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Start giftingThe Architecture of Happiness
Narrator
Simon Vance
This audiobook uses AI narration.
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Length
4 hours 41 minutes
Language
English
The Architecture of Happiness is a dazzling journey through the philosophy and psychology of architecture and the indelible connection between our identities and our locations.
One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets that surround us. And yet, a concern for architecture is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulgent. Alain de Botton starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences who we can be, and argues that it is architecture'stask to stand as an eloquent reminder of our full potential.
Whereas many architects are wary of openly discussing the word beauty, this book has at its center the large and naïve question: What is a beautiful building?
Alain de Botton is the bestselling author of How Proust Can Change Your Life, as well as numerous other works of fiction and essays. He is well-known for making complex philosophical and artistic subjects accessible for a wider audience. De Botton founded the School of Life, a series of lectures in London that aim to make academic learning applicable to real life. With the success of the school, this concept was adapted into The School of Life book series. De Botton lives and works in London.
Robert Whitfield is the pseudonym for Simon Vance, an AudioFile Golden Voice with over forty Earphones Awards. He has also won more than a dozen prestigious Audie Awards and has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over thirty years.
Reviews
“Time after time, his descriptions neatly capture the distinctiveness and character of even the most unusual buildings…[The book succeeds] through his quiet intelligence, passionate conviction, and the charm of a personality lightly tinged with melancholy.”
“Narrator Simon Vance proves both professorial and affable as the book explores these fascinating topics, educating the listener with facts and insights…De Botton’s essay holds a mirror to the human spirit as it is expressed in our architecture.”
“With originality, verve, and wit, de Botton explains how we find reflections of our own values in the edifices we make…Altogether satisfying.”
“Elegant…Unusual…full of big ideas.”
“Entertaining and stimulating…The strength of his book is that it encourages us to open our eyes and really look at the buildings in which we live and work.”
“De Botton has a marvelous knack for coming at weighty subjects from entertainingly eccentric angles.”
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