Editing Michel Houellebecq (section)

==Works and rise to fame==
[[File:2008.06.09. Michel Houellebecq Fot Mariusz Kubik 12.JPG|left|thumb|Michel Houellebecq, Warsaw, June 2008]]
Houellebecq's first poems appeared in 1985 in the magazine ''[[Nouvelle Revue Française|La Nouvelle Revue]]''. Six years later, in 1991, he published a biographical essay on the [[Horror fiction|horror]] writer [[H. P. Lovecraft]], a teenage passion, with the programmatic subtitle ''Against the World, Against Life''. A short poetical essay named ''Rester vivant : méthode'' (''To Stay Alive'') appeared the same year, dealing with the art of writing as a way of life – or rather, a ''way of not-dying'' and being able to write in spite of apathy and disgust for life (a film adaptation was made in 2016). It was followed by his first collection of poetry, ''La poursuite du bonheur'' (''The pursuit of happiness''). Meanwhile, he worked as a computer administrator in Paris, including at the [[French National Assembly]], before he became the so-called "[[Celebrity|pop star]] of the single generation", starting to gain fame in 1994 with his [[debut novel]] ''[[Whatever (novel)|Extension du domaine de la lutte]]'', published by Maurice Nadeau (translated in English by Paul Hammond and published as ''Whatever''). It reads as a first-person narrative, alternating between realistic accounts of the (unnamed) protagonist's bleak and solitary life as a [[Programmer|computer programmer]], and his idiosyncratic musings about society, some of which are presented in the form of "animal fictions"; he teams up with an even more desperate colleague (he is a virgin at the age of 28) who later gets killed in a car accident, which triggers the narrator's mental breakdown and eventual admission in a [[psychiatric hospital]]; even there, he theorizes about his condition being the direct result of the contemporary social configuration, rather than a personal failure or mental illness.

Throughout the 1990s, Houellebecq published several books of poetry, including ''[[The Art of Struggle|Le sens du combat]]'' in 1996 (translated as ''The Art of Struggle'', which, in a 2005 video interview for the magazine ''[[Les Inrockuptibles]]'', he cited as his most accomplished book to date, the one he would usually choose if compelled to read whatever he wanted among his published works), and articles in magazines (such as ''Les Inrockuptibles'') or more confidential literary publications (such as ''[[L'Infini]]''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://next.liberation.fr/livres/1997/10/02/retour-en-enfance-l-infini-la-question-pedophile-n59-automne-1997-gallimard-143pp-86f_218418|title=Retour en enfance. L'infini, La question pédophile, N°59, automne 1997, Gallimard, 143pp., 86F.|last=De Gaudemar|first=Antoine|date=2 October 1997|website=Liberation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623092759/http://next.liberation.fr/livres/1997/10/02/retour-en-enfance-l-infini-la-question-pedophile-n59-automne-1997-gallimard-143pp-86f_218418|archive-date=23 June 2016|url-status=live|access-date=17 April 2017}}</ref> edited by [[Philippe Sollers]]). Most of those texts were later collected in ''[[Interventions (Houellebecq book)|Interventions]]'' (1998, expanded in 2009 and 2020). At that time, he lived at the same address as fellow writer [[Marc-Édouard Nabe]], at 103, rue de la Convention in Paris. Nabe wrote about this proximity in ''Le Vingt-Septième Livre'' (2006), comparing both neighbours' careers and the way their writings were met by critics and audiences.<ref>{{Citation|last=Van Wesemael|first=Sabine|title=Michel Houellebecq, figure de roman|date=2017|url=https://www.classiques-garnier.com/doi/garnier?article=AjgMS01_31|pages=17 pages, pages 31–47|publisher=Classiques Garnier|language=fr|doi=10.15122/isbn.978-2-406-05910-3.p.0031|isbn=978-2-406-05910-3|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/le-vingt-septieme-livre-interventions-2_823302.html|title=Mon voisin Houellebecq|last=Dupuis|first=Jerome|date=29 January 2009|website=L'Express|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129004539/https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/le-vingt-septieme-livre-interventions-2_823302.html|archive-date=29 January 2018|url-status=live|access-date=17 April 2018}}</ref>

