Michel Houellebecq interview (in English) for the BBC

[MrUvray]

That pompous buffoon - the critic Peter Parker - reminds me of a story once related by Charles Bukowski. A critic once ripped a then unknown writer to shreds. Bukowski said: "That writer was D H Lawrence and the critic has, quite rightly, been forgotten." - critics are nothing more than legends in their own lunch-time.

[tcubeful]

Like George Jonas once said: french philosophers don't age very well. One can still read Kant or Hegel or Bacon and know that they are/were relevant. Proust, Satre and Camus on the other hand were nothing more than Beatniks, but with a huge obsession to be self-absorbed, which is typical french like their movies of the 60's and 70's. Houellebecq knows that and so he recycles a young Christopher Hitchens without having his talent, his skill or his likeability. Not to mention his knowledge. A scam

[curiosofsigns]

@tcubeful pompous self-aggrandizing piffle. Cut it down: just say "I hate the French" instead and stop name-dropping the greats.

[thebloodpoetry]

What's compelling to me about MH (as an author) is his brutally sincere vision--all conveyed with spare and searing prose. The world-building around those emptied protagonists, particularly in The Elementary Particles, is completely 'successful' and, yes, unpleasant. It's difficult to turn away.

[BombKrueger]

Man, if only Sacha Baron Cohen would do a Houellebecq character.

[travisnealtodd70]

I think Houellebcq parodies the absurdity of middle-aged men being obsessed with sex rather than advocating this as a way to spend your declining years.

[travisnealtodd70]

Houellebcq's characters "sleep with a lot of women"? Really?

[travisnealtodd70]

His books are like E.M. Cioran but with more fucking.

[ABombs1]

Houellebecq Vs Bukowski

[Asmodeusex]

@ABombs1 Two different categories.

[ABombs1]

@Asmodeusex Same aura

[Asmodeusex]

@ABombs1 Hmm...

[CottonPoisonwood]

Check out that French insouciance: the guy smokes his cigarettes tucked between the wrong fingers! How elegant! How literary! Memo to self: Purchase beret and fake mustache at first opportunity!

[smurfieboo]

Peter Parker is a twat and a nobody critic

[Giovannisenzaterra]

This guy's works has been a fucking revelation

[Aristoteles83]

I do not know who I hate more Dutschke, Houellebecq or Breivik, all I know is the longer I watched this the more my misanthropy grew, my hatred for literature and modernity = modern literature and my disgust especially for human self-awareness and consciouss. The world is marvelous, but it has a sickness called human. And it stops being interesting when things become predictable. Very obviously it was the only tragedy the world didn't end in the cold war and still shitbags overpopulate earth.

[terrasweet]

@Aristoteles83 you sound like a pretty serious retard

[Hollandia777]

@Aristoteles83 Well... It's never too late 2 commit a suicide isn't it? (If I've got u correctly!)

[mechroboticon]

@cashisabelle

don't forget Genet ;)

[cashisabelle]

Satre,Celine,Houellebecq,Camus­...almost too much talent for one country.

[Cyprian80]

Bad interview, bad TV material.

They are concentrating on scandals, pornography. Details like the writer "likes to tak his time". Asking trivial question "how much real life in your novels?" - questions like that every writer has to encounter.

[alowgroover]

why does he sounds like Cioran???

[GigsixstringOfficial]

...



[Kela08]

Reading La Possibilite... at the moment and can't put it down! He seems to stand for all that I detest in men and yet I find his writing fascinating! What's wrong with me...

[burmanhands]

Its interesting how these 'artists' like him and Bono who are so scornful of contemporary western values lived in Ireland (tax free for artists) and moved out when the tax laws changed - I think that tells you their real values.

[tigamanter]

Houellebecq combines intellectual curiosity with beautiful writing. Sex and politics aren't actually very important in his work. He's mainly interested in social dynamics, and more specifically, it seems to me, how impersonal social forces shape human behavior. And, importantly, he writes very, very well.

[Embalmer]

For me, Hoellebecq writes more movingly about human loneliness and torment, the longing for, and impossibility of love, than just about any other writer I can think of. He knows what its like to crave love and sex and human touch, and to be deprived of all three.

