I could not resist from buying this book when I saw it in a bookshop in Zagreb. I have already enjoyed author's Status Anxiety, but not so much The Art of Travel. I include this book here, because it really reads like a collection of short stories, even if documentary in nature. It certainly isn't a collection of essays. In each chapter we are given a peak in what is it to work in a particular profession, usually through one of the characters. We track a character, sometimes the author himself, through a typical day or a typical work cycle. We encounter accountants, painters, biscuit makers and so on. We learn how interconnected our world is, from fishermen in Maldives to the tuna steak on the dinner table in Bristol. This is perhaps the strongest insight of the book: to show us the base of our everyday life.
Since the book is mostly documentary, you won't find a philosophical essay on the general purpose of work. You will find individual stories, aspirations and troubles, all connected to the workplace. Unlike in Status Anxiety, you won't find a practical how-to guide to solve your worries, boredom or lack of perspective. However, you will definitely not want to become a CEO of an accounting company, and you may look at electricity grid or logistics network in a slightly different way.
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