His second novel, ''[[Les Particules Élémentaires]]'' (translated by [[Frank Wynne]] and published in the English-speaking world as ''Atomised'' in the UK, or ''The Elementary Particles'' in the US) was a breakthrough, bringing him national and soon international fame and controversy for its intricate mix of brutally honest social commentary and pornographic depictions (two years earlier, in 1996, while working on that novel, being interviewed by Andrew Hussey, he had presciently said: "It will either destroy me or make me famous."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/nov/06/fiction.michelhouellebecq|title=Agent provocateur|last=Hussey|first=Andrew|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=6 November 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204124146/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2005/nov/06/fiction.michelhouellebecq|archive-date=4 February 2018|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref>) It narrates the fate of two half brothers who grew up in the troubled 1960s: Michel Djerzinski, who became a prominent biologist, highly successful as a scientist but utterly withdrawn and depressed, and Bruno Clément, a French teacher, deeply disturbed and obsessed by sex; Djerzinski eventually triggers what is labelled as the "third metaphysical mutation" by retro-engineering the human species into [[Immortality|immortal]] neo-humans. The book won the 1998 [[Prix Décembre|Prix Novembre]] (which was renamed Prix Décembre, following the resignation of its founder who disapproved of the prize being given to Houellebecq), missing the more prestigious [[Prix Goncourt]] for which it was the favourite. The novel became an instant "[[Nihilism|nihilistic]] classic" and was mostly praised for the boldness of its ideas and thought-provoking qualities, although it was also heavily criticized for its relentless bleakness and vivid depictions of racism, paedophilia, and torture, as well as for being an apology for [[eugenics]]. ([[Michiko Kakutani]] described it in ''[[The New York Times]]'' as "a deeply repugnant read".)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kakutani|first1=Michiko|title=Unsparing Case Studies of Humanity's Vileness|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/10/books/books-of-the-times-unsparing-case-studies-of-humanity-s-vileness.html|access-date=29 January 2018|work=The New York Times|date=2000-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141258/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/10/books/books-of-the-times-unsparing-case-studies-of-humanity-s-vileness.html|archive-date=29 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The novel won Houellebecq (along with his translator, [[Frank Wynne]]) the [[International Dublin Literary Award]] in 2002.

In 2000, Houellebecq published the short fiction ''[[Lanzarote (novel)|Lanzarote]]'' (published in France with a volume of his photographs), in which he explores a number of the themes he would develop in later novels, including [[sex tourism]] and [[fringe religions]]. His subsequent novel, ''[[Platform (novel)|Plateforme]]'' (''Platform'', 2001), was another critical and commercial success. A first-person romance narrated by a 40-year-old male arts administrator named Michel, who shares many real-life characteristics with the author, including his apathy and low self-esteem, it includes a depiction of life as hopeless, as well as numerous sex scenes, some of which display an approving attitude towards prostitution and [[sex tourism]].

The novel's explicit [[criticism of Islam]]—the story ends with the depiction of a terrorist attack on a sex tourism venue, later compared to the [[2002 Bali bombings|Bali bombings]] which happened the following year<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/france-s-cassandra-why-michel-houellebecq-predicts-an-islamist-france-in-2022-9964796.html|title=France's Cassandra: why Michel Houellebecq predicts an Islamist|date=2015-01-08|website=Evening Standard|language=en|access-date=2020-02-27}}</ref>—together with an interview its author gave to the magazine ''[[Lire (magazine)|Lire]]'' in which he described Islam as "the dumbest religion," which remark led to accusations of [[incitement to ethnic or racial hatred]] against Houellebecq by several organisations, including France's [[Human Rights League (France)|Human Rights League]], the [[Mecca]]-based World Islamic League as well as the mosques of Paris and [[Lyon]]. Charges were brought to trial, but a panel of three judges, delivering their verdict to a packed Paris courtroom, acquitted the author of having provoked 'racial' hatred, ascribing Houellebecq's opinions to the legitimate right of criticizing religions. The huge controversy in the media subsided following the [[terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]].

