Alain de Botton
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Alain de Botton (; born 20 December 1969) is a
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
-born
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and
philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
. His books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy's relevance to everyday life. He published ''Essays in Love'' (1993), which went on to sell two million copies. Other bestsellers include ''How Proust Can Change Your Life'' (1997), ''
Status Anxiety ''Status Anxiety'' is a nonfiction book by Alain de Botton. It was first published in 2004 by Hamish Hamilton; subsequent publications have been by Penguin Books. Central thesis Status Anxiety is a 21st-century phenomenon which is a result of ca ...
'' (2004) and '' The Architecture of Happiness'' (2006). He co-founded
The School of Life The School of Life is an educational company that offers advice on life issues. It was founded in 2008 and has branches in London (headquarters), Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul, Paris, São Paulo, and Taipei. The company offers a variety of educ ...
in 2008 and Living Architecture in 2009. In 2015, he was awarded "The Fellowship of Schopenhauer", an annual writers' award from the
Melbourne Writers Festival Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) is an annual literary festival held in the Australian city of Melbourne, a UNESCO City of Literature. The Festival runs during early September each year. Melbourne Writers Festival is part of the Word Alliance, ...
, for that work.


Early life and family

De Botton was born in
Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
, the son of Jacqueline (née Burgauer) and Gilbert de Botton. Gilbert was born in
Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, but after being expelled under Nasser, he went to live and work in Switzerland, where he co-founded an investment firm,
Global Asset Management GAM Investments is an independent, pure play asset management group headquartered in Zurich.
; his family was estimated to have been worth £234 million in 1999. Alain de Botton's Swiss-born mother was
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
, and his father was from a
Sephardic Jewish Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefar ...
family from the town of Boton in
Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of the ...
. De Botton's ancestors include
Abraham de Boton Abraham Hiyya de Boton (c. 1560 – c. 1605) (Hebrew: אברהם די בוטון) was a Talmudist and rabbi, a pupil of Samuel de Medina, who later dwelt for the most part at Salonica as rabbi and leader of a Talmudic academy. The name "Ḥiyya" ...
. De Botton's paternal grandmother was
Yolande Harmer Yolande Harmer (born Yolande Gabbai, he, יולנדה הארמר; 1913–1959) was an Israeli intelligence officer who operated in Egypt in 1948. She was recruited due to her connections in elite and royal circles and she has been described as "I ...
, a Jewish-Egyptian journalist who spied for
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and died in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. He has one sister, Miel, and they received a secular upbringing. Alain spent the first twelve years of his life in Switzerland where he was brought up speaking French and German.


Education

De Botton attended the
Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...
where English became his primary language. He was later sent to board and study at
Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...
, a public school in England. He has often described his childhood as that of a shy child living in boarding schools. De Botton read History at
University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, where he was a member of
Gonville and Caius College Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...
, graduating with a double starred first. He then completed an
MPhil The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil m ...
in Philosophy at
King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
(1991–1992), and began studying for a PhD in
French philosophy French philosophy, here taken to mean philosophy in the French language, has been extremely diverse and has influenced Western philosophy as a whole for centuries, from the medieval scholasticism of Peter Abelard, through the founding of modern ...
at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. However, he gave up his research to write books for the general public.


Writing


Fiction

In his first novel, ''Essays in Love'' (titled ''On Love'' in the U.S.), published in 1993, de Botton deals with the process of falling in and out of love. In 2010, ''Essays in Love'' was adapted to film by director Julian Kemp for the romantic comedy ''
My Last Five Girlfriends ''My Last Five Girlfriends'' is a 2009 British romantic black comedy film directed by Julian Kemp starring Brendan Patricks, based on pop-philosopher Alain De Botton's book, ''Essays In Love'' (U.S. title ''On Love''). Plot After yet another ...
''. De Botton wrote a sequel to ''Essays in Love'', published in 2016, titled ''The Course of Love''.


