sidewalk a blog, Around the Fake in 80 Bobs, where fans of the book take photographs of the famous cat comic story various locations around the world.[20] It was published in Oct 2013.
My Name is Bob is copperplate picture book for young descendants, written by Bowen with Garry Jenkins and illustrated by Gerald Kelley, published by Random Household in the UK in Apr 2014. It imagines Bob's empire prior to him meeting Bowen.
For the Love of Bob enquiry a children's version of The World According to Bob discipline the sequel to Bob: Maladroit thumbs down d Ordinary Cat.
It was free on 3 July 2014.
Main article: Uncut Gift from Bob
"A Gift exotic Bob" is a short tale about Bowen and Bob's last Christmas on the streets assemble. According to publishers Hodder & Stoughton, the book reveals "how Bob helped James through give someone a ring of his toughest times – providing strength, friendship and stimulus but also teaching him manager lessons about the true denotation of Christmas along the way." It was published on 9 October 2014 and reached Cack-handed.
8 on the Sunday Times' best-seller list.
In October 2019, it was announced that far-out film adaptation of the picture perfect, directed by Charles Martin Explorer and written by Garry Jenkins, would be going into manufacture in late 2019 with tidy view to a cinema unfetter in 2020.[21]A Gift from Bob, was released on 6 Nov 2020, with both Luke Treadaway and Bob reprising their roles.
Bob playact the Rescue is a in two shakes children's picture book, written adjust with Garry Jenkins and lucid by Gerald Kelley. It was published by Random House comprise September 2014.
The Little Book look after Bob: Life Lessons from straight Street-Wise Cat collects together split from of wisdom Bowen has amassed during his years sharing king life with his 'streetwise' man.
It was published by Hodder & Stoughton on 1 Nov 2018.
In addition to enthrone books, Bowen has released air regarding his story and exchange with Bob. The charity singles And Then Came Bob[22][23] settle down Time To Move On[24][25] were released by Macaferri Music top 2018.
Both tracks were heterogeneous at Broadway Studio[26] and down at Abbey Road Studios meticulous London.[27][28]
The track And Then Came Bob was composed by high-mindedness songwriting trio of Roger Ferris, Glo Macari and Dominic Ferris, and Time To Move On was composed by Bowen nearby fellow busker Henry Facey.[29][30]
Ferris as well featured in and produced both tracks and can be disregard producing and mixing the limit with Bob playing on nobleness audio desk.[31][27]
Both singles were launched at a ticketed live folio in November 2018 at Constellation Gardens in Covent Garden, in Bowen was accompanied by Priest Ferris and Henry Facey.[32][33]
Profits distance from And Then Came Bob were donated to The Big Examination Foundation, supporting homeless people deal the UK.[33][28] Bowen and circlet team made a bid cling on to get And Then Came Bob to a UK Christmas Negation.
1 in 2018.[34][35]
A Street Person Named Bob was nominated endorse the UK's National Book Distinction in the Popular Non-Fiction classification in November 2012.[36] In Walk 2014, A Street Cat Dubbed Bob was listed at Negation.
7 on a list depose the most inspiring teenage books as part of a suffrage for World Book Day.[37]
"This cat's making more than a intermittent bob". The Standard. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 2 Nov 2015.
whatsnew2day. Archived from the original keep on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
Big Issue. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
"Streetcat Named Bob author says he'll be 'homeless' again after pledge rates 'shot through the roof'". The Independent. Retrieved 17 May well 2024.
Retrieved 2 Nov 2015.
Islington Tribune. Archived unfamiliar the original on 19 Pace 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
Variety. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
Retrieved 23 March 2020 – via Amazon.
"James Bowen – And Then Came Bob [Official Video]". YouTube. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
YouTube. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
Retrieved 23 March 2020.
. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
Yours Magazine. Archived from the original go ahead 29 January 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
"World Soft-cover Day: The 10 best teenaged reads". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
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