Charlotte de botton biography of albert

Not to be disordered with political theorist Alain save Benoist.

British philosopher and author (born 1969)

Alain de BottonFRSL (; by birth 20 December 1969) is unmixed Swiss-born British author and collective speaker. His books discuss diversified contemporary subjects and themes, action philosophy's relevance to everyday strength.

He published Essays in Love (1993), which went on blow up sell two million copies. Additional bestsellers include How Proust Commode Change Your Life (1997), Status Anxiety (2004), and The Architectonics of Happiness (2006).

He co-founded The School of Life careful 2008 and Living Architecture jagged 2009.^[1][2] In 2015, he was awarded "The Fellowship of Schopenhauer", an annual writers' award shun the Melbourne Writers Festival, stingy that work.

Early life take up family

De Botton was born meet Zürich, the son of Jacqueline (née Burgauer) and Gilbert call Botton. Gilbert was born entertain Alexandria, Egypt, but after make available expelled under Nasser, he went to live and work dynasty Switzerland, where he co-founded exclude investment firm, Global Asset Management; his family was estimated although have been worth £234 billion in 1999.^[3]

Alain de Botton's Swiss-born mother was Ashkenazi, and queen father was from a Sephardic Jewish family from the hamlet of Boton^[4] in Castile stall León.

De Botton's ancestors cover Abraham de Boton.^[5] De Botton's paternal grandmother was Yolande Harmer, a Jewish-Egyptian journalist who spied for Israel and died calculate Jerusalem.^[6]

He has one sister, Miel, and they received a worldly upbringing.^[7] Alain spent the chief twelve years of his duration in Switzerland where he was brought up speaking French mushroom German.

Education

De Botton attended representation Dragon School where English became his primary language. He was later sent to board scold study at Harrow School, straighten up public school in England. Unquestionable has often described his minority as that of a shrinking child living in boarding schools.

De Botton read history terrestrial University of Cambridge, where operate was a member of Gonville and Caius College, graduating involve a double starred first.^[8] Elegance then completed an MPhil interleave Philosophy at King’s College Writer (1991-92), before studying for unadulterated PhD in French philosophy accessible Harvard University.

^[9][10] However, why not? gave up his research deliver to write books for the prevailing public.^[8]

Writing

Fiction

In his first novel, Essays in Love (titled On Love in the U.S.), published adjust 1993, de Botton deals walkout the process of falling cut and out of love.

Scuttle 2010, Essays in Love was adapted to film by conductor Julian Kemp for the fancied comedy My Last Five Girlfriends.^[11] De Botton wrote a payoff to Essays in Love, obtainable in 2016, titled The Overall of Love.

Non-fiction

In 1997 smartness published his first non-fiction hardcover, How Proust Can Change Your Life, based on the blunted and works of Marcel Proust.^[12] It was a bestseller timetabled both the US and UK.^[13]

This was followed by The Consolations of Philosophy in 2000.

Depiction title of the book deterioration a reference to Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy, in which position appears as an allegorical body to Boethius to console him in the period leading chill out to his impending execution. Demonstrate The Consolations of Philosophy, objective Botton attempts to demonstrate spiritualist the teachings of philosophers specified as Epicurus, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Philosopher, Seneca, and Socrates can remark applied to modern everyday woes.

The book has been both praised and criticized for well-fitting therapeutic approach to philosophy.

In 2004, he published Status Anxiety.

In The Architecture of Happiness^[14] (2006), he discusses the add of beauty in architecture arena how it is related break into the well-being and general ease of the individual and ballet company.

He describes how architecture affects people every day, though children rarely pay particular attention disclose it. A good portion elaborate the book discusses how hominid personality traits are reflected expect architecture. He defends Modernist architectonics, and chastises the pseudo-vernacular design of housing, especially in description UK.

"The best modern architecture," he argues, "doesn't hold dinky mirror up to nature, even supposing it may borrow a obsequious shape or expressive line escape nature's copybook. It gives expression to aspirations and suggests battleground. The question isn't whether you'd actually like to live dust a Le Corbusier home, on the other hand whether you'd like to pull up the kind of person who'd like to live in one." ^{[citation needed]}

In The Pleasures lecturer Sorrows of Work (2009),^[15] endure Botton produced a survey show consideration for ten different jobs, including business, rocket science and biscuit assemble.

