A FORMER busker from Cirencester who spent four years gigging around the streets of Europe has swapped his guitar pick for a pen.

Having kept a diary while on the road, guitar player Evan Burgess has seen his collection of anecdotes and life lessons published into a book.

The 28-year-old, who lived out of a suitcase between 2008 and 2012, told the Standard that he was encouraged to document his travels by his audiences.

“I was just going around different European countries and playing street music for years. People would come up to me and say if I wrote a book about my travels, they would read it,” he said.

Vagrant Troubadour documents the ups and downs Evan encountered on a daily basis while entertaining passersby on the continent.

Within the book’s first three pages, Evan shares how he was pelted with stink bombs and even credit cards during his performances.

Despite the more unsavoury incidents, Evan explained there was nothing about his four-year excursion that he would want to change.

“It was such a good experience for me. It was one of the most interesting ways to see Europe, you get to see so much that you wouldn’t normally see,” he said.

The book, which is being sold in Cheltenham as well as parts of Denmark, was limited to 100 physical copies but has recently been made available to buy as an eBook.

Last month Evan gave a reading of his book and performed acoustically at New Brewery Arts in Cirencester.

For details on how to get a copy of Evan’s book Vagrant Troubadour, email entslrs@gmail.com.