Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton, writer, was born on 20 December 1969 in Zurich, Switzerland. He is the only son of financier Gilbert de Botton and his first wife, Jacqueline Burgauer. He has one sister named Miel. Alain spent the first twelve years of his life in Switzerland, where he learned to speak French and German. His family later moved to London, where he learnt English and was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford and Harrow School in London. He took a double starred first in history at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (1988-1990) and completed his masters degree in philosophy at King's College, London (1991-1992). In 1993, his first novel, "Essays In Love", was published to critical acclaim. However, he was not to receive world-wide recognition until after the publication of his first non-fiction novel, "How Proust Can Change Your Life" (1997), which was based on the life and works of Marcel Proust. He also owns his own production company, Seneca Productions, which regularly broadcasts documentaries based on his works. Alain currently lives in London with his wife, Charlotte de Botton (whom he married in 2003), and their sons, Samuel (b. September 2004) and Saul (b.September 2006). He continues to write regular columns for several English newspapers and travels extensively to lecture on his works.

Complete Works

"Essays In Love" (1993)

"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" (2004)

"The Architecture of Happiness" (2006)

Television Series

"How Proust Can Change Your Life"

"Philosophy: A Guide To Happiness" (from "The Consolations of Philosophy")

"The Art of Travel"

"Status Anxiety"

"The Perfect Home" (from "The Architecture of Happiness")

The Consolations of Philosophy

The title of this book is a reference to Boethius's "Consolation of Philosophy", in which philosophy appears as an allegorical figure to Boethius in order to offer him consolation before he faces his impending execution. In "The Consolations of Philosophy", Alain attempts to demonstrate how the teachings of philosophers such as Epicurus, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Seneca and Socrates can be applied to modern everyday woes such as unpopularity, feelings of inadequacy, financial worries, broken hearts and the general problem of suffering. This book has been both praised and criticised for its therapeutic approach to philosophy.

External links

• Alain de Botton official site
• Profile at Contemporary Writers
• Review of "The Consolations of Philosophy"
• Review of "The Consolations of Philosophy"
• Archived web chat
• Interview with 3AM Magazine
• Alain de Botton: "Walking down a crowded road as catalyst for fascinating thoughts"