A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton
Install a patient writer -- worse, a talented philosopher -- in Terminal 5, the brainy jewel of Heathrow airport, as 'writer-in-residence' for a week and this is what happens: a hundred-pages-or-so meditation on travel, industry, humanity and art. The author glamorizes nothing -- in fact, he is engagingly blunt about the disappointment that necessarily undermines *all* vacations, in that we're forced to bring ourselves along -- while finding charm and poetry in the details, such as the hotel menu
Delicate field greens with sun-dried cranberries,or the melancholy calm of the terminal at night, or the lonely stillness of an unused runway. An amusing, thoughtful book -- easy to read but queuing with big ideas.
Poached pears, Gorgonzola cheese
And candied walnuts in a Zinfandel vinaigrette
* * * * *
This is an illo I did for my story in the Ban Righ book C and I are putting together. It (my story) is all about travel, too.
* * * * *
And with that I'm taking my summer break. Thanks to Bev Akerman for letting me know I was on the ReLit Awards long list, and best of luck to her (and Jenn).
Comments
Post a Comment