His next novel, ''[[The Possibility of an Island|La Possibilité d'une île]]'' (''The Possibility of an Island'', 2005), cycles between three characters' narratives: Daniel 1, a contemporary stand-up comedian and movie maker renowned for his extreme causticity, alternating with Daniel 24 and then Daniel 25, neo-human clones of Daniel 1 in a far future; Daniel 1 witnesses dramatic events by which a sect named the Elohimites (based on [[Raëlism]]) changes the course of history, and his autobiography constitutes a canonical account that his clones are compelled to study, both in order to acquaint themselves with their model / ancestor's troubled character (since the Elohimites' chief scientist's purported project of [[mind uploading]] turned out to be a failure) and to distance themselves from the flaws of humans. Houellebecq later adapted and directed [[La Possibilité d'une île (film)|a movie based on this novel]], which was a critical and commercial failure.

In 2008, Flammarion published ''[[Public Enemies: Dueling Writers Take on Each Other and the World]]'' (''Ennemis publics''), a conversation via e-mail between Houellebecq and [[Bernard-Henri Lévy]], in which both reflected on their controversial reception by the mainstream media, and elaborated on their tastes and influences in literature, among other topics.

Houellebecq has also released three music albums on which he recites or sings selected excerpts from his poetry. Two of them were recorded with composer [[Jean-Jacques Birgé]]: ''Le sens du combat'' (1996, [[Radio France]]) and ''Établissement d'un ciel d'alternance'' (2007, [[Grrr Records]], which Houellebecq considers the best of his recording endeavours, as handwritten in the [[libretto]]). ''Présence humaine'' (released in 2000 on [[Bertrand Burgalat]]'s Tricatel label, and featuring musical arrangements by Burgalat himself), has a rock band backing him, and has been compared to the works of [[Serge Gainsbourg]] in the 1970s; it was re-released in 2016 with two additional tracks arranged by [[Jean-Claude Vannier]] (who famously worked on ''[[Histoire de Melody Nelson]]'') and a booklet featuring notes by [[Michka Assayas|Mishka Assayas]] and texts by [[Fernando Arrabal]].

A recurrent theme in Houellebecq's novels is the intrusion of [[free-market economics]] into human relationships and sexuality. The original French title of ''Whatever'', ''Extension du domaine de la lutte'' (literally "broadening of the field of struggle"), alludes to economic competition extending into the search for relationships. As the book says, a [[free market]] has absolute winners and absolute losers, and the same applies to relationships in a society that does not value monogamy but rather exhorts people to seek the happiness that always eludes them through the path of sexual consumerism, in pursuit of narcissistic satisfaction. Similarly, ''[[Platform (novel)|Platform]]'' carries to its logical conclusion the touristic phenomenon, where Westerners of both sexes go on organized trips to developing countries in search of exotic locations and climates. In the novel, a similar popular demand arises for sex tourism, organized and sold in a corporate and professional fashion. Sex tourists are willing to sacrifice financially to experience the instinctual expression of sexuality, which has been better preserved in poor countries whose people are focused on the struggle for survival.

Although Houellebecq's work is often credited with building on [[Conservatism|conservative]], if not [[reactionary]], ideas, his critical depiction of the [[hippie|hippie movement]], [[New Age|New Age ideology]] and the [[May 1968 in France|May 1968]] generation, especially in ''Atomised'', echoes the thesis of [[Marxism|Marxist]] [[sociologist]] [[Michel Clouscard]].

