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Michel Houellebecq

Books

Contemporary Writers and Their Old School Counterparts

By Emily Temple on

This week, we read an article over at The Guardian which suggested that the “anxiety of influence” is waning — that is, that writers publishing today are no longer as closely influenced by the literary canon as they once were, and instead look to their contemporaries. Well, considering that this conclusion was the result of a mathematical study based on the number of “content-free” words like ‘of’, ‘at’ and ‘by,’ we’re not sure how much water it holds, but it inspired us to think about some modern writers who do seem to be carrying the torch for their old school counterparts, whether in topic, thematic style, or character. After all, the past never really goes away — especially in… Read More

Books

The 10 Grumpiest Living Writers

By Emily Temple on

This week saw the release of Farther Away, Jonathan Franzen’s newest collection of essays and speeches, covering the last five years of his non-fiction output. Well, in those last five years, he has become increasingly grumpy, griping about things like Twitter and ebooks, and building a reputation as an unrepentantly prickly author with a constant bone to pick. To celebrate the release of another book filled with Franzen’s complaints, we’ve put together a list of the ten grumpiest, crankiest and most cantankerous authors still living today. Click through to read about the exploits of our favorite literary curmudgeons, and let us know — as un-crankily as you can, please — if we’ve missed anyone in the comments. … Read More

Books

March Misanthrope Madness: 10 Malicious Masterpieces

By Emily Temple on

We all feel a tad misanthropic from time to time — but not all of us are good at making it sound beautiful, or hilarious. Enter Ivyland, Miles Klee’s recently released debut novel, a dark satire of 21st-century America, where almost nothing in the surreal and violent New Jersey town of the title eludes Klee’s razorlike contempt. A handful of other authors excel at this same kind of comic ruthlessness, demolishing everything allegedly sacred, and creating the most deliciously nasty heroes, and we asked Mr. Klee to curate a list of his favorite authors and books that do exactly that. Click through to read his suggestions, and let us know your own favorite malicious reads in the comments. … Read More

Books

10 Legendary Bad Boys of Literature

By Emily Temple on

Last week saw the publication in English of France’s resident literary bad boy Michel Houellebecq’s newest novel, The Map and the Territory, heralded by some as his magnum opus. The resurgence of the literary great got us to thinking about other literary bad boys who rocked the boat and won notoriety for it — most of them buoyed by endless talent, or just star power. After all, everyone loves to hate (or in some cases, loves to love) the literary rebels and the scandalous men of letters. Click through to check out our list of legendary literary bad boys — and if we’ve forgotten your favorite enfant terrible, be sure to let us know in the comments. … Read More

Books

10 New Must-Reads for January

By Emily Temple on

Though winter has had a relatively slow start, at least in and around the Flavorpill offices, in the first days 2012 it’s finally starting to kick in for keeps. So what better way to keep warm and, more importantly, start the brand new year off right than to load up on ten of the month’s most exciting reads? With our picks, you’ll travel to exotic lands, laugh out loud, and listen to children’s toxic speech — all from the safety of your most snuggly slippers, of course. Click through to read our list of must-reads for the month ahead, and let us know which you’re most excited about picking up in the comments. … Read More

Books

Michel Houellebecq Isn't Missing; He's Just Forgetful

By Judy Berman on

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… Read More

Books

Michel Houellebecq Is Missing

By Judy Berman on

Renowned French literary provocateur Michel Houellebecq is supposed to be on a book tour in the Netherlands and Belgium — but he hasn’t shown up, and no one seems to know where he is. Although his absence hasn’t been reported to the police, nobody involved with the tour has heard from the author, poet, and… Read More

Books

The Best Interviews in The Paris Review

By Kathleen Massara on

In 1953, three American ex-pats (Harold “Doc” Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton) decided to start a magazine that would promote, as the author William Styron confirmed in the first issue, “the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe-grinders. So long as they’re good.” The spring issue of the Paris Review is out now, so we decided to make a list of notable interviews in the venerable literary quarterly. The best of “the art of fiction” contains writers from the past 58 years of its publication; they all have a way of commanding the page that is entirely their own, and this quality is reflected in each author’s interview style. Nabokov is authoritative yet bemused, Didion has a terse way of speaking that is plagued with anxiety, and Vonnegut is playful, despite the conversation about the bombing of Dresden. And, as the publication date for The Pale King approaches, we realized the Paris Review missed its chance to interview David Foster Wallace. We can only imagine how the late author would have approached the conversation. Would there have been footnotes? We hope so. … Read More

Books

Our Favorite Writers Turned Musicians

By Kathleen Massara on

Michel Houellebecq, France’s enfant terrible, has just released a pop song titled, “Le Film Du Dimanche” (The Sunday Film), available here. However, this isn’t his first effort at songwriting. In 2000, he released Présence Humaine, a nine-song album with funky keyboards and even some handclaps. And on a related side note, his 2005 novel The Possibility of an Island was the inspiration for Iggy Pop’s Préliminaires album. We first wrote about the crossover between writers and musicians back in 2009, but with the release of Houellebecq’s new single, it seems high time for another look at the phenomenon. … Read More

Books

Dirty Old (Literary) Men: The Top 10 of Writing’s Filthiest Pervert Geniuses

By Nina MacLaughlin on

There has been a lot of talk about books and sex in this space lately, and it’s not just because of yesterday’s holiday. Anyone who has taken English 101 knows that literature has its share of dirty old men — the lascivious, the leering, and the lewd, the men who concern themselves with the baser instincts and darker drives, the author equivalent of the creep in the corner, stroking his chin and staring at the rears of the teenagers. Herein, some of the dirtiest, most salacious and scandalous men in letters, a list of the Top 10 Dirty Old Literary Men. … Read More