Episode · How I Write · 2025-07-16
David Perell & Alain de Botton: books mentioned on How I Write
Why Suffering Fuels Creativity — Alain de Botton
Alain de Botton discussed On love by Alain De Botton, Essays in Love by Alain De Botton, Maxims by François duc de La Rochefoucauld, The course of love by Alain De Botton, Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera, Art of the Novel by Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, Blood on the tracks by Bob Dylan, Face Value, Phil Collins (cassette). by Phil* Collins, and The Architecture of Happiness by Alain De Botton.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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On love
On Love by Alain de Botton is a philosophical novel that explores the psychological mechanics, romantic ideals, and painful sensations of falling and being in love.
Discussed“So I wrote my first book which in the United States was called on love and in the uh many other parts of the world was called essays in love and that was an attempt to understand sensations around love”
Where to get it
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Essays in Love
Discussed“So I wrote my first book which in the United States was called on love and in the uh many other parts of the world was called essays in love and that was an attempt to understand sensations around love”
Where to get it
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Maxims
Discussed“I remember this 17th century character, French character, Laros Fuku. Do you know him? No. Luko who wrote this book called the maxims in the 17th century and this a beautiful book it must be it's about 200 fragments.”
Where to get it
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The course of love
Discussed“So, my books tend to be quite odd. I mean, I wrote a book called The Course of Love.”
Where to get it
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Book of Laughter and Forgetting
Book of Laughter and Forgetting by Milan Kundera is a philosophical novel structured as a kaleidoscope of interconnected stories and essays examining memory, political oppression, history, and human folly.
Discussed“So um the Czech writer Milan Kundara was extremely important for me um the book of laughter and forgetting uh and the unbearable lightness of being and also his book the art of the novel immensely significant texts that seemed to have an incredible freedom.”
Where to get it
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Art of the Novel
Discussed“So um the Czech writer Milan Kundara was extremely important for me um the book of laughter and forgetting uh and the unbearable lightness of being and also his book the art of the novel immensely significant texts that seemed to have an incredible freedom.”
Where to get it
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera is a philosophical novel that explores love, fate, and the heavy burdens of human existence against the backdrop of the Prague Spring.
Discussed“So um the Czech writer Milan Kundara was extremely important for me um the book of laughter and forgetting uh and the unbearable lightness of being and also his book the art of the novel immensely significant texts that seemed to have an incredible freedom.”
Where to get it
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In Search of Lost Time
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust is a monumental, multi-volume modernist novel that explores memory, time, art, and the profound meaning of human existence through an immersive blend of narrative and philosophical essay.
Discussed“P has this P by the way who I love Marcusel Puce the great French novelist wrote this really weird book called In Search of Lost Time which is again a mixture of essay novel and I don't know disquisition on the meaning of life.”
Where to get it
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Blood on the tracks
Blood on the Tracks is a classic breakup album by Bob Dylan that explores deep emotional turmoil and personal pain.
Discussed“Think of you know I don't know uh Bob Dylan Blood on the tracks that's a breakup album.”
Where to get it
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Face Value, Phil Collins (cassette).
Discussed“Think of Phil Collins Face Value breakup albums. Great bits of music that emerging out of pop music”
Where to get it
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The Architecture of Happiness
Discussed“And um it enraged me and I wrote a book called the architecture of happiness which was an attempt to think about buildings.”
Where to get it
