If you were asked to take a Martian to visit a single place that captures all the themes running through the modern world – from our faith in technology to our destruction of nature, from our interconnectedness to our romanticising of travel – then you would almost certainly have to head to an airport.

In 2009 the owners of Heathrow Airport asked Alain de Botton if he would like to be their first ever writer-in-residence. Given unprecedented, unrestricted access to wander one of the world's busiest airports, he met travellers from all over the globe, and spoke with everyone from check-in staff to pilots and senior executives. The end result is this fascinating meditation on the nature of travel, work, relationships and our daily lives.

In mid-July 2010, Alain de Botton read A Week at the Airport at studios in London exclusively for ABC Radio National's First Person.

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