Main content

Alain de Botton

Episode 1 of 5

Writer, philosopher and broadcaster Alain de Botton reads an essay on the life and work of Renaissance scholar and writer Michel de Montaigne.

A series of five essays on Montaigne to accompany a Radio 3 drama about the French essayist called 'Living with Princes', written by Stephen Wakelam with Roger Allam as Montaigne to be broadcast on Sunday, 23 January on Radio 3.

The essays will be written and read by the writer and broadcaster Alain de Botton; the philosopher and historian Theodore Zeldin, who will explore to what extent Montaigne's philosophy on life holds true today; writer and Shakespeare scholar, Jonathan Bate, who will be exploring the relationship between Montaigne and the Bard; the writer and biographer of Montaigne Sarah Bakewell on Montaigne's cat, scepticism and animal souls: and the philosopher A.C.Grayling.

Today Alain de Botton.

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Mon 9 Jul 2012 22:45

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from The Essay

Broadcasts

  • Mon 17 Jan 2011 23:00
  • Mon 9 Jul 2012 22:45

Death in Trieste

Death in Trieste

A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.

Watch: My Deaf World

Watch: My Deaf World

Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.

The Book that Changed Me

Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.

Download The Essay

Download The Essay

Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.

Podcast