Alain de Botton Knihy

Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy takes the discipline of logic and the mind back to its roots. Drawing inspiration from six of the finest minds in history - Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche - he addresses lack of money, the pain of love, inadequacy, anxiety and conformity. De Botton's book led one critic to call philosophy 'the new rock and roll'.

Two authorities on popular culture reveal the ways in which art can enhance mood and enrich lives - now available in paperback This passionate, thought-provoking, often funny, and always-accessible book proposes a new way of looking at art, suggesting that it can be useful, relevant, and therapeutic. Through practical examples, the world-renowned authors argue that certain great works of art have clues as to how to manage the tensions and confusions of modern life. Chapters on love, nature, money, and politics show how art can help with many common difficulties, from forging good relationships to coming to terms with mortality.

V roce 2006 se na anglosaském knižním trhu nečekaně rozhořela válka o náboženství: známý evoluční biolog Richard Dawkins ve svém bestselleru Boží blud napadl jménem vědy a racionality víru v jakoukoli vyšší moc a strhl lavinu publikací, v nichž si vědečtí racionalisté ostře vyměňovali názory s obránci náboženství a jeho společenské role. V České republice, kde role víry, zvlášť organizované, zůstává slabá, mohla Dawkinsova kniha sotva vzbudit podobný rozruch; Alain de Botton nahlíží problém z odlišné, pro ateistu provokativnější pozice a ptá se, co může náboženství přinést těm, kdo odmítají přijmout jeho doktrínu. V deseti kapitolách se autor zabývá architekturou, uměním i mezilidskými vztahy a dokládá, že nedogmaticky vnímaná náboženská tradice nám může i v sekulární společnosti pomoci k plnějšímu a lidštějšímu životu.

In a novel that explores the realities of "being in love," two young people meet on a plane to Paris and embark on a love affair based on what they perceive as destiny. A first novel. Reader's Guide included. Reprint.

Bestselling author Alain de Botton has written about love, travel, status and how philosophy can console us. Now he turns his attention to one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses and their furnishings. He asks: What makes a house truly beautiful?Why are many new houses so ugly?Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures � and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved?Will minimalism make us happier than ornaments? To answer these questions and many more, de Botton looks at buildings across the world, from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas and cathedrals, tea sets and office complexes, and teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights. The Architecture of Happiness will take you on a beguiling tour through the history and psychology of architecture and interior design, and will forever alter your relationship with buildings. It will change the way you look at your current home � and help you make the right decisions about your next one.

