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Philosopher becomes first writer-in-residence at T5
Tim Stewart18 Aug 2009
Passengers using Heathrow's Terminal 5 this week could appear as characters in a new book being written by the first airport writer-in-residence.
Respected author Alain de Botton will spend a week behind a check-in desk meeting travellers. His brief from the airport is to capture the inner workings of Britain's busiest airport with its passengers and staff making up the contents.
Mr de Botton, author of Essays in Love and The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, is inviting passengers to share their motives for travelling with him.
He will interview everyone from British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh to pilots, baggage handlers, runway inspectors and caterers who prepare airline meals.
Mr de Botton said: "I have always found airports mesmerising. Thousands of people pass through Heathrow every day and you look around and wonder where they are going and why.
"There are all sorts of motives for travelling. I want people to come and tell me their stories and they might then find themselves in my book."
Mr de Botton has been given unprecedented access to all areas of the airport and full creative control over the finished book, which is to be called A Week At The Airport: A Heathrow Diary.
He said: "This project is incredibly brave of Heathrow. If I want to say the airport is a dump, which should not exist, I can."
The book will go on sale from late September, with 10,000 copies being given out free to Heathrow passengers.
The airport's chief operating officer Mike Brown said: "Opening Heathrow to literary critique is a bold and adventurous step for us."
Reader views (4)
oh stop moaning!
- Rob, London UK, 01/09/2009 11:52
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How about spending a week at Sipson or anywhere in West London, Reading, Maidenhead, Windsor or the other long list of communities ruined by Heathrow and its operations - as it expands so does its footprint of aathma, stress related illness, noise pollution and premature death. Remeber in Hounslow alone Heathrow attributable illness has doubled in 10 years as this beast has grown with a collusional government and DFT hiding the truth about the major public health issues. Perhaps that is more appropriate than the stress of people who regard 3 million fellow citizens as somehow deserving of asthma for kids etc, as the airport was there first. - all be it much smaller and with a tiny number of cars. I would ask travellers to avoid Hearthrow if they have any real consideration for other people, go to a European airport - they Schipol, Frankfurt and De Gualle were all built to try an minimise the impacts of aviation operation on citizens. Please lets botcott this airport and insist that its moved with adequat support for the airlines, to a place where people do not pay for it with their health.
- Christian Ball, London, UK, 19/08/2009 09:06
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Terminal 5 gives you many ideas for a comedy. It is a real joke but still very sad as well: after so many years of planning...
- Georgie, Islington, London, 18/08/2009 15:06
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I can give Mr de Botton a few ideas for his book: invasive security checks, interminable queues caused by BAA ineptitude, overpriced duty "free" shops that are anything but, constantly delayed flight arrivals and departures, nonsensical splitting of the terminal into A, B and C requiring bus transfers (VERY modern) and not enough jetties to handle the daily volume of aircraft.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 18/08/2009 12:11
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