Pico Iyer

Writer/Editor

Born in Oxford, England, educated at Eton, Oxford and Harvard, grew up between 15th century England and '60s California. Author of seventeen books (translated into 23 languages), contributor to roughly 250 magazines, writer of screenplays and liner-notes and introductions to more than 90 other books. Onetime busboy.

Terrence Malick, Sigur Ros, Graham Greene, Cuba, Van Morrison, Iran, Naoshima, serious literature, professional sports and Tibet.

I'm interested in anyone who can hold hope and realism in the same frame—seeing the world as it truly is without relinquishing faith and confidence in it. And I'm moved by all those who can leave themselves at home and travel fearlessly into the Other.

Writing, travel, pilgrimage, ping-pong

I was delighted to be asked to give a talk at TED Global in Edinburgh in 2013, and, a few months later, to be invited to write the second TED Original book, launched at TED Global in Rio in 2014, and accompanied by a second talk. At the Ted Summit in Banff in 2016 I found myself giving the closing talk, and ever since I seem to be delighted to be a repeat offender, offering workshops at TED in Vancouver on stillness in 2017 and on travel in 2018.

Mental arithmetic and, in certain circumstances, ping-pong.