All lonely and sex deprived men should register at love-shy.com

[SylvieEvin]

Prix Goncourt 2010, the Best in France !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! je l'aime!

Il ose être lui-même, avouer sa dépression, chercher au plus profond de lui-même... Il se moque des apparences! Il te regarde, il se regarde... Ce type est fantastique, il est VRAI! Michel H. lives in Irlande!

[douglasmacjames]

i read half book of him , this is soap ...

[douglasmacjames]

this guy in france is only shit !

[seagreenyweeny]

The blonde University of Edinburgh critic and the blue shirt and glasses wearing critic are interminable.

[fragrit]

Et attention, un anglais ou un américain vous diront ce qu'est la bonne cuisine!!! Ils savent, ils connaissent! Présentez-leur une merde sur une assiette et dites que c'est de la cuisine française. Sûr qu'ils diront: "hmmm delicious! It's french so it's good..."

[fragrit]

Les anglo-saxons jaugent la littérature étrangère!!!! MDR! 

[Bibilezoive]

his books don't worth a shit... i am french i love literature but I have to admit if a french is well known in international (western) area most of the time he don't worth a shit, a marketing product...

French culture is dying because France is submitted country and a slave don't produce art

[KingMinosxxvi]

furthermore there are many instances of very poingiant affection for women. platform in fact is very much the story of a man who is brought grace in his reationship with a woman and since it is tragedy she is killed. this woman in the clip has obviously not even read his books in any opern engaged fashion

[KingMinosxxvi]

Most of these people especially that woman are fuckers. houllbecq is a beautifull and very funny writer. His works in there precision and beauty are sublime ant real antidotes .....no offence but f that b and he does not always talk about a women as objects it is true that allot of charachtes in his novels sometimes look at women with discuss but we can easily se that some of the female charachters obviously don look well on men further more he shedsl ight on why

[Desu666]

I hate those people who bash on Houellebecq and assume so many things about him.

Like that guy at around 5:15-5:25. What the hell is "good" art? Art itself is meant to bring forth emotions, there's no such thing as "bad" art unless it just leaves you in complete apathy.

[faunflynn]

@Desu666 There is no such thing as good art but there is such a thing as bad art. He is not it though.

He's a good writer who knows what a fock space is.

I'm a mathematician so I know. But as a writer he's smart. It's pretty obscure.

[Desu666]

@faunflynn Interesting. :P

He's very knowledgeable with science and maths because he used to be an engineer before starting to write for a living. I agree that he is incredibly smart, and his view on the world seems strangely accurate at times (especially when I'm depressed lol)

Thx for your reply

[terrasweet]

i also agree with him that they don't care about the ideas in his books. it sounds counterintuitive but it's true: they write this and that about houellebecq in the papers, clock up their 15 mins of attention and slink away back to the universities or whatever. if they really cared about the ideas they'd argue with him.

[terrasweet]

every single person except for houellebecq in this 9 min video comes across as a completely unsympathetic asswipe. god bless michel.

[erezija]

That Peter Parker is one hell of a stuck up arsehole

[DanWagstaffe09]

A very talented writer, although I think he's very tongue in cheek. 'Whatever' is a very funny book. The German screen adaptation of Atomised is faithful to the novel.

[thisisgrey]

Love him. I'll thank him forever for his critique on the counter culture. I felt the same as I felt reading the antichrist or Camus

[ManielDemFef]

The German Director Röhler did the Adaption. Its a really poor movie despite good actors. Also doesnt do justice to the Book.

[HiddenPaths09]

Who's this guy?

Hmmm... Maybe I could acquire some of his books and I would know why he's so hated.

[ManielDemFef]

@HiddenPaths09 yeah, you should. They are descent novels.

[fremsley001]

That cigarette between the 2nd and 3rd fingers .... LOL.

[Sophieandhearts]

He's a brilliant, near genius writer, I loved all of his books (except Possibility of Island - that was shite). He is pretencious though.

[poppymu]

i hate those needle - voice critics - he is too kind for not sticking his cigarette on their tongues.

[333pezz333]

What a brilliant man !!

[baroh2413]

"mmm... mmm... mmm" ??? WTF

[fragrit]

la possibilité d'une merde ou comment dupont la joie est devenu écrivain en parlant de sa vie de merde!