Non-fiction

In 1997 he published his first non-fiction book, ''How Proust Can Change Your Life'', based on the life and works of
Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...
. It was a bestseller in both the US and UK."Interview with Alain de Botton"
, writerspace.com; accessed 26 February 2014.
This was followed by '' The Consolations of Philosophy'' in 2000. The title of the book is a reference to
Boethius Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius, commonly known as Boethius (; Latin: ''Boetius''; 480 – 524 AD), was a Roman senator, consul, ''magister officiorum'', historian, and philosopher of the Early Middle Ages. He was a central figure in the tr ...
's ''
Consolation of Philosophy ''On the Consolation of Philosophy'' ('' la, De consolatione philosophiae'')'','' often titled as ''The Consolation of Philosophy'' or simply the ''Consolation,'' is a philosophical work by the Roman statesman Boethius. Written in 523 while he ...
'', in which philosophy appears as an
allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...
figure to Boethius to console him in the period leading up to his impending execution. In ''The Consolations of Philosophy'', de Botton attempts to demonstrate how the teachings of philosophers such as
Epicurus Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influenced ...
,
Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne ( ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a liter ...
,
Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...
,
Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( , ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is best known for his 1818 work ''The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the phenomenal world as the prod ...
,
Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...
, and
Socrates Socrates (; ; –399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no te ...
can be applied to modern everyday woes. The book has been both praised and criticized for its therapeutic approach to philosophy. In 2004, he published ''
Status Anxiety ''Status Anxiety'' is a nonfiction book by Alain de Botton. It was first published in 2004 by Hamish Hamilton; subsequent publications have been by Penguin Books. Central thesis Status Anxiety is a 21st-century phenomenon which is a result of ca ...
''. In '' The Architecture of Happiness'' (2006), he discusses the nature of beauty in architecture and how it is related to the well-being and general contentment of the individual and society. He describes how architecture affects people every day, though people rarely pay particular attention to it. A good portion of the book discusses how human personality traits are reflected in architecture. He defends
Modernist architecture Modern architecture, or modernist architecture, was an architectural movement or architectural style based upon new and innovative technologies of construction, particularly the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete; the idea that form ...
, and chastises the pseudo-vernacular architecture of housing, especially in the UK. "The best modern architecture," he argues, "doesn't hold a mirror up to nature, though it may borrow a pleasing shape or expressive line from nature's copybook. It gives voice to aspirations and suggests possibilities. The question isn't whether you'd actually like to live in a
Le Corbusier Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
home, but whether you'd like to be the kind of person who'd like to live in one." In '' The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work'' (2009), de Botton produced a survey of ten different jobs, including accountancy, rocket science and biscuit manufacture. The book, a piece of narrative non-fiction, includes two hundred original images and aims to unlock the beauty, interest and occasional horror of the modern world of work. After a negative review of the book by ''New York Times'' critic
Caleb Crain Caleb Crain is an American writer, who was a Lambda Literary Award nominee in the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction, Gay Fiction category at the 26th Lambda Literary Awards in 2014 for his debut novel ''Necessary Errors''. ...
, de Botton posted a scathing ''ad hominem'' attack against Crain. He later apologized for his remarks. In August 2009, de Botton applied to a competition advertised among British literary agents by BAA, the airport management company, for the post of "writer-in-residence" at
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
. The post involved being seated at a desk in Terminal 5, and writing about the comings and goings of passengers over a week. De Botton was appointed to the position. The result was the book, '' A Week at the Airport'', published by Profile Books in September 2009. The book features photographs by the documentary photographer Richard Baker, with whom de Botton also worked on ''The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work''. In January 2012, de Botton published ''
Religion for Atheists ''Religion for Atheists: A non-believer's guide to the uses of religion'' is a book by Alain de Botton published in 2012. It argues that while supernatural claims made by religion are false, some aspects of religion are still useful and can be a ...
'', about the benefits of religions for those who do not believe in them. De Botton put it: "It's clear to me that religions are in the end too complex, interesting and on occasion wise to be abandoned simply to those who believe in them". In April 2012, he published '' How to Think More about Sex'', one in a series of six books on topics of emotional life published by his enterprise, ''
The School of Life The School of Life is an educational company that offers advice on life issues. It was founded in 2008 and has branches in London (headquarters), Amsterdam, Berlin, Istanbul, Paris, São Paulo, and Taipei. The company offers a variety of educ ...
''. In October 2013, he published '' Art as Therapy'', co-written with the Australian-Scottish art historian, John Armstrong. ''Art as Therapy'' argues that certain great works of art "offer clues on managing the tensions and confusions of everyday life". In February 2014, de Botton published his fourteenth book, a title called " The News: A User's Manual", a study of the effects of the news on modern mentality, viewed through the prism of 25 news stories, culled from a variety of sources, which de Botton analyses in detail. The book delved with more rigour into de Botton's analyses of the modern media that appeared in ''
Status Anxiety ''Status Anxiety'' is a nonfiction book by Alain de Botton. It was first published in 2004 by Hamish Hamilton; subsequent publications have been by Penguin Books. Central thesis Status Anxiety is a 21st-century phenomenon which is a result of ca ...
''.


