BOWIELAND

‘A ripping read. What a ghost story! With life-affirming tread, Peter Carpenter tracks down fugitive selves, memory phantoms, through places lesser surveyors thought had vanished for ever, in quest of his bright trickster angel, the many named and multi-masked David Bowie. Here is a fugue of resistance and recovery, by way of gossip, anecdote, chance meeting. And a renewed sense of the undying mystery of things. Fabulous rewards for the blisters, dead ends and the enduring persistence in folly.’ – Iain Sinclair, author of London Orbital
‘A sublime, time-travelling quest, a 21st century Baedeker of the edgelands. To save his life, Peter Carpenter must walk, so let him take you on a journey from Heddon Street to Berlin to Beckenham in search of our beloved Bowie, and ourselves.’ – Tiffany Murray, Author of My Family and Other Rock Stars
‘Bowieland is living archaeology. By following the suburban songlines of Bowie’s life, and his own, Carpenter takes us on a joyful and fascinating journey which anchors Bowie’s genius in the pavements and lost monuments of our changing world. It’s a pilgrimage full of surprising connections, mesmerising detail, and a passionate desire to discover the unexpected in the midst of our collective memories.’ – Kevin Loader, producer of The Buddha of Suburbia
‘Part fan pilgrimage, part psycho-geographical dérive, Bowieland vividly celebrates Bowie as not just a chameleonic visionary, but a nomadic one, a creature informed by place and circumstance’ – Stuart Maconie, Author of The Full English
‘A heartfelt, entertaining and profound tale. Written with the enthusiasm of a true fan, and the voice of a poet, Bowieland merges travelogue, detective story and memoir into a highly original book that I’m pretty sure would win the approval of the man himself.’ * Lois Pryce, Author of Revolutionary Ride *
‘From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, the much-missed David Bowie was a musician as defined by place as he was by any of his other influences. In this innovative and inventive slice of psychogeography, Bowie aficionado Peter Carpenter embarks upon a tour of places in southern England associated with the legend. He discovers new and often surprising connections everywhere from Hastings (the Ashes to Ashes video location) to, inevitably, Bowie’s birthplace in Brixton. Bowieland will make you want to take your very own pilgrimage, accompanied by the great man’s songs.’ * Alexander Larman, The Observer *
‘Fond biographical appreciation, personal memoir and psychogeographical investigation of place in the vein of Iain Sinclair…An enjoyable gazetteer to Bowie’s broader hinterland.’ * The Times Literary Supplement *
‘Full of literary, cultural, musical and historical references that shed light on Bowie’s life and art, it’s a delightful journey of discovery * Choice Magazine *
Nomadic nuance informs a superior Bowie book. The term ‘psychogeography’ - finding personal connections in spaces and routes - had a moment of cool in the 2000s. It’s now fallen from fashion, but poet/ essayist Peter Carpenter’s thoughtful, rewarding book revives its allure.Pretty much every Bowie angle and its wife has been covered by publishers, yet this, haunting the streets and shrines of Bowie lore, breathes new life into homage, elevating inquisitiveness to its own state of creativity. With elements of travelogue and memoir, it’s a wry, wise twist on worship. * Classic Rock *
‘Bowieland is a reminder of a the many ways in which its subject has come to pervade our culture [and] ignite our imaginations…’ * Record Collector *
‘A moving reflection on place, influence and artistic legacy.’ * Wanderlust *
A fabulous, labyrinthine ascent into the multiverse of Bowie, from a fan who really has walked the walk. * Jude Rogers, author of The Sound of Being Human *
Peter Carpenter’s Bowieland is a search for heroes in the suburban sprawl. It asks, ‘Where are we now?’ as Carpenter tracks his own recovery alongside the ghost of Bowie, charting changes in himself and the world around him. This beautiful pilgrimage is a life-affirming station-to-station journey, translating the map into the vivid sounds and visions of a lost idol. It’s a wonderful book with a deep longing for all those golden years, and the wild-eyed boy from Freecloud who changed the world. * Dan Stevens, Actor *
[A] brilliant book…The very best memorial to Bowie. * Paul Ross, Talksport Book of the Week, April 2025 *
Bowieland is a wonderful book. * Professor David Morley *
‘A ripping read… With life-affirming tread, Peter Carpenter tracks down fugitive selves, memory phantoms, through places lesser surveyors thought had vanished for ever, in quest of his bright trickster angel, the many named and multi-masked David Bowie.’ – Iain Sinclair * Author of London Orbital *
‘A sublime, time-travelling quest, a 21st century Baedeker of the edgelands.’ – Tiffany Murray * Author of My Family and Other Rock Stars *
’ By following the suburban songlines of Bowie’s life, and his own, Carpenter takes us on a joyful and fascinating journey which anchors Bowie’s genius in the pavements and lost monuments of our changing world.’ – Kevin Loader * producer of The Buddha of Suburbia *
‘Part fan pilgrimage, part psycho-geographical dérive, Bowieland vividly celebrates Bowie as not just a chameleonic visionary, but a nomadic one, a creature informed by place and circumstance’ – Stuart Maconie * Author of The Full English *
A heartfelt, entertaining and profound tale. – Lois Pryce * Author of Revolutionary Ride *
‘In this innovative and inventive slice of psychogeography, Bowie aficionado Peter Carpenter embarks upon a tour of places in southern England associated with the legend [David Bowie]… Bowieland will make you want to take your very own pilgrimage, accompanied by the great man’s songs.’ – Alexander Larman * The Observer *
‘Full of literary, cultural, musical and historical references that shed light on Bowie’s life and art, it’s a delightful journey of discovery.’ * Choice Magazine *
Nomadic nuance informs a superior Bowie book. The term ‘psychogeography’ - finding personal connections in spaces and routes - had a moment of cool in the 2000s. It’s now fallen from fashion, but poet/ essayist Peter Carpenter’s thoughtful, rewarding book revives its allure.Pretty much every Bowie angle and its wife has been covered by publishers, yet this, haunting the streets and shrines of Bowie lore, breathes new life into homage, elevating inquisitiveness to its own state of creativity. With elements of travelogue and memoir, it’s a wry, wise twist on worship. * Classic Rock *
‘Bowieland is a reminder of a the many ways in which its subject has come to pervade our culture [and] ignite our imaginations…’ * Record Collector *
‘A moving reflection on place, influence and artistic legacy.’ * Wanderlust *
‘A delightful journey of discovery.’ * Choice Magazine *
‘Fond biographical appreciation, personal memoir and psychogeographical investigation of place in the vein of Iain Sinclair…An enjoyable gazetteer to Bowie’s broader hinterland.’ * The Times Literary Supplement *

Peter Carpenter’s poetry has been widely anthologised and praised, and his chapter on creative writing appears in The OUP Handbook of British and Irish Poetry. He has written essays and articles on a wide variety of subjects, from the photography of Boris Mikhailov to the poetry of T. S. Eliot, in journals such as London Magazine and PN Review. He contributed a chapter about rock star Gary Holton in London: City of Disappearances; and in Iain Sinclair’s circuit around the M25, London Orbital, Peter appears as a character and guide. Born in Epsom, Peter now lives near Oxford with his wife, Amanda, a sustainability activist. They also co-direct cult independent micropress, Worple. Peter walks for life and still supports his local team.

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