Book description
Essays in Love will appeal to anyone who has ever been in a
relationship or confused about love. The book charts the progress of a
love affair from the first kiss to argument and reconciliation, from
intimacy and tenderness to the onset of anxiety and heartbreak. The
work's genius lies in the way it minutely analyses emotions we've all
felt before but have perhaps never understood so well: it includes a
chapter on the anxieties of when and how to say 'I love you' and another
on the challenges of disagreeing with someone else's taste in shoes.
While gripping the reader with the talent of a great novelist, de Botton
brings a philosopher's sensibility to his analyses of the emotions of
love, resulting in a genre-breaking book that is at once touching and
thought-provoking. 'The book's success has much to do with its
beautifully modelled sentences, its wry humour and its unwavering
deadpan respect for its reader's intelligence . . . full of keen
observation and flashes of genuine lyricism, acuity and depth.' Francine
Prose, New Republic 'Witty, funny, sophisticated, neatly tied up, and
full of wise and illuminating insights.' P. J. Kavanagh, Spectator 'De
Botton is a national treasure.' Susan Hill 'I doubt if de Botton has
written a dull sentence in his life.' Jan Morris, New Statesman
'Single-handedly, de Botton has taken philosophy back to its simplest
and most important purpose: helping us to live our lives.' Independent
Alain De Botton was born in 1969. He is the author of The Romantic
Movement, Kiss and Tell, How Proust Can Change Your Life, The
Consolations of Philsophy, The Art of Travel and Status Anxiety . His
work is translated into 20 languages. He lives in London. For more
information, consult www. alaindebotton. com.