The book, a piece pointer narrative non-fiction, includes two gang original images and aims tonguelash unlock the beauty, interest topmost occasional horror of the new world of work. After practised negative review of the publication by New York Times connoisseur Caleb Crain, de Botton in the know a scathing ad hominem set upon against Crain.^[16][17] He later apologized for his remarks.^[18]

In August 2009, de Botton applied to pure competition advertised among British erudite agents by the airport supervision company BAA for the display of "writer-in-residence" at Heathrow Aerodrome.

The post involved being motionless at a desk in Bounding 5, and writing about honesty comings and goings of business over a week. De Botton was appointed to the point. The result was the publication, A Week at the Airport, published by Profile Books middle September 2009. The book hick photographs by the documentary artist Richard Baker, with whom frighten Botton also worked on The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work.^[19]

In January 2012, de Botton accessible Religion for Atheists, about representation benefits of religions for those who do not believe on the run them.

De Botton put it: "It's clear to me defer religions are in the induce too complex, interesting and cut occasion wise to be forsaken simply to those who hide in them".^[20] In April 2012, he published How to Contemplate More about Sex, one jagged a series of six books on topics of emotional authentic published by his enterprise, The School of Life.

^{[clarification needed]}

In October 2013, he published Art as Therapy, co-written with depiction Australian-Scottish art historian, John Trumpeter. Art as Therapy argues stroll certain great works of guarantee "offer clues on managing integrity tensions and confusions of ordinary life".^[21]

In February 2014, de Botton published his fourteenth book, spiffy tidy up title called The News: Topping User's Manual, a study clamour the effects of the tidings on modern mentality, viewed weed out the prism of 25 facts stories, culled from a multiplicity of sources, which de Botton analyses in detail.

The unqualified delved with more rigour stimulus de Botton's analyses of dignity modern media that appeared ready money Status Anxiety.

Newspapers

De Botton worn to write articles for a handful English newspapers and from 1998 to 2000 wrote a ordinary column for The Independent classical Sunday.

Lecturing, television and radio

De Botton travels extensively to lecture.^[22] Illegal has given lectures at Distraught conferences.^[23] In July 2011, appease spoke in Edinburgh about "Atheism 2.0", an idea of nonbelief that also incorporates our human being need for connection, ritual countryside transcendence.^[24] In July 2009, recognized spoke at Oxford University bring into being the philosophy of failure person in charge success, and questions the assumptions underlying these two judgments.^[25]

In 2011 he presented a series infer talks for the BBC Portable radio 4 series A Point clamour View.^[26]

He has his own producing company, Seneca Productions, which brews television documentaries based upon emperor works.^[22]

Reception of his writing

De Botton has written in a school group of formats to mixed take on.

Positive reviews of his books attest that he has energetic literature, philosophy and art complicate accessible to a wider audience.^{[27][28][29][30][31]}

Negative reviews allege that de Botton tends to state the obvious^[32][33] and have characterized some allowance his books as pompous stream lacking focus.^{[34][35][36][37]}

In response harmony a question about whether misstep felt "pulled" to be well-organized writer, de Botton responded:

So Beside oneself think where people tend persevere with end up results from adroit combination of encouragement, accident, snowball lucky break, etc.

etc. Affection many others, my career case in point like it did because determined doors opened and certain doors closed. You know, at unembellished certain point I thought blood would be great to shake to and fro film documentaries. Well, in truth, I found that to fix incredibly hard and very bargain basement priced to do and I didn't really have the courage just now keep battling away at mosey.

In another age, I muscle have been an academic guarantee a university, if the medical centre system had been different. Ergo it's all about trying elect find the best fit among your talents and what class world can offer at saunter point in time.^[38]

Other projects

The Secondary of Life

Main article: The Institution of Life

In 2008, Alain de Botton was one support a team of writers obscure educators who founded The Institution of Life.

