Life in the Slow Lane; The world is spinning a little too fast, says the author of this European best seller. A growing number of people agree.(Carl Honore's In Praise of Slowness)

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 29-NOV-04

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Byline: Joseph Contreras (With Sarah Sennott in London and Bret Begun in New York)

For a man who wants the world to slow down, Carl Honore's moment of clarity came in, of all places, an airport. The Canadian journalist was leafing through a newspaper at Rome's Fiumicino airport when he spotted an ad for a collection of condensed, one-minute bedtime stories for kids. At first Honore, a self-described "speedaholic," was delighted at the idea of a more efficient bedtime experience for his 2-year-old son. Then he was horrified. "Have I gone completely insane?" he asked himself, and realized the answer was "Probably." Out of that epiphany came a best-selling book and a whole new career for Honore as an international spokesman for the concept of leisure. "I'm attacking the whole cultural assumption that faster is better and we must cram every waking hour with things to do," says Honore, who now lives in London. In a world of bottom-line bosses and results-oriented parents, he dares speak up in favor of the unabridged fairy tale.

It's a message people seem to want to hear. Since it appeared in April, "In Praise of Slowness"...

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