Pico Iyer

Born to Indian parents in England; educated at Eton College and Oxford and Harvard Universities; and a resident of Japan and California for much of his life, Iyer has a personal story that touches many cultures and an intellectual curiosity that has taken him all over the world. 

Iyer's writings include two novels and more than a dozen works of nonfiction, including the recent bestseller The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise, which examines how to live more peacefully in an increasingly divided and distracted age. His forthcoming book, Aflame: Learning from Silence, explores the clarity and calm that can be found in silent meditation. 

Iyer's four TED Talks on longing and belonging, wisdom, and our place in the modern world have been viewed more than 11 million times, and his books have been translated into 23 languages. Iyer has spoken to audiences at Google, Coca-Cola, Fox Broadcasting, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, and The Utne Reader named him “one of 100 visionaries worldwide who could change your life.”