As soon as i heard Houellebecq was on trial in Paris for saying Islam was a "stupid religion" I went out and bought one of his novels as a gesture of support. (I qualify that by adding that he said Islam was the "most stupid" religion and that the bible was so boring it made him want to shit. I think that gives you an idea what kind of guy he is, and if you know me at all you know that I find those types of people endlessly fascinating.)
I was expecting a lot of rage. I was expecting a lot of humor. But I didn't expect to find such compassion and tenderness towards his characters. Like most of my favorite artists, Houellebecq earns his bitterness through deep compassion for humanity, and a willingness to confront things as they actually are. Here is one of my favorite passages from the novel, which I think accurately conveys his style:
Every week, however, his heart in his mouth, he watched The Animal Kingdom. Graceful animals like gazelles and antelopes spent their days in abject terror while lions and panthers lived out their lives in listless imbecility punctuated by explosive bursts of cruelty. They slaughtered weaker animals, dismembered and devoured the sick and the old before falling back into a brutish sleep where the only activity was that of the parasites feeding on them from within. Some of these parasites were hosts to smaller parasites, which in turn were a breeding ground fir viruses. Snakes moved among the trees, their fangs bared, ready to strike at bird or mammal, only to be ripped apart by hawks. The pompous, half-witted voice of Claude Darget, filled with awe and unjustifiable admiration, narrated these atrocities. Michel trembled with indignation. But as he watched, the unshakable conviction grew that nature, taken as a whole, was a repulsive cesspit. All in all, nature deserved to be wiped out in a holocaust--and man's mission on earth was probably to do just that.
Update: Jeff found this article about the trial if you are interested.
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