antw. light summer reading

[greg]

well i guess you also heard about the controversy on his latest book, 
"plateformes". the man is as dubious as céline can be on some issues, 
and not as talented in my mind. houellebecq likes to create buzz on 
his books too, in a very odd (to use a very pynchonesque word) way. 
declarations about how cool the collaborationist pétain was, how 
disgusting islam is, playing the "right wing anarchist" part to the 
fullest. this is where, in my mind, the comparison with céline stops. 
the use of science in "les particules élémentaires" is indeed very 
interesting, but houellebecq got lost in the character he created for 
himself. the affected poses of a malraux, and the ugly political 
stands of a céline.

greg

>* try --- michel houellebecq: les particules élémentaires [1998]
>
>  (dtsch. elementarteilchen. münchen 2001: list taschenbuch)
>
>it's straight, funny, and full of valid observations on contemporary 
>continental
>life. one pynchonesque thing about it is the use of natural-scientific key
>metaphors. best french writer since céline ... kfl ***
>
>
>


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