[Cthulhussama]

@fragrit Ah bon il raconte sa vie ? Il s'est cloné ?

[Giovannisenzaterra]

Great Michel!

[Thronsohn]

what about german writers?

and: now, that you gave it away, the list aint secret anymore...

[Bumtastic23]

no one ever built a statue of a critic

[strellnikow]

He's definitly the best author at the moment on this planet!!

[oldbloodnguts45]

this guy is awesome.  i just read The Elementary Particles. i'm thinking The Possibility of an Island will be next

[Kickflip91]

the possibility of an island was genius! i look totally different at things after reading that book.=)

he's got my admiration for that.

[ApResMoiLeDeluge8787]

Why are most literary critics such insufferable douchebags? Houellebeque gives this interviewer and his vapid questions the level of interest that they deserve. If one is going to take the time to chat w/ one of the more original literary minds of the last fifty years, why not come up w/ a few noteworthy questions?

[tomamans]

I think you hit the nail on the head- in interviews he tends to be as unapproachable as the interviewer is dumb.

[EvilEveline]

exactly!

stupid fuck!

he should be better prepared for an interview twith Houellebecq (and learning how to pronounciate his name would be something i'd expect)

fuckin ignorant,

someone, please, tell me his name

and i shall google it!

[tomamans]

parles-tu français?

[EvilEveline]

a bit

but that's not the issue here

it's just that if someone is to make an interview with a known writer, he should show some respect and just learn how to pronounciate his name. i'm not going to be shown on tv, i'm not going to ask the questions, but he is. so he is obliged to do some homework. cause otherwise it disrespectful towards us and the author.

[thomasdewis]

pronounce is the correct spelling.

[el12freddy]

lawrence pollard he says his name is

[clivehunter15]

Would you be able to tell me the date this appeared on BBC1? Thank you.

[cornbruiser]

Wouldn't it be fun to watch Houellebecq beat Peter Parker's skull in with a steel pipe? Or any critic's, for that matter.

[wuz352]

Who would you think goes far enough?

[justwatching1980]

I wish the interviewer had asked who in the book (Island) that H. had most identified with. I would guess Vincent, as they share the "raised by grandparents" connection. Of course, this wasn't a serious interview anyway. Just a poorly-produced piece of fluff, and H. treated it as such.

[emsagro12]

I think we need more creative writers like Houellebecq, and less pointless literary critics who need to get laid. It is crazy that writers get sued for commenting on the irrational nature of religion. No progress there since Galileo.

[wuz352]

I agree with you. I believe that literary critics are stuck to the past, not knowing how the handle the evolution of a form which they have only been meagerly taught how to understand. And it is rather sad about the whole religion topic. But, what should we expect?

[ShaskaOcelot]

Greatest writer in history.

Fuck Sara Palin, Fuck Heath Ledger.

Le plus grand de tous les temps. Rien n'a dépassé ou n'est allé plus loin que lui.

[XpLdR]

Pauvres Balzac, Proust, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, Hugo, Garry...

[cineasta71]

Settle down, you need to read more...ca, cest sure!!

[nicthequick8]

I like his books but let the truth be told that man is douche !

[0incorporeal]

I completely agree. He does seem to fit into the literary agitator stereotype.

[MBoissard]

"Rester vivant" is one of my favorites and also a good introduction to Houellebecq's work.

[ShaskaOcelot]

Probably one of the greatest ever.

And bukowski also was the man.

[Idjitz]

I'm surprised you didn't throw in "poor man's Bukowski" or "poor man's Will Self" as well, just for flavor. There are taciturn French peasants in every culture, but not all of them with Houellebecq's depth of anomie or genuine sense of melancholy.

[thomasdewis]

Here's my final word on Houllebecq. If you had to construct an identikit modern french author, he would be it. I bet he smokes Gauloise cigarettes, too. He's the poor man's Celine. The very poor man's Flaubert. He comes from a long line of Francophonyism, stemming from Sartre and Foucault. Geeky teenagers read him and think he's clever. He's basically a grudging, taciturn French peasant with a high IQ.

[Gaussdxdydz]

" Brilliant people have always been despised by mediocre minds"- Albert Einstein

[Idjitz]

Heh, writers like Houellebecq will always be made pariahs by the herd-thinkers: positivists, politicians, self-help writers, kneejerk feminists, empty-headed jihadists, and all the various enablers of intolerance. To be heaped with abuse by such people is a fucking badge of honor.

