In the summer of 2009, Alain de Botton will be invited by the owners of Heathrow airport to become their first ever Writer in Residence. He will be installed in the middle of Terminal 5 on a raised platform with a laptop connected to screens, enabling passengers to see what he is writing and to come and share their stories. He will meet travellers from around the world, and will be given unprecedented access to wander the airport and speak with everyone from window cleaners and baggage handlers to air traffic controllers and cabin crew. Working with the renowned documentary photographer Richard Baker, de Botton will produce an extraordinary meditation upon the nature of place, time, and our daily lives. He will explore the magical and the mundane, personal and collective experiences and the interactions of travellers and workers all over this familiar but mysterious site. Like all airports, Heathrow (the 15th century village of Heath Row lies beneath the short stay car park) is a 'non-place' that we by definition want to leave, but it also provides a window into many worlds - through the thousands of people it dispatches every day. A Week at the Airport is sure to delight de Botton's large following, and anyone interested in the stories behind the way we live.
A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary
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`funny, charming and slender enough to pack in your carry-on...' --Daily Mail
`Simultaneously poignant and terribly funny...de Botton's most imaginative work yet' --Spectator
`Funny, surprising ... [de Botton's] observations on airport life are wry and thought-provoking ... excellent' --Telegraph
`Shrewd, perceptive and gently ironic ... At de Botton's T5, banality and sublimity circle in a perpetual holding pattern.' --Boyd Tonkin, Independent
`Simultaneously poignant and terribly funny...de Botton's most imaginative work yet' --Spectator
`Funny, surprising ... [de Botton's] observations on airport life are wry and thought-provoking ... excellent' --Telegraph
`Shrewd, perceptive and gently ironic ... At de Botton's T5, banality and sublimity circle in a perpetual holding pattern.' --Boyd Tonkin, Independent
Book Description
An uplifting and unique journey through the days and nights of the UK's largest airport
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Customers who buy Alain de Botton's books always know they are in for a thought provoking read, so this book was no exception, Its not just about airports per se but a book about life, people and how we choose to live. I thought the stories from behind the scenes were fascinating. The only fault is the actual book, its a poor quality paper back, the cover split from the rest of the book on first opening the book. Fans would much prefer a small neat hardback.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By adeej
Format:Paperback
This compact book is an interesting insight into goings on at Terminal 5. Alain de Botton was appointed to be the Writer-in-Residence of BAA (the owners of Heathrow Airport) and was asked to write about what goes on at Heathrow. de Botton only agreed to do this if what he found could not be censored or controlled by BAA themselves. He needed free reign.
De Botton looks at a variety of areas of the airport and focuses both on operational things as well as the people who work at and/or use the airport.
So why only 3 stars? Several reasons - the book was too short - I was left unsatisfied, wanting more. As an airport lover, I also found that there wasn't enough about the airport itself for my interest. Comparing it to the admittedly fictional book "Air Babylon", I thought Air Babylon was much more entertaining.
De Botton looks at a variety of areas of the airport and focuses both on operational things as well as the people who work at and/or use the airport.
So why only 3 stars? Several reasons - the book was too short - I was left unsatisfied, wanting more. As an airport lover, I also found that there wasn't enough about the airport itself for my interest. Comparing it to the admittedly fictional book "Air Babylon", I thought Air Babylon was much more entertaining.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By I. Holder
Format:Paperback
After not being very engaged in the last 2 books of Alain de Botton's I have read, I was quickly reminded of why I love his writing and his observations in this far-too-short-for-me [I could've read more and more...:] book.
As Heathrow's first-ever writer-in-residence, from his desk in Terminal 5, as well as his wanderings around the airport, de Botton takes us on a journey, physical and mentally, into the airport and what it, and travel, says about us. As someone to whom airports have an attraction [partially the fact, as de Botton writes, that it feels as if any exotic destination is within reach:] I was constantly engaged and entertained by his keen observations and analysis on subjects ranging from why we travel to our often-felt disappointment with holidays to the farewelling and greeting of travellers to the staff who keep things running, and much, much else. This is truly a most wondrous examination and one that re-introduced to me the wonder of one aspect of modern society that I often take for granted and do not stop to consider.
If this appeals I'd also highly recommend his book The Art of Travel; I saw the DVD in an ABC store the other day and snatched it up -- I was unaware there had been a series: looking forward to watching it.
As Heathrow's first-ever writer-in-residence, from his desk in Terminal 5, as well as his wanderings around the airport, de Botton takes us on a journey, physical and mentally, into the airport and what it, and travel, says about us. As someone to whom airports have an attraction [partially the fact, as de Botton writes, that it feels as if any exotic destination is within reach:] I was constantly engaged and entertained by his keen observations and analysis on subjects ranging from why we travel to our often-felt disappointment with holidays to the farewelling and greeting of travellers to the staff who keep things running, and much, much else. This is truly a most wondrous examination and one that re-introduced to me the wonder of one aspect of modern society that I often take for granted and do not stop to consider.
If this appeals I'd also highly recommend his book The Art of Travel; I saw the DVD in an ABC store the other day and snatched it up -- I was unaware there had been a series: looking forward to watching it.
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3.2 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprisingly erudite
I have become an affliction ado of Alain de Boton after just this one read. He is so erudite, which is thought provoking and entertaining all in one. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars
fantastic as usual
this contains just as many lovely insights as any of de botton's offerings. there are a couple of ideas you may recognize if you've read the art of travel or the pleasures and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by joejoe
3.0 out of 5 stars
Okay
The summary as written on line prepared one for this book. No great surprises. Enjoyable to read if this is your taste in literature
Published 7 months ago by pat neale
3.0 out of 5 stars
A mixed, but original work on the airport experience
As books on airports and air travel go, Alain de Botton's 'A Week at the Airport' is likely to rank as one of the least conventional. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. D Burin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining read
I love flying and I love airports so this was a very interesting book. Alain spent a week at Terminal 5 and through his writing sets out the life of the terminal in those few days. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Amanda Hall
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a book!
I do enjoy reading this but it should be emphasised that this is not a book: rather it is a pamphlet with numerous photos on each page. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Antax
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hand Baggage Only
This was never going to be one of those Airport Blockbusters that one buys in WHS to read by the pool. Read more
Published 19 months ago by DV8 Diva
4.0 out of 5 stars
Airports are more than they seem...
This was the first book I ever read by Alain De Botton which gives an insight into life at Terminal 5 Heathrow. Read more
Published 21 months ago by L. Stanford
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quietly Questioning
In A week at the Airport Alain de Botton reflects on the week he spent as writer in residence of Heathrow Airport. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Finger on the button
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Lovely Long Magazine Article
Firstly, this book is a lovely aesthetic object. It feels really nice in your hands. Its photos are gorgeous. Its language and turn of phrase sublime. It's too small. Read more
Published 23 months ago by T Marshall
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