A jewel of civility, wit and insight; de Botton has produced wondrous essays. An invitation to hyperbole . . . a volume to give one an expansive sense of wonder.-The Baltimore Sun Illuminating. . .a lovely combination of enthusiasm, sensitivity, a care for the large and small, and the local and the foreign. . . reading de Botton's book will help a person discover something fabulous in everyday.- Chicago Tribune There is something Proustian in The Art of Travel, in the best sense, for Mr. de Botton is a kind of flaneur, strolling through his subject thoughtfully and offering nuanced truths based on his reading, experience and philosophical temperament.-The Wall Street Journal It would be difficult to name a writer as erudite and yet as reader friendly. . .With a wry, self-deprecating charm, he passes his enthusiasms along in such manner that you can't help being delighted by them. - The Seattle Times [R]efreshing and profoundly readable. . . . Thanks to de Botton's detailed and thoughtful writing, coupled with his clever curiosity, The Art of Travel has the potential to enrich not only our journeys, but also our lives. -The Philadelphia Inquirer [De Botton] relates even the most disappointing experiences with delightful wit, graceful prose and surprising insight.. -The Los Angeles Times Wickedly funny . . . De Botton travels like the rest of us, but he brings with him the amazing erudition, crisp, lovely prose, and entertaining intellect that made How Proust Can Change Your Life and The Consolations of Philosophy such phenomenal successes. -The Boston Globe [E]xudes erudition and artfulness. . . . Delightful. -Minneapolis Star-Tribune [A] wonderful book: inventive, witty, intelligent, and beautifully written. At its best, its prose achieves the intensity of aphorism . . . provocative and insightful . . . teeming with tantalizing detail. -The Boston Phoenix Charmingly and capably convinces us how unaware most of us are as we move about in the world . . . will leave the reader mentally reaching for a pencil to check off the graceful, witty turns of Mr. de Botton's mind. -The Washington Times A thoughtful and anecdote-rich meditation on how trips can alter us in unexpected ways. -Elle Magazine An erudite, funny brand of philosophy . . . will make you think and laugh and want to plan a trip to test out some of de Botton's ideas for yourself. -Atlanta Journal-Constitution [A] quirky, delightful meditation on why we go where we go . . . What makes his book so much fun and so utterly unique is the way his mind works as he contemplates his (and our) responses to museums, airports, landscapes, hotels- even to a gas station. Read just a few pages of de Botton and you'll follow him anywhere. -O Magazine Quietly terrific . . . It says a great deal about his ability that no matter whom he might invoke he does not pale by comparison. -The NewYork Sun De Botton . . . gives voice and meaning to the thousands of epiphanies great and small brought about by voyaging. -Esquire Alain de Botton piques curiosity not only about where we go but why and how- questions worth considering even if our destination is no farther than the nearest cabana. -Vogue Journeys of the de Botton kind . . . expand our perspective, they broaden our mind, they enrich the intellect. We travel, this precocious young man reminds us, to find ourselves. -The Dallas Morning News Delicious writing . . . pure, unalloyed pleasure . . . [De Botton's] thoughts are original, startling, and what is more, feel true. -The Arizona Republic Utterly charming. . . . De Botton notices the details, and as we grow accustomed to seeing the world through his eyes, perhaps we will notice more too. . . . [A] fine writer. -The Times Picayune An elegant and subtle work, unlike any other. Beguiling. -The Times (London) One of the very best contemporary travel writers-an artist in the genre. -Jan Morris,

The book features insights and lessons shared by various guests from the Diary of a CEO podcast, hosted by Steven Bartlett. It explores themes of entrepreneurship, personal growth, and resilience through candid conversations with influential figures. Readers will find practical advice and inspiring stories that highlight the challenges and triumphs faced in business and life. This collection aims to motivate and empower individuals to pursue their ambitions while navigating the complexities of modern success.

Emotional intelligence affects every aspect of the way we live, from romantic to professional relationships, from our inner resilience to our social success. It is the ultimate soft skill of the twenty-first century. Drawing on his work in the hugely successful School of Life organisation, Alain de Botton presents a compendium of emotional intelligence. Using his trademark mixture of analysis, anecdote, insight and practical wisdom, he considers how we interact with each and with ourselves, and how we can do so better. From the reigning master of popular philosophy, this is an essential look at the skill set that defines our modern lives.

This is a book about everything you were never taught at school. It's about how to understand your emotions, find and sustain love, succeed in your career, fail well and overcome shame and guilt. It's also about letting go of the myth of a perfect life in order to achieve genuine emotional maturity. Written in a hugely accessible, warm and humane style, The School of Life is the ultimate guide to the emotionally fulfilled lives we all long for - and deserve. This book brings together ten years of essential and transformative research on emotional intelligence, with practical topics including: - how to understand yourself - how to master the dilemmas of relationships - how to become more effective at work - how to endure failure - how to grow more serene and resilient.

Modern love is never easy. Society is obsessed with stories of romance, but what comes after happily ever after? This is a love story with a difference. From dating to marriage, from having kids to having affairs, it follows the progress of a single ordinary relationship- tender, messy, hilarious, painful, and entirely un-Romantic. It is a love story for the modern world, chronicling the daily intimacies, the blazing rows, the endless tiny gestures that make up a life shared between two people. Moving and deeply insightful, The Course of Love offers us a window into essential truths about the nature of love.