A Week at the Airport [Paperback]

From the bestselling author ofThe Art of Travelcomes a wittily intriguing exploration of the strange non-place that he believes is the imaginative center of our civilization.

Given unprecedented access to one of the world’s busiest airports as a “writer-in-residence,” Alain de Botton found it to be a showcase for many of the major crosscurrents of the modern world—from our faith in technology to our destruction of nature, from our global interconnectedness to our romanticizing of the exotic. He met travelers from all over and spoke with everyone from baggage handlers to pilots to the airport chaplain. Weaving together these conversations and his own observations—of everything from the poetry of room service menus to the eerie silence in the middle of the runway at midnight—de Botton has produced an extraordinary meditation on a place that most of us never slow down enough to see clearly. Lavishly illustrated in color by renowned photographer Richard Baker,A Week at the Airportreveals the airport in all its turbulence and soullessness and—yes—even beauty. Simultaneously poignant and terribly funny . . . De Botton's most imaginative work yet. —Spectator
 
Funny, charming, and slender enough to pack in your carry-on. —Daily Mail
 
Surprising. . . . His observations on airport life are wry and thought-provoking. —Telegraph
 
Shrewd, perceptive and gently ironic. —Independent
Alain de Bottonis the author of three works of fiction and eight works of nonfiction, includingHow Proust Can Change Your Life, The Consolations of Philosophy,andThe Art of Travel.He lives in London, where he founded The School of Life (www.theschooloflife.com).Chapter 1

While punctuality lies at the heart of what we typically understand by a good trip, I have often longed for my plane to be delayed-so that Ilƒ7