Alain de Botton with Isy Suttie

Alain de Botton with Isy Suttie

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Which debut novels should you be reading in 2026?

What are the best books get you out of a reading slump? How did Snakes on a Plane inspire a literary sensation? What did James Joyce and Pakistani rap teach one of our debut novelists? And does a writer need to be completely delusional to finish writing a novel? This week on Ask ...  Show more

Which books emotionally wrecked you? With Dawn French

How does artist Kae Tempest inspire Dawn French? Do editors always know best? What is the impact of grief on those we love most? And what really happened when Dawn French came face to face with a hippo while filming Harry Potter? In this episode of Ask Penguin, Rhianna Dhillon si ...  Show more

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Alain de Botton on the joy of being average (E218)
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Alain de Botton is an author and philosopher, known for co-founding The School of Life in 2008. The School of Life was ...

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Alain de Botton — The True Hard Work of Love and Relationships
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[Unedited] Alain de Botton with Krista Tippett
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As people, and as a culture, Alain de Botton says, we would be much saner and happier if we reexamined our very view of love. His New York Times essay, “Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person,” is one of their most-read articles in recent years, and this is one of the most popular e ...  Show more