Carl Honoré

Carl Honoré is an award-winning Canadian journalist and international best-selling author of In Praise of Slow and, most recently, Under Pressure.  

In Praise of Slow has been translated into more than 30 languages and was one of the Globe and Mail’s Top Ten Bestselling Non-Fiction Paperbacks for 2005. It was also the subject of a cover story by Maclean’s magazine. The book examines our compulsion to hurry, and chronicles a global trend toward putting on the brakes. Honoré states:

“We all feel under pressure to do everything faster. But faster is not always better. When every moment becomes a race against the clock, when we forget how to slow down, there is a price to pay. Our diet, health and work, our relationships and communities, all suffer. But there is an alternative to living like a roadrunner. It’s called the Slow movement. Slowing down at the right moments can help everyone live, work and play better in the fast-paced modern world.”

Honoré’s latest book, Under Pressure, explores the state of childhood today and shows how we are raising a generation of overmanaged, overstimulated and overindulged children. Every aspect of childhood - education, toys, safety, discipline, sports, play, etc - is now set up to suit adults rather than children. Under Pressure, which examines solutions to this problem from around the world, was shortlisted for the 2008 Writers' Trust Award for Non-Fiction.

Honoré has appeared on a number of Canadian television programs, including CBC News: Morning and The Sunday Show. ABC News described Honoré as “the unofficial godfather of a growing cultural shift toward slowing down.” An engaging, incisive and humorous speaker, Honoré is at ease running workshops for small groups or working the stage in front of thousands of people. His audiences range from children, teachers and medical practitioners to entrepreneurs, IT professionals and business executives. His 2005 speech at the prestigious TED conference has been ranked in the Top 10 “Most Inspiring” talks by the millions of visitors who vote on the TED website. Others on the list include Bill Clinton and Bono.

Honoré lives in London with his wife and two young children.

• 2. Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting

  Childhood has been hijacked by adults in a way never seen before in history, with the natural desire to do the best for our children having gone too far. The upshot is that kids are suffering physically, mentally and emotionally. Parents, teachers and carers suffer, too, when child-rearing is treated like product-development. But change is coming. Around the world there is a backlash as people seek ways to give children the time and space to explore the world on their own terms, to play freely, to be children again. The key is striking the right balance between doing too much and doing too little for kids. Honoré explores how to find that equilibrium in everything from toys, technology and extracurricular activities to schooling, safety and consumerism.

• 3. Pleasure

  Work, sex, food, exercise, relationships – everything is more pleasurable when given the time and attention it deserves. Slowing down also allows us to reflect, bringing more depth and meaning to our lives.

• 1. Productivity

  The best way to get ahead in a fast-paced world is to slow down. Taking breaks, taking time to plan or think through a decision or even just taking a nap can boost productivity and the bottom line. Shifting down a gear gets the creative juices flowing. Remember who won the race between the tortoise and the hare. And remember that some of the greatest innovators of all time, from Einstein to Darwin, described themselves "slow thinkers."

• Honoré is particularly good at detailing the addictive properties and vagaries of speed, and its ill effects on individuals and society, including himself.

  The Globe and Mail (Canada)

• Entertaining...friendly and intelligent guide...with a light mix of well-researched historic trivia and contemporary statistics. [Honoré's] anecdotes and self-deprecating humour convey the pleasure and reward that he experienced on his slow pilgrimage.

  The Economist

• In brisk, cleanly written chapters...Honoré traces his personal encounters with advocates of slow living...In Praise of Slow shows us various methods to release ourselves...from what Baudelaire denounced as 'the horrible burden of time,' to break free of the 'Matrix'-like illusion that we have no choice.

  The Washington Post

• The No Logo of its age...strangely enthralling, an epiphany for those of us who have forgotten how to look forward to things or to enjoy the moment when it arrives.

  The Herald (UK)

• Thorough and highly persuasive...(In Praise of Slow) is well on its way to cult status. It has been described as the No Logo of its age, but it's far more compelling and intelligent than that, and a necessary addition to the reading list of marketing, HR and new product development departments. Read (it) slowly to allow inward digestion without dyspepsia.

  Matthew Gwyther, editor Management Today

• Honoré makes an eloquent and convincing case for slowing down. His book challenges the conventional view that faster is better. Readers would be wise to savour it slowly.

  The Montreal Gazette

• A compelling read...The book has a personal, intimate tone that belies the author's considerable research...It's great strength is that it consolidates seemingly disparate ideas (slow food and slow work!), providing a unique insight into a pervasive cultural issue...Honoré gives his readers an opportunity to change their lives for the better.

  The Vancouver Sun

• Mr. Honore's witty presentation was intellectually stimulating, highly entertaining, and forced us all to look at how we think about the invisible force that rules our lives:time. Encompassing world history, sociological observation, and a journalist's eye for accurate detail, his talk was the unquestioned highlight of our conference this year.

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  April 2008

  Under Pressure: Rescuing Childhood From The Culture Of Hyper-parenting

  Under Pressure offers a fascinating and urgent look at childhood today and how we are raising a generation of over-programmed, overachieving, exhausted children. Carl Honoré explains how our modern approach to children is backfiring, and in using children as a way to relive our own lives, or as a way to make up for our personal shortcomings, we have destroyed the magic and innocence of childhood.

  
  
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  April 2004

  In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed

  These days our culture teaches that faster is better. But in the race to keep up, everything suffers - our work, diet and health, our relationships and sex lives. We are in such a hurry that anyone or anything that slows us down becomes the enemy. Carl Honore uncovers a movement that challenges the cult of speed by proving that slower is often better. The Slow movement is not about doing everything at a snail's pace; it is about living better in the hectic modern world by striking a balance between fast and slow. From a Tantric sex workshop in London and a SuperSlow exercise studio in New York to Italy, home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movement, Honore's entertaining investigation reveals how we can live more productive, fulfilling lives by embracing the philosophy of Slow.