[thomasdewis]

You're not very intelligent, are you?

[Idjitz]

Pretty intelligent. I just prefer not to let my tastes in literature be determined by sheep.

[thomasdewis]

Neither do I. I think sheep and literature should be kept strictly separate.

[schnarch99]

houllebecq is an idiot. but the ppl who waste their time with his crap are the real idiots. i also wasted my time reading his books, they only reflect the emptyness of his depression. boring.

[starmiew]

apparently you also like wasting your time at watching him on youtube....

[deterdetsamma]

What did you read of him, I'm reading Les particules elementaires and find it very good. I don't think an idiot could write that well, my opinion so far is very positive.

[schnarch99]

i read that one too, as well as Extension du domaine de la lutte. he is right in some points, but he is dead inside. his problems are not my problems. most of what he says in interviews only serves the purpose of getting attention from others and selling his books.

[ShaskaOcelot]

His mother yes. Not him. He hates Islam.

[unclepeepee]

i have heard he has just converted to islam - i am shocked - :-(

[LeCanadienerrant]

To claim that Michel Houllebeck would convert to a religion is like claiming that a human being has regressed in the evolution order to the form of amphybian

You surely miss the point of his writing about metaphysical mutation.

He is beyond religious beliefs

Why not claim that he has had a sex change and given birth to Baby Jesus the 2nd ?

I salute this Grand Thinker and you must cross yourself before you mention his name; Well that is if "crossing oneself " has any meaning anymore ?

[xstickyx]

he was joking you guys.

raging favorites, unclepeepee

[murraythehotscot]

just read atomised, loved it and am now off to buy his other novels - hes so brave putting his views forward and the science in his books is fascinating. michel houellebecq is awesome!

[manwithaplan999]

his movie of Possibility of an Island is coming soon, too.

[murraythehotscot]

great, didnt know any of them were goind to be made into a film, thanks :D

[manwithaplan999]

there's already a film of 'Atomised' (bad apparently). And there's a great film of Houellebecq's first book, 'Whatever'/'Extension du domain de la lutte'.

[murraythehotscot]

thanks. when i was reading atomised i thought it would be impossible to be turned into a film. i'll have to check it out anyway. i think i'll read 'whatever' before watching the film but i'll definately watch it :) thanks for all the info!

[binoche2]

Atomised the film is passable. It is better than most of the vomit that comes out of the mouth of Hollywodd. However, I am aware that alone is no great achievement!

I found it for about £3.50 (in the UK) on a well know internet retailer named after a rather large river. It is worth watching, but the impact of it is much less than that of the book.

The Posibility of an Island film is, like my spelling, a big fetid bag of rotten and stinking shite!

[murraythehotscot]

@binoche2 I bought the film a few months ago from said internet retailer named after a rather large river for a similar price, and have to say that it just wasn't my cup of tea. I think there was just too much depth in the book that a film wouldn't be able to carry.

[FractalBolt]

I'm sure Houellebecq laughs about all these academics who are rationalizing his work. The man just doesn't care, and he isn't impressed.

[odelinef]

Always the same stupid questions about islam, provocation and misogynism...there are so many more interesting subjects to raise with him such as science, philosophy,biology, bouddhism, science fiction books...

[rykkominutesoup]

The best writer in the world. If he had been a believer, he would be the best of the universe

[kensingtonkarma]

Where did they get those critics from? The wierd gay and...that fat ugly feminist was so angry she looked like she was going to explode. I guess Houellebcq must touch a raw nerve when writing about white women and their black cock obsessions. Can't they handle just one person in this world with the genius and guts to tell the truth?

[zaodizao]

Love his books.

[poiuasdqwe]

Michel Houellebecq is one of the strongest and more self aware mainds of this era, is so precice and so cutting edge that even if it has been said before 'he is ahead'

[skl31]

what a strange voiceover they gave him,made him sound like a wierdo.Maybe he is but you have to admit he's a writer that you have to read,a lot of people are put off by his nihilism but he's not afraid to tell it as he sees it.Thanks for posting,any more Houellebec in English out there?