New novel by controversial French writer Michel Houellebecq is a national event • FRANCE 24

[@gustafmarcus3898]

Sérotonine being about someone not getting enough sex? It's obviously about many things - depression, faceless modernization, and the evaporation of social bonds in general - but it's especially about the consumerist attitude towards sex that makes love impossible.

[@benday1218]

Every time I read one of his books I feel slightly repulsed, and every time I want to read another one.

[@gerryhouska2859]

I enjoy his books, in English translation (in Australia). Thought provoking. Hope this one is available in English soon.

[@larswetterstrom7209]

In what way is Houellebecq controversial? The use of this word controversial is only used to degrade him. It is disgusting.

[@daheikkinen]

Everything on the right or remotely conservative is considered controversial. Progressives have been the status quo within the literary world for so long that anything unwoke shocks them.

[@josecortez5213]

"His bleakest novel so far" I can't wait to read it.

[@stefanblue660]

His status is already like a prophet or a holy person, yet very controversial. Why? Maybe why he sees more than the average literature, press and media and simply tells the truth? Of course in an enternaining fluid writing, without any tabous in thinking ,an extremely sensitive way of feeling , deep reflections about society and the individual living in this environments. The best writer on earth.

[@GameplayBRSP]

Hugs from Brazil, Houllebec is awesome.

[@LiterarischeAbenteuer]

Thank you for this, I'm a long-time fan and very excited to read "Anéantir" in German this month!

[@chriscock6584]

I love Houellebecq. I read most of his books last summer.

[@chriscock6584]

@Nastro Adhesivo nope

[@ramonfranco2167]

Hey guys, I got no horse in this race but, I say you two should have a nice big hug with each other

[@daheikkinen]

@@ramonfranco2167 Perhaps more than a nice big hug

[@Liisa3139]

I love Houellebecq, the books and the writer. He doesn't come across as a stone faced bad boy, on the contrary, he seems sweet and sensitive, funny and intelligent. Can't wait to read the new one (in English, maybe)!

[@leniacastro4830]

I have enjoyed all his books.

[@natehardy8350]

The greatest writer alive.

[@ericchristen5433]

All intellectual radicals are welcome in