Earlier this week, we brought you the strange news that controversial, award-winning French writer Michel Houellebecq never showed up for a planned book tour of Belgium and the Netherlands. As no one could get in touch with him, organizers began voicing their fears that he was missing, although no one felt it necessary to report the author’s disappearance to the police. Thankfully, the story has a happy ending. Houellebecq was never missing; according his agent, he simply forgot about the commitment and didn’t have e-mail or phone access. We’re not going to lie — the fact that he has the luxury of being completely unreachable for a significant period of time in an era when some people are too nervous to turn off their smartphone in a movie theater makes us a wee bit jealous. [via NY Observer ]