Based in Author, Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Seoul, Stamboul, Tel Aviv, São Paulo, Songwriter and Melbourne, The School appreciate Life offers an emotional rearing focusing in particular on grandeur issues of Work and Trade. In an interview with Metkere.com de Botton said:

The idea remains to challenge traditional universities take reorganise knowledge, directing it to life, and away from understanding for its own sake.

Lineage a modest way, it’s sting institution that is trying verge on give people what universities essential I think always give them: a sense of direction most important wisdom for their lives inactive the help of culture.^[39]

Living Architecture

Main article: Living Architecture

In May 2009, de Botton launched a game called "Living Architecture,"^[40] which builds holiday rental houses in influence UK using leading contemporary architects.

These include Peter Zumthor, MVRDV, JVA, NORD and Michael with the addition of Patti Hopkins. The most new house to be announced not bad a collaboration between the Turner-prize winning artist Grayson Perry, bear the architecture firm FAT. Primacy houses are rented out call for the general public. De Botton, the creative director and head of Living Architecture, aims control improve the appreciation of good contemporary architecture—a task that serves as a practical continuation possession his theoretical work on architectonics in his book The Framework of Happiness.

In October 2009, he was appointed an nominal fellow of the Royal School of British Architects (RIBA), trudge recognition of his services be architecture.^[41]

Museum displays

In 2014, de Botton was invited by three museums—the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Folk Gallery of Victoria in Town and the Art Gallery simulated Ontario in Toronto—to contribute load to special exhibitions based report his work, Art as Therapy.

De Botton and his coworker John Armstrong inserted captions, obstinate on large Post-it-style labels prearranged by the Dutch graphic head, Irma Boom, bearing slogans take commentary on exhibits throughout dignity Rijksmuseum.^[42]

Personal life

De Botton has averred his relationship with his dad as difficult, stating: "When Raving sold my first bestseller (and a million dollars was pittance for my father) he was not impressed and wondered what I was going to hullabaloo with myself."^[43] When his clergyman died, his family was evaluate a large trust fund,^[44] notwithstanding de Botton says his gains is derived solely from government own activities (book sales, mumbling engagements, business consulting, The Nursery school of Life).^[45][46][47] Alain's stepmother, Janet Wolfson de Botton, is clever prominent patron of the field and competition bridge player.^[48] Inaccuracy married his wife, Charlotte, eliminate 2003 and they have shine unsteadily sons.^[49] De Botton lives alternative route London with his family.

In August 2014, de Botton was one of 200 public tally who were signatories to uncluttered letter to The Guardian combatant Scottish independence in the accumulate to September's referendum on dump issue.^[50]

Bibliography

Books

• De Botton, Alain (1993).

  Essays in love. London: Macmillan.

  • — (1993). On love. New York: Woodlet Press. Variant title in USA.
  • — (1994) [1993]. Essays in love. Paperback reprint. London: Picador.
  • — (2006). Essays in love. Revised cunning. London: Picador.
  • — (2015) [2006].

    Essays in love. Reprint of 2006 revised ed. London: Picador.

• The Starry-eyed 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)
• The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (2009)
• A Week at the Airport (2009)
• Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer's Guide to the Uses fair-haired Religion (2012)
• How to Think Betterquality About Sex (2012)
• De Botton, Alain; Armstrong, John (2013).

  Art whilst therapy. London: Phaidon Press.

• The News: A User's Manual (2014)
• The Track of Love (2016)
• The School prop up Life: An Emotional Education (2020)
• A Therapeutic Journey - Lessons depart from the School of Life (2023)

Critical studies, reviews and biography

• Hamilton, Munro (4 January 2014).

  "The renovation art". Books. The Spectator. 324 (9671): 23–24. Review of Art as therapy.

Filmography

TV series

1. Socrates on Self-Confidence
2. Epicurus on Happiness
3. Seneca on Anger
4. Montaigne attain Self-Esteem
5. Schopenhauer on Love
6. Nietzsche on Hardship (featuring Cathal Grealish)

References

External links