Newspapers

De Botton used to write articles for several English newspapers, and from 1998 to 2000, wrote a regular column for ''
The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
.''


Lecturing, television and radio

De Botton travels extensively to lecture.The Architecture of Happiness
''Official Website''
He has given lectures at TED conferences. In July 2011, he spoke in
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
about "Atheism 2.0", an idea of
atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...
that also incorporates our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence. In July 2009, he spoke at
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
about the philosophy of failure and success, and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments. In 2011 he presented a series of talks for the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
series ''A Point of View''. He has his own production company, Seneca Productions, which makes television documentaries based upon his works.


Reception of his writing

De Botton has written in a variety of formats to mixed response. Positive reviews of his books attest that he has made literature, philosophy and art more accessible to a wider audience. Negative reviews allege that de Botton tends to state the obvious and have characterized some of his books as pompous and lacking focus. In response to a question about whether he felt "pulled" to be a writer, de Botton responded:
So I think where people tend to end up results from a combination of encouragement, accident, and lucky break, etc. etc. Like many others, my career happened like it did because certain doors opened and certain doors closed. You know, at a certain point I thought it would be great to make film documentaries. Well, in fact, I found that to be incredibly hard and very expensive to do and I didn’t really have the courage to keep battling away at that. In another age, I might have been an academic in a university, if the university system had been different. So it's all about trying to find the best fit between your talents and what the world can offer at that point in time.


Other projects


The School of Life

In 2008, Alain de Botton was one of a team of writers and educators who founded The School of Life. Based in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Seoul, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, São Paulo, Berlin and Melbourne, The School of Life offers an emotional education focusing in particular on the issues of Work and Relationships. In an interview with Metkere.com de Botton said:
The idea is to challenge traditional universities and reorganise knowledge, directing it towards life, and away from knowledge for its own sake. In a modest way, it’s an institution that is trying to give people what universities should I think always give them: a sense of direction and wisdom for their lives with the help of culture.


Living Architecture

In May 2009, de Botton launched a project called "Living Architecture," which builds holiday rental houses in the UK using leading contemporary architects. These include
Peter Zumthor Peter Zumthor (; born 26 April 1943) is a Swiss architect whose work is frequently described as uncompromising and minimalist. Though managing a relatively small firm, he is the winner of the 2009 Pritzker Prize and 2013 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. E ...
,
MVRDV MVRDV is a Rotterdam, Netherlands-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1993. The name is an acronym for the founding members: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries. History Maas and Van Rijs worked at OMA, De Vr ...
, JVA, NORD and Michael and Patti Hopkins. The most recent house to be announced is a collaboration between the Turner-prize winning artist Grayson Perry, and the architecture firm
FAT In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...
. The houses are rented out to the general public. De Botton, the creative director and chairman of Living Architecture, aims to improve the appreciation of good contemporary architecture—a task that serves as a practical continuation of his theoretical work on architecture in his book ''The Architecture of Happiness''. In October 2009, he was appointed an honorary fellow of the
Royal Institute of British Architects The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
(RIBA), in recognition of his services to architecture.


Museum displays

In 2014, de Botton was invited by three museums—the
Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...
in Amsterdam, the
National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...
in Melbourne and the
Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Beve ...
in Toronto—to contribute content to special exhibitions based on his work, ''Art as Therapy''. De Botton and his colleague John Armstrong inserted captions, arranged on large
Post-it A Post-it Note (or sticky note) is a small piece of paper with a re-adherable strip of glue on its back, made for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. A low-tack pressure-sensitive adhesive allows the notes to be easil ...
-style labels designed by the Dutch graphic artist,
Irma Boom Irma Boom (born 15 December 1960) is a Dutch graphic designer who specializes in bookmaking. Boom has been described as The Queen of Books, having created over 300 books and is well reputed for her artistic autonomy within her field. Her bold ...
, bearing slogans and commentary on exhibits throughout the Rijksmuseum.


