ID :
50628
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 07:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/50628
The shortlink copeid
(Yonhap Interview) Alain de Botton
SEOUL, March 15 (Yonhap) -- Life often presents overwhelming sensations arising from surprisingly trivial matters. Yet, perhaps due to the limited space for memory in the human brain, or human nature to forget, the feeling evaporates as soon as one tries to write. For most people, it seems nearly impossible to
capture the elusive feelings in words.
British author Alain de Botton is one of a few people with the ability to
accurately describe emotions. What's more, he creates a philosophy out of these
feelings.
While covering Marcel Proust, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Stendhal, Schopenhauer and
more, de Botton manages to reach even those who are unfamiliar with the great
authors and philosophers of the past as he sprinkles quotations around his own --
and everyone's -- troubles.
In his philosophical theories, for example, happiness can be discussed in
architectural terms, airplanes become teachers and the cruelty of life becomes
humor. It is this unique blend of erudition and self-help that has probably made
the still very young author one of the world's most admired.
"I hope to be able to put my finger on certain feelings that people have but find
hard to define," de Botton, 39, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "I
love books that seem to know as well as, or even better than, we know ourselves.
I hope my books can do this a little bit -- a therapeutic effect to leave others
feeling less lonely."
Having authored eight internationally best-selling works of fiction and
non-fiction, de Botton's new book, "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work," will be
published next month, and hit Korea in translation in September.
In his upcoming book, de Botton unlocks the beauty, intensity and occasional
horrors of the modern working world based on two years of visits with all kinds
of workers, ranging from accountants to rocket scientists, biscuit makers and
more.
"The book is about the world of work. The real question is: how can I be content
and satisfied in my work place?" the author said. "In a way, the book is a record
of my journey. It is personal, intimate, and hopefully also interesting and
helpful."
De Botton made his fiction debut at the age of 24 with "Essays in Love" and
sprang to prominence in 1997 after the publication of "How Proust Can Change Your
Life," his first non-fiction work based on the life and writings of the late
French novelist.
All of de Botton's books, fiction or not, are essayistic, introspective and
analytic. The author's great talent is in the quirky approach he takes and the
humorous comparisons he makes between contemporary pop culture and classical
literature and art.
While the presence of the author, or his alter ego in fictional works, is always
evident in his books, the prominent presence rarely bothers the reader as de
Botton remains so timid and earnest despite his evidently abundant knowledge.
Many might be envious over his early success and seemingly natural talent,
especially considering he never studied literature at school: de Botton majored
in history at Cambridge University and completed a master's degree in philosophy
at King's College London.
But "no one is a born writer" and he, too, "was born with few talents in the
creative field," de Botton said.
"What looks like luck and success from the outside is often really just a kind of
difficulty -- I was drawn to literature not from an exuberant happiness, but from
anxiety and distress," he said. "Pain is, for me, the source of inspiration."
Perhaps for such reasons, de Botton's books often carry an air of loneliness and
the feeling of loss.
"Maybe we all read to know we are not alone about certain things that make us
unhappy. It's rare for people to read when they are delighted and happy," he
said. "Because none of us will ever be able to stop feeling pain at some points
in life, we might as well try to learn something from it. Poets and artists have
always to have known this."
Although his books seem to have no problem in selling in all countries -- they
have been translated into more than 20 languages -- de Botton said he is "very
aware" of his limits as a writer and of the vulnerability of the writer's talent.
"I take nothing for granted. My greatest fear is to disappoint my readers by
writing something inferior," he said.
Of all his books, de Botton said his debut, "Essays in Love," has a special spot
in his heart for its honesty and rawness.
"The book was written before I knew I was a writer, and this sort of naivete is
in many ways the secret of its success," he said. "I was very troubled about love
at a young age, and didn't find it easy to develop happy relationships. So I
escaped into reflections and the solitary pleasures of literature."
"Essays in Love" -- titled "On Love" in the United States -- was published in 13
countries when de Botton was still in his 20s, and has sold some 6 million copies
around the world.
By investigating romantic relationships with a comic, yet critical eye, the book
gives pleasant, and unusual, proof of how a tickly romance can also be a highly
philosophical and academic subject.
"In my first book, I wanted to write something that would combine the rigor and
richness of ideas of a non-fiction book with the emotional nakedness and honesty
of a diary," he said.
While he remains mainly devoted to writing, de Botton has also been involved in
making a number of television documentaries and helps run a production company,
Seneca Productions.
Last year, de Botton became a founding member of an educational establishment in
London called "The School of Life," a new cultural enterprise offering
intelligent instruction on how to lead a fulfilled life.
"It offers short courses in the great questions of everyday life. So you can go
to study love, or work, or politics or parenthood -- all the things I discuss in
my books -- in a classroom with other people," he explained. "The mood of the
school is informal and exciting. Many tourists drop in from around the world,
including Koreans."
Calling his Korean fans "superior to those in any other part of the world," de
Botton said he would love to visit Korea soon.
"I am especially interested in Korean art and pottery and the distinctive
varieties of Buddhism in the country," he said. "Korean fans are my most loyal
and important, extremely generous and open-minded."
