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Alain de Botton photo by Fronteiras do Pensamento –

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Alain de Botton

The British English/Swiss author Alain de Botton has produced many books on various subjects, from modern to romance and philosophy. He has written more than 30 best-selling books with his pragmatic outlook on life and his philosophical ideas.

He has an established London-based education and philosophy organization. His writings such as 鈥淓ssays in Love鈥�, 鈥淗ow Proust can change your life鈥�, 鈥淪tatus anxiety鈥� and 鈥淭he Architecture of Happiness鈥�, all demonstrate how frequently he has highlighted the philosophical importance of per den. Numerous of those pieces have also been televised.

He often submitted essays to several newspapers, periodicals and journals while he was younger.

Alain de Botton was born in Zurich, the son of Jacqueline and Gilbert de Botton. Gilbert was born in Alexandria, Egypt, but after being expelled under Nasser, he went to live and work in Switzerland, where he co-founded an investment firm, Global Asset Management.

De Botton鈥檚 ancestors include Abraham de Botton. De Botton鈥檚 paternal grandmother was Yolande Harmer, a Jewish- Egyptian journalist who spied for Israel and died in Jerusalem.

Alain de Botton has one sister, Miel and they received a secular upbringing. Alain spent the first twelve years of his life in Switzerland when he was brought up speaking French and German.

Here are the top 10 amazing facts about him.

1. Alain is a philosopher and author

Autograph session with Alain de Botton photo by Fronteiras do Pensamento –

Alain de Botton is a Swiss Born British philosopher and author. His books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasizing philosophy鈥檚 relevance to everyday life.

2. He was exposed to a variety of ethnicities in childhood

From a very young age, he was exposed to a variety of ethnicities as his father was brought up in Egypt and his mother was born in Switzerland. His name, Alain, is a typical Sephardic Jew name and he was introduced to both French and German cultures.

3. He gave up studying to write books

Harvard University in 2012 photo by EllenSeptember –

Alain de Botton attended Dragon School where English became his primary language. He was later sent to board and study at Harrow school, a public school in England. He has often described his childhood as that of a shy child living in boarding schools.

Alain de Botton read history at the University of Cambridge where he was a member of Gonville and Caivs college, graduating with a double starred first. He began studying for a PhD in French philosophy at Harvard University but gave up this research to write books for the general public.

4. Alain’s early works were influenced by several authors

British writer Julian Barnes in 2019, at HeadRead literary festival in Tallinn photo by WanderingTrad –

Alain de Botton鈥檚 earlier works were influenced by Julian Barnes, Milan Kundera, Nicholson Baker and Roland Barthes.

5. His first novel sold over two million copies

He published his first novel in 1993. Alain de Botton discusses the process of falling in and out of love in his debut book, Essays in Love (titled Love in the U.S) which was released in 1993. Director Julian Kemp turned Essays in Love into a movie in 2010 for the comedy-drama My Last Five Girlfriends.

Essays of Love went on to sell two million copies.

6. Alain published his first non-fiction book in 1997

He released 鈥淗ow Proust Can Change Your Life鈥�, a non-fiction book based on the life and works of Marcel Proust, in 1997. It was a best-seller in both the US and the UK.

The Consolations of philosophy came next in 2000. The book鈥檚 title alludes to Boethius鈥檚 consolation of philosophy, in which philosophy comes to Boethius as an allegory to comfort him in the days before his approaching execution.

De Botton tries to show in the Consolations of Philosophy how the ideas of thinkers like Epicurus, Montaigne, Socrates, Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, and Seneca, may be applied to contemporary problems. The book鈥檚 therapeutic approach to philosophy has received both acclaim and criticism.

7. Alain co-founded the School of Life

In 2008, Alain de Botton was one of the team writers and educators who founded The School Of Life, based in London, 麻豆APP, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Berlin, Tel Aviv, Sao Paulo, Antwerp, Seoul and Istanbul. The School of Life offers an emotional education focusing in particular on the issues of work and relationships.

He was quoted saying, 鈥淭he Idea is to challenge traditional universities and recognize knowledge, directing it towards life and away from knowledge for its own sake.

Modestly, it鈥檚 an institution that is trying to give people what universities should I think always give them: a sense of direction and wisdom for their lives with the help of culture.鈥�

8. He is the chairman of 鈥淭he Living Architecture鈥� project

De Botton started a project called 鈥淟iving Architecture鈥� in May 2009. The project utilizes modern architects to create vacation rental homes in the UK. A partnership between the Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry and the architectural company FAT resulted in the most current house to be revealed.

The general public can rent the homes. A practical extension of this theoretical work on architecture in his book The Architecture of Happiness, De Botton, the creative director and chairman of Living Architecture, seeks to increase the appreciation of excellent modern architecture.

In acknowledgement of his contributions to architecture, he was named an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in October 2009.

9. Alain was awarded an annual writers award

With Alain de Botton鈥檚 contribution in co-founding The School of Life in 2008 and Living Architecture in 2009, he was awarded 鈥淭he Fellowship of Schopenhauer鈥� in 2015.

This is an annual writer鈥檚 award that he received from the Melbourne, Writer鈥檚 Festival.

10. He frequently travels to deliver lectures

Alain de Botton at Fronteiras do Pensamento S茫o Paulo 2011 photo by Fronteiras do Pensamento –

Alain de Botton travels extensively to lecture. He has given lectures at TED conferences. In July 2011, he spoke at Edinburg about 鈥淎theism 2.0鈥�, an idea of atheism that also incorporates our human need for connection, ritual and transcendence.

In July 2009, he spoke at Oxford University about the philosophy of failure and success and questioned the assumptions underlying those two judgements.