Elementary particles (1998)
On the failure of the West in the face of emotional and sexual emptiness. Sex, always sex. Two half-brothers. If the tone and pace are quintessentially Celine, it is a premonition that suggests Cronenberg's "Inseparable Brothers". Modernity is brutal, or so it seems. It always has been, in fact.
We are unique, elementary particles, difficult to relate to, yet so alike. The contradictions of realism push us towards the temptation of "The Essay". Houellebecq resists, but "The Essay" is there.
It has been controversial since its release, accused of misanthropy, misogyny and radical pessimism. I agree. As it may be, it is good to see any lucid analysis of the cultural and existential crisis of Western society. All that remains is to read it. Preferably right after "Extension of the Fight's Dominion". In order. As one listens to a vinyl record.
Michel Houellebecq was born in 1956 on the French island of Réunion. He is a writer, controversial, polemical, provocative and, perhaps because of this, influential. He is not afraid to confront uncomfortable topics such as sexuality, religion, the decline of the West. Should he be? Is that where we are? Again?
