2015

[Kai Frederik Lorentzen]

The new novel of Michel Houellebecq!

*/Soumission/* will be published in French on Wednesday and a week later 
in German (don't know about the English edition). In preparation for 
this book, I'm currently rereading Huysmans' "A Rebours" in translation. 
Houellebecq's last novel, "The Map and the Territory", was very very 
good, and me I definitely don't want to wait with this new one, so I'll 
start my read the minute the package arrives.

Already by now this book, whether Houellebecq wanted it or not, is 
pouring oil into the fierce debate about the role of Islam in Europe. 
The interesting thing seems to be, as Sandra Kegel's review in 
yesterdays's FAZ points out, that Houellebecq is constructing kinda 
cultural liasion between islamists and right wing nihilists on issues 
like polygamy or women's right to vote. This is, of course, a literary 
fantasy and, thus, especially instructive. And according to Kegel the 
book is of highest literary quality. So surely interesting enough to 
give it an honest try. You may differ on this.

http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/01/02/scare-tactics-michel-houellebecq-on-his-new-book/

*"In general, there is a much stronger feeling of entropy than in my 
other books."*

http://themodernnovelblog.com/2015/01/03/michel-houellebecq-soumission-submission/

 > This novel has received considerable pre-publication publicity 
because of its controversial subject matter. The book, set in 2022, 
follows François, a university professor who teaches nineteenth century 
French literature in the University of Paris III and is a specialist on 
the writer, J-K Huysmans. At the previous French presidential election, 
the run-off was between the Socialists and the extreme right. Despite 
the fact that the country had moved to the right, the Socialists won. 
However, as a result of the rise of the extreme right, the Muslims had 
created their own party, the Muslim Fraternity. To everyone’s surprise, 
in the first round of the 2022 presidential election, the Muslims were 
second to the extreme right. A deal was made between the other main 
parties and the Muslims. However, because of the uncertainty, there is 
considerable unease in France. There seem to be violent outbreaks which 
the media and government keep hidden. The university is “temporarily” 
closed. François leaves Paris, fearing a civil war, and heads 
South-West. Arriving at the small town of Martel (named after Charles 
Martel who beat the Arabs at Tours), he meets the husband of a 
colleague. This man had worked for the French internal security service 
but had just been given early retirement. He tells François what he 
thinks is going to happen. The Muslim Fraternity duly wins the election 
and suddenly but quietly, things start to change. Women have to dress 
more conservatively and are seemingly driven out of many jobs to become 
just wives and mothers. Polygamy is adopted. Crime drops. Eventually, 
François is offered a good job at the university, if he converts to Islam. <

A happy 2015 to everybody!

Kai


On 04.01.2015 00:03, rich wrote:
> *some things to look forward to for the new year
>
> The Rise of Islamic State: Isis and the New Sunni Revolution, Patrick 
> Cockburn
>
> *
> *Goebbels, Peter Longerich
>
> London Overground,* *Iain Sinclair
>
> Zero Zero Zero, Roberto Saviano
>
> Black Earth, Timothy Snyder
>
> John le Carré, Adam Sisman
>
> *
> *The Dying Grass,W Vollmann
>
> *
> *The Blue Guitar, John Banville
>
> *
> *rich
> *

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