Maybe it’s that I am too young to understand his work, maybe I haven’t read enough French literature, maybe I haven’t read him enough, or maybe it’s that I don’t agree with him politically (I’m a leftist) but I just don’t get him. He is provocative and that has been working for him. I thought Submission was…eh? (also kind of islamophobic). Though maybe I didn’t like that one because I don’t live in France and I don’t know the situation there. I tried Elementary Particles, I thought a part of it was really strange. I feel like he tries to be Céline but fails.
So please, if there’s anyone who “gets” Houellebecq, could you explain to me the appeal of his work? Thank you!
I love Houllebecq, even though I cannot disagree more with his (I assume) political stance. He shows us the dark sides of the modern western society and individualization, and even though I don’t agree politically with him, his critique is solid.
He is also very misunderstood, his characters are not him and their sexism, nihilism, Islamophobia and so on are not necessarily his. I actually find him quite humanistic - love is an essential element for all of his novels.
To mention why I like some of his works: