All the books by Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq is a French novelist, essayist, poet, writer, and film director. In the literary milieu he is known for being the author of highly relevant works such as Elementary particles; Annihilation; The Map and the Territory; Sumisión; Extension of the battlefield o Leading. Likewise, his contribution to letters produced a variety of effusive debates regarding the controversial themes of most of his titles.
These topics usually refer to how the writer describes the misery in which the western male at the end of the XNUMXth century is plunged and the convulsed of the XNUMXst century with respect to affectivity. His texts have managed to obtain recognition such as the Austrian Prize for European Literature (2019). Similarly, Houellebecq was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor that same year.
Synopsis of the six most popular books by Michel Houellebecq
Extension of the battlefield — Extension of the field of struggle (1994)
Extension of the battlefield It is the work with which the novelistic bibliography of Michel Houellebecq. This title was released by Editions Maurice Nadeau. Likewise, it was translated into Spanish by the editorial Anagram in 1999. The novel narrates the life and perceptions of notre heroes —Our hero: name given by the writer because the protagonist has no name.
The fact that it is not called in any other way —neither by the author nor by other characters— is linked to the concepts that man has about himself and society. The protagonist is a neurotic computer engineer who fulfills an acceptable position within a large company. The aforementioned is single, unattractive and without social charm, which makes him inept with the opposite sex. He faces the world with ennui as he entertains the idea of suicide.
Elementary particles — Elementary particles (1998)
Elementary particles It is a novel whose structure is divided into three parts. The work is characterized by the use of analepsis —retrospection— to explain the conditions, characters, and experiences of its characters. Their protagonists and narrators they are Bruno and Michel. The stories of both alternate to tell the facts of the plot.
Bruno and Michel are half-siblings, related through the marriage of a plastic surgeon and a liberal woman named Janine. The play takes place between July 1, 1998 and March 27, 2009. In it, the events of the life of the brothers are recounted, who are abandoned by their mother and left in the care of their grandparents. Elementary particles talks about neglect and its effects on the psyche.
Leading — Platform (2001)
Michel, a man without social capacity, receives a large sum of money due to the violent and unexpected death of his father. Since he no longer sees the need to work for money, decides to embark on a trip to Thailand to experience sexual pleasure with local prostitutes. This is, then, the only way in which he can get closer to other people, since any other way is exhausting for him.
On the way he meets Valérie, a woman dedicated to the tourism sector who seems interested in him, and with whom he maintains an intense erotic relationship. Valérie's director, Jean-Yves, is responsible for relaunching a chain of tourist villages spread throughout the world.
To boost sales, Michel proposes to bet on sex tourism. However, this idea must face taboos of a political and religious nature and, ultimately, a terrorist attack.
The Map and the Territory — The map and the territory (2010)
This work tells the story of a painter named Jed Martin. This French artist He becomes famous thanks to his works, which are divided into two types of collections: the first corresponds to a series of photographs of Michelin road maps, and the second; Called “oficios”, it deals with realistic-style paintings of different professions. The same way, the work recounts the artist's relationship with his father and a Russian executive.
One day, the protagonist becomes a successful man and millionaire. Later, has a meeting with Michel Houellebecq On a trip to Ireland. Martin asks the author to be the one to write the text for his exhibition catalogues; Also, he asks her to paint his portrait.
Shortly after, the artist dies mysteriously and the writer must help solve the crime.
Submission — Submission (2015)
Sumisión is a political fiction novel that recounts the events of François's life. The protagonist works as a professor at the University of Paris III. The center of his specialization is the decadent writer Huysmans. Nevertheless, François is not a happy man: He has no partner, his father passed away, his girlfriend immigrated to Israel and his last literary success happened many years ago.
While considering suicide, Mohammed Ben Abbes gets management of the nationon. The new president of France belongs to the fictitious Muslim Brotherhood party. Already in power, he implements new laws, such as the privatization of universities, the legalization of polygamy and the abolition of gender equality laws. This is how, thanks to another character, François becomes a Muslim to enjoy a new life, mainly women and money.
About the author, Michel Thomas
Michel Houellebecq
Michel Thomas was born in 1958, in Saint-Pierre, La Reunion Island, France. He is an award-winning French writer and film director. Michael he adopted the pseudonym Houellebecq in honor of his grandmother, who raised him when his parents decided to leave him in her care. The author obtained a degree in agronomy from the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon; however, he had a short history in this area.
Houellebecq worked in computing for a few years. Subsequently He was part of the National Assembly of his country, work that would give him the necessary peace to dedicate himself to an activity that he needed to carry out: writing. As an author he has received a lot of criticism over the years: he has been called a misogynist and a racist.
At par, has received awards such as the Dublin International IMPAC Literary Award (2002)
Other books by Michel Houellebecq
Narrative work
- Lanzarote (2000);
- The possibility of an island — La Possibilité d'une île (2005);
- Serotonin — serotonin (2019);
- Annihilation — Annihilate (2022);
poetic and essay work
- P.Lovecraft. Against the world, against life — HP Lovecraft. Against the world, against the life (1991);
- Stay alive — rester vivant (1991);
- The Poursuite du bonheur (1992);
- The skin (1995);
- The city (1996);
- The Sens du combat (1996);
- The world as a supermarket — interventions (1998);
- Renacimiento — Renaissance (1999);
- Survival — Rester vivant, Le sens du combat, La poursuite du bonheur (1996);
- Poetry — Poems (2000);
- Public Enemies — Public enemies (2008);
- Interventions 2 — Interventions 2 (2009)