Heathrow Gets its First Writer in Residence

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  08.19.09 | 1:12 PM ET

Photo by James Cridland via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Literally. All this week, Alain de Botton—the author of “The Art of Travel”—will be sitting at a desk in the middle of Heathrow’s new Terminal Five, typing away. The end result of the stint? “A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary,” a short book that will hit shelves in September.

The project has taken some heat because de Botton is being sponsored by the airport authority, but he maintains he’s been given complete editorial freedom to explore the airport in its best and worst moments. “There are not many industries where you find 20 people camped on your doorstep, like plane and trainspotters, to find out how it works,” he told the Guardian. “You will not find people doing that outside Tesco, saying ‘look at that chicken tikka arriving.’ People are fascinated by this and I share that fascination.”

As do we. Rob Verger recently spent 24 hours at JFK and blogged about the experience for World Hum.


Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


2 Comments for Heathrow Gets its First Writer in Residence

Jim Benning 08.19.09 | 3:29 PM ET

I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that I’ll be spending a year in the lobby of a local Motel 6. Look for my book chronicling my experience, Motel 6 and the Zeitgeist of the American Road, in 2011.

Cate 08.24.09 | 10:36 AM ET

Well if it makes the service at Heathrow better then good for Alain. How about Newark security checkpoint next and all the other US checkpoints (minus Chicago and Miami) where he can blog about the way guards yell and intimidate non-english speaking travellers in between their gossip seasons.

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