Alain de Botton

Birthday: December 20, 1969 in Zurich, Switzerland

Alain de Botton was born on 20 December 1969 in Zurich, Switzerland. He is the only son of Gilbert de Botton and Jacqueline Burgauer. He has one sister named Miel. Alain spent his childhood in Switzerland, where he learned to speak French and German. In 1981, Alain and his family moved to London, where he was primarily educated. He studied history at Cambridge University (1988-1990) and completed a masters degree in philosophy at Kings College (1991-1992). In 1993, his first novel, 'Essays In Love', was published. He has since written many books on what he describes as "the philosophy of everyday life". His works have all been critically acclaimed, particularly his most well known non-fiction novel, 'How Proust Can Change Your Life' (1997). Alain now lives in London with his wife, Charlotte Neser, and their two young sons, Samuel and Saul. He is a regular contributer to several English newspapers, and lectures extensively on his books. He also owns his own production company, Seneca Productions, which regularly presents documentaries based on his works. Show less «

I was uncomfortable writing fiction. My love was the personal essay rather than the novel. My first ...Show more »

I was uncomfortable writing fiction. My love was the personal essay rather than the novel. My first book, 'Essays In Love', was, in fact, an essay, but my publisher changed its definition to a novel because she thought it would sell better. It sold worse...One day I hope to write about relationships again and the book will read a little like fiction, though my allegiance remains to the personal essay. Show less «

Music means a lot to me. I am moved, on the one hand, by the cantatas of Bach and, on the other hand...Show more »

Music means a lot to me. I am moved, on the one hand, by the cantatas of Bach and, on the other hand, I am drawn mostly to modern female vocalists, in particular, Sinead O'Connor and Natalie Merchant. Like most writers, I wish I could have been a musician. Show less «

I have lots of fears as a writer - that what I write is not good enough. A huge fear, but mostly, wh...Show more »

I have lots of fears as a writer - that what I write is not good enough. A huge fear, but mostly, what I write and think about first time is rather poor and has to be improved upon. I am not sure if any writer is ever satisfied first time around, but I am certainly not. So this demands nerves of steel - one has to think: "It is terrible now, but hopefully one day it can be good." Writing demands faith. Show less «

I confess not to be very interested, myself, in "popularising" philosophy. I am keen, though, to loo...Show more »

I confess not to be very interested, myself, in "popularising" philosophy. I am keen, though, to look at certain ideas that have appeared in philosophy, as well as in history, art, science, etc, and weave my own reflections in with them. Show less «

I grew up in Switzerland speaking French, then, at the age of twelve, moved to England. The shift ma...Show more »

I grew up in Switzerland speaking French, then, at the age of twelve, moved to England. The shift made me deeply unhappy and, as we know that unhappiness is good for writing, I am sure it helped. Show less «

I was so slow at school I was thought to be the family idiot. I don't remember any praise or encoura...Show more »

I was so slow at school I was thought to be the family idiot. I don't remember any praise or encouragement. I hope not to repeat that pattern with Samuel. My only real worry is that he will turn out to be a cheerful rugby player and we will have nothing to talk about. Show less «

Work begins when the fear of doing nothing at all finally trumps the terror of doing it badly.

I was always aware that there are readers out there interested in the lucid discussion of ideas - re...Show more »

I was always aware that there are readers out there interested in the lucid discussion of ideas - readers who tend not to be well catered for by either the mainstream academics nor by more popular non-fiction writing. That said, to write an essay on Proust and expect it to be on the New York Times bestseller list is crazy! Show less «

I am in general a very pessimistic person with an optimistic day-to-day take on things. The bare fac...Show more »

I am in general a very pessimistic person with an optimistic day-to-day take on things. The bare facts of life are utterly terrifying, and yet, one can laugh. Indeed, one has to laugh precisely because of the darkness: the nervous laughter of the trenches. Show less «

Seventies Genesis is brilliant. There are some amazing, ambitious arrangements. It's great stuff.

Backpfeifengesicht! A face that is begging to be slapped. Generosity towards others is key, but Germ...Show more »

Backpfeifengesicht! A face that is begging to be slapped. Generosity towards others is key, but German is bracing and frank enough to acknowledge that there are also moments when it is simply more honest to realize that we may have come face to face with a Dickhead. Show less «

It is clear to me that there is no good reason for many philosophy books to sound as complicated as ...Show more »

It is clear to me that there is no good reason for many philosophy books to sound as complicated as they do. It is not the ideas that necessitate such impenetrable prose, it's that the authors can't write very well or, if they can, they are overtly interested in frightening the reader. Show less «

I tend to get upset by bad reviews, but generally try to separate out what I think is fair from what...Show more »

I tend to get upset by bad reviews, but generally try to separate out what I think is fair from what is unfair. The most upsetting reviews are not necessarily the nastiest, but the most accurate. Nothing hurts quite like the truth. Show less «

When I want to switch off, I just watch TV.

Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton's FILMOGRAPHY

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