Personal life

De Botton has described his relationship with his father as difficult, stating: "When I sold my first bestseller (and a million dollars was peanuts for my father) he was not impressed and wondered what I was going to do with myself." When his father died, his family was left a large
trust fund A trust is a legal relationship in which the holder of a right gives it to another person or entity who must keep and use it solely for another's benefit. In the Anglo-American common law, the party who entrusts the right is known as the "settl ...
, although de Botton says his income is derived solely from his own activities (book sales, speaking engagements, business consulting, The School of Life). Alain's stepmother,
Janet Wolfson de Botton Dame Janet Frances de Botton, ( née Wolfson; formerly Green; born 31 March 1952
, is a prominent patron of the arts and competition bridge player. He married his wife, Charlotte, in 2003 and they have two sons. De Botton lives in London with his family. In August 2014, de Botton was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' opposing
Scottish independence Scottish independence ( gd, Neo-eisimeileachd na h-Alba; sco, Scots unthirldom) is the idea of Scotland as a sovereign state, independent from the United Kingdom, and refers to the political movement that is campaigning to bring it about. S ...
in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.


Bibliography


Books

* ** Variant title in USA. ** ** ** * ''The Romantic Movement'' (1994) * ''Kiss and Tell'' (1995) * ''How Proust Can Change Your Life'' (1997) * '' The Consolations of Philosophy'' (2000) * ''The Art of Travel'' (2002) * ''
Status Anxiety ''Status Anxiety'' is a nonfiction book by Alain de Botton. It was first published in 2004 by Hamish Hamilton; subsequent publications have been by Penguin Books. Central thesis Status Anxiety is a 21st-century phenomenon which is a result of ca ...
'' (2004) * '' The Architecture of Happiness'' (2006) * ''The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work'' (2009) * ''A Week at the Airport'' (2009) * ''
Religion for Atheists ''Religion for Atheists: A non-believer's guide to the uses of religion'' is a book by Alain de Botton published in 2012. It argues that while supernatural claims made by religion are false, some aspects of religion are still useful and can be a ...
: A Non-Believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion'' (2012) * ''How to Think More About Sex'' (2012) * * ''The News: A User's Manual'' (2014) * ''The Course of Love'' (2016)


Critical studies, reviews and biography

* Review of ''Art as therapy''.


Filmography

* ''
My Last Five Girlfriends ''My Last Five Girlfriends'' is a 2009 British romantic black comedy film directed by Julian Kemp starring Brendan Patricks, based on pop-philosopher Alain De Botton's book, ''Essays In Love'' (U.S. title ''On Love''). Plot After yet another ...
'' (based on ''Essays in Love'')


TV series

* Philosophy: A Guide To Happiness (2000, from '' The Consolations of Philosophy'') # ''Socrates on Self-Confidence'' # ''Epicurus on Happiness'' # ''Seneca on Anger'' # ''Montaigne on Self-Esteem'' # ''Schopenhauer on Love'' # ''Nietzsche on Hardship'' (featuring Cathal Grealish) * ''
Status Anxiety ''Status Anxiety'' is a nonfiction book by Alain de Botton. It was first published in 2004 by Hamish Hamilton; subsequent publications have been by Penguin Books. Central thesis Status Anxiety is a 21st-century phenomenon which is a result of ca ...
'' * ''The Art of Travel'' * '' The Perfect Home'' (from ''The Architecture of Happiness'')


References


External links

* *
Compendium of reviews of ''The Consolations of Philosophy''
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Botton, Alain 1969 births Living people People educated at The Dragon School People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Alumni of King's College London English people of Egyptian-Jewish descent English people of Swiss descent English male non-fiction writers English Sephardi Jews British Jewish writers English atheists Jewish atheists Swiss atheists Swiss Ashkenazi Jews Swiss emigrants to the United Kingdom Swiss people of Egyptian-Jewish descent 20th-century Sephardi Jews 21st-century Sephardi Jews Swiss male writers Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature Writers from Zürich The School of Life people Philosophers of sexuality Swiss Sephardi Jews