The Auckland Writers and Readers Festival is hosting modern-day philosopher and popular-culture guru, Alain de Botton, at a chaired event with TV3’s John Campbell on Tuesday 18 May. Alain de Botton is the bestselling writer of How Proust Can Change Your Life, The Art of Travel, Consolations of Philosophy and his new book Status Anxiety which he will be discussing.

'Every adult life could be said to be defined by two great love stories. The first - the story of our quest for sexual love – is well known and well-charted. The second - the story of our quest for love from the world – is a more secret and shameful tale. And yet this second love story is no less intense than the first.'

Tickets will be available through Ticketek from today.