Mark Vanhoenacker – författare

Brought to you by Penguin.A love letter to the cities of the world, from the airline pilot-author of Skyfaring.Mark Vanhoenacker grew up in his small hometown, spinning the illuminated globe in his bedroom and dreaming of elsewhere - of distant, real cities, and a perfect metropolis that existed only in his imagination. These places were the source of endless comfort and escape, and of a lasting fascination: streets unspooled, towers shone, and anonymous crowds bustled in cities where Mark could be anyone, perhaps even himself.Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent nearly two decades crossing the skies of our planet, touching down in the cities he imagined as a child. He experiences our metropolises in short layover visits that repeat over weeks, months or even years, giving him a unique perspective on the urbanization of the world.In this intimate yet expansive work that weaves travelogue with memoir, Mark celebrates the cities he has come to know and love, through the lens of the hometown his heart has never left. In chapters that explore emblematic facets of each city''s identity - the sweeping roads of Los Angeles, the gates of Jeddah, the intricate, dream-inspired plan of Brasília - he shows us with warmth and fresh eyes the extraordinary places that billions of us call home.© Mark Vanhoenacker 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

THE DAILY MAIL BOOK OF THE YEAR''Illuminates the practical reality of piloting in a concise and useful manner'' Times Literary SupplementSo, hello! Welcome! Honestly, you look surprisingly relaxed. That''s great to see. Have a seat on the left side of the cockpit - that''s the captain''s seat. Yes, that''s right, you''re now the captain, and yes, that''s the runway down there. Fasten your seatbelt, order yourself a cup of tea, and let''s get cracking.Mark Vanhoenacker, the airline pilot who makes poetry out of the science of flight technology, hands over the controls. Walking and talking us through the nitty-gritty of an approach and touchdown, he builds our understanding of flight from the ground up (or rather from the sky down), offering a new perspective of one of the more challenging and rewarding tasks ever.