Born in 1969 in Switzerland, de Botton moved to England when he was eight years
old. He now lives in London with his wife and two sons.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
capture the elusive feelings in words.
British author Alain de Botton is one of a few people with the ability to
accurately describe emotions. What's more, he creates a philosophy out of these
feelings.
While covering Marcel Proust, Montaigne, Nietzsche, Stendhal, Schopenhauer and
more, de Botton manages to reach even those who are unfamiliar with the great
authors and philosophers of the past as he sprinkles quotations around his own --
and everyone's -- troubles.
In his philosophical theories, for example, happiness can be discussed in
architectural terms, airplanes become teachers and the cruelty of life becomes
humor. It is this unique blend of erudition and self-help that has probably made
the still very young author one of the world's most admired.
"I hope to be able to put my finger on certain feelings that people have but find
hard to define," de Botton, 39, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "I
love books that seem to know as well as, or even better than, we know ourselves.
I hope my books can do this a little bit -- a therapeutic effect to leave others
feeling less lonely."
Having authored eight internationally best-selling works of fiction and
non-fiction, de Botton's new book, "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work," will be
published next month, and hit Korea in translation in September.
In his upcoming book, de Botton unlocks the beauty, intensity and occasional
horrors of the modern working world based on two years of visits with all kinds
of workers, ranging from accountants to rocket scientists, biscuit makers and
more.
"The book is about the world of work. The real question is: how can I be content
and satisfied in my work place?" the author said. "In a way, the book is a record
of my journey. It is personal, intimate, and hopefully also interesting and
helpful."
De Botton made his fiction debut at the age of 24 with "Essays in Love" and
sprang to prominence in 1997 after the publication of "How Proust Can Change Your
Life," his first non-fiction work based on the life and writings of the late
French novelist.
All of de Botton's books, fiction or not, are essayistic, introspective and
analytic. The author's great talent is in the quirky approach he takes and the
humorous comparisons he makes between contemporary pop culture and classical
literature and art.
While the presence of the author, or his alter ego in fictional works, is always
evident in his books, the prominent presence rarely bothers the reader as de
Botton remains so timid and earnest despite his evidently abundant knowledge.
Many might be envious over his early success and seemingly natural talent,
especially considering he never studied literature at school: de Botton majored
in history at Cambridge University and completed a master's degree in philosophy
at King's College London.
But "no one is a born writer" and he, too, "was born with few talents in the
creative field," de Botton said.
"What looks like luck and success from the outside is often really just a kind of
difficulty -- I was drawn to literature not from an exuberant happiness, but from
anxiety and distress," he said. "Pain is, for me, the source of inspiration."
Perhaps for such reasons, de Botton's books often carry an air of loneliness and
the feeling of loss.
"Maybe we all read to know we are not alone about certain things that make us
unhappy. It's rare for people to read when they are delighted and happy," he
said. "Because none of us will ever be able to stop feeling pain at some points
in life, we might as well try to learn something from it. Poets and artists have
always to have known this."
Although his books seem to have no problem in selling in all countries -- they
have been translated into more than 20 languages -- de Botton said he is "very
aware" of his limits as a writer and of the vulnerability of the writer's talent.
"I take nothing for granted. My greatest fear is to disappoint my readers by
writing something inferior," he said.
Of all his books, de Botton said his debut, "Essays in Love," has a special spot
in his heart for its honesty and rawness.
"The book was written before I knew I was a writer, and this sort of naivete is
in many ways the secret of its success," he said. "I was very troubled about love
at a young age, and didn't find it easy to develop happy relationships. So I
escaped into reflections and the solitary pleasures of literature."
"Essays in Love" -- titled "On Love" in the United States -- was published in 13
countries when de Botton was still in his 20s, and has sold some 6 million copies
around the world.
By investigating romantic relationships with a comic, yet critical eye, the book
gives pleasant, and unusual, proof of how a tickly romance can also be a highly
philosophical and academic subject.
"In my first book, I wanted to write something that would combine the rigor and
richness of ideas of a non-fiction book with the emotional nakedness and honesty
of a diary," he said.
While he remains mainly devoted to writing, de Botton has also been involved in
making a number of television documentaries and helps run a production company,
Seneca Productions.
Last year, de Botton became a founding member of an educational establishment in
London called "The School of Life," a new cultural enterprise offering
intelligent instruction on how to lead a fulfilled life.
"It offers short courses in the great questions of everyday life. So you can go
to study love, or work, or politics or parenthood -- all the things I discuss in
my books -- in a classroom with other people," he explained. "The mood of the
school is informal and exciting. Many tourists drop in from around the world,
including Koreans."
Calling his Korean fans "superior to those in any other part of the world," de
Botton said he would love to visit Korea soon.
"I am especially interested in Korean art and pottery and the distinctive
varieties of Buddhism in the country," he said. "Korean fans are my most loyal
and important, extremely generous and open-minded."
Born in 1969 in Switzerland, de Botton moved to England when he was eight years
old. He now lives in London with his wife and two sons.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
