Alain de Botton was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1969 and now lives in London. He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a ‘philosophy of everyday life.’ He’s written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries.

Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. Alain’s latest book, published in February 2014, is titled The News: A User’s Manual .

Alain started writing at a young age. His first book, Essays in Love [titled On Love in the US], was published when he was twenty-three.