His novel ''[[The Map and the Territory|La Carte et le Territoire]]'' (''The Map and the Territory'') was released in September 2010 by Flammarion and finally won its author the prestigious [[Prix Goncourt]]. This is the tale of an accidental art star and is full of insights into the contemporary art scene. [[Slate (magazine)|''Slate'' magazine]] accused him of plagiarising some passages of this book from [[French Wikipedia]].<ref>Davies, Lizzy (8 September 2010). "Houellebecq fights off claims of plagiarism in new novel". ''[[The Guardian]]'', Main section, p. 16. Published online (7 September 2010) as [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/07/michel-houllebecq-novel-plagiarism-accusation "Michel Houellebecq novel ruffles literary world again"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307232759/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/07/michel-houllebecq-novel-plagiarism-accusation |date=7 March 2016 }}. Retrieved 15 September 2010.</ref> Houellebecq denied the accusation of plagiarism, stating that "taking passages word for word was not stealing so long as the motives were to recycle them for artistic purposes," evoking the influence of [[Georges Perec]], [[Lautreamont]] or [[Jorge Luis Borges]], and advocated the use of all sorts of raw materials in literature, including advertising, recipes or mathematics problems.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lichfield|first=John|title=I stole from Wikipedia but it's not plagiarism, says Houellebecq|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/i-stole-from-wikipedia-but-its-not-plagiarism-says-houellebecq-2073145.html|work=The Independent|location=UK|access-date=15 September 2010|date=8 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911081659/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/i-stole-from-wikipedia-but-its-not-plagiarism-says-houellebecq-2073145.html|archive-date=11 September 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 7 January 2015, the date of the [[Charlie Hebdo shooting|''Charlie Hebdo'' shooting]], the novel ''[[Submission (novel)|Submission]]'' was published. The book describes a future situation in France, set in 2022, when a Muslim party, following a victory against the [[National Rally (France)|National Front]], is ruling the country according to [[Sharia|Islamic law]], which again generated heated controversy and accusations of [[Islamophobia]]. On the same date, a cartoon of Houellebecq appeared on the cover page of ''[[Charlie Hebdo]]'' with the caption "The Predictions of Wizard Houellebecq," eerily ironic in retrospect.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11329625/Islamophobic-Michel-Houellebecq-book-featured-by-Charlie-Hebdo-published-today.html |title=The telegraph |date=7 January 2015 |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204141012/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11329625/Islamophobic-Michel-Houellebecq-book-featured-by-Charlie-Hebdo-published-today.html |archive-date=4 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> For the second time, his fictional work appeared to echo real events involving Islamic terrorism, although ''Submission'' does not feature acts of terrorism and eventually presents conversion to Islam as an attractive choice for the protagonist, a typically "houellebecquian" middle-aged man with a fixation for young women. A friend of his, [[Bernard Maris]], was killed in that shooting. In an interview with [[Antoine de Caunes]] after the shooting, Houellebecq stated he was unwell and had cancelled the promotional tour for ''Submission''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11341973/Tearful-Michel-Houellebecq-breaks-silence-on-Paris-shootings-Je-Suis-Charlie.html |title=The telegraph |date=13 January 2015 |access-date=4 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204202406/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11341973/Tearful-Michel-Houellebecq-breaks-silence-on-Paris-shootings-Je-Suis-Charlie.html |archive-date=4 February 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2019, Houellebecq was made a Chevalier of the [[Légion d'honneur]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2019/01/01/legion-d-honneur-houellebecq-et-les-champions-du-monde-de-foot-distingues_5404080_3224.html|title=Légion d'honneur: Houellebecq et les champions du monde de foot distingués|work=[[Le Monde]]|location=Paris|date=2019-01-01|access-date=1 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190101145008/https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2019/01/01/legion-d-honneur-houellebecq-et-les-champions-du-monde-de-foot-distingues_5404080_3224.html|archive-date=1 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> His novel ''[[Serotonin (novel)|Sérotonine]]'' was published (translated as ''Serotonin'') in the same month. This time, one of the novel's main themes, a violent revolt from desperate farmers, appeared to echo the [[Yellow vests movement|Yellow Vests movement]].