Heathrow Airport Has a Writer in Residence

Posted on August 19, 2009

The New York Times reports that author Alain de Botton is sitting in Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London writing a book. A placard next to Mr. de Botton says he is serving a one-week appointment as Heathrow's "writer in residence." Mr. de Botton told the Times that he only agreed to it if Heathrow was not allowed to see a word he was writing until it was published.

Mr. de Botton says in the interview, "Right from the start I said I can only do this if you don't even see the text before it goes to print. I said, 'If I find a cockroach in the restaurant, if someone drops dead at the airport, I'm going to write about it and send it to the publisher.' They just took a big gulp and then to their credit they said, 'Fine, yes, you can say anything you want.'"

An airport will be a very busy place to write. Heathrow will be hoping their are no fatalities or insect infestations during the residency period. The New York Times says a short book Alain de Botton is writing from inside the airport will be released on September 21st. The book, called A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary, will be published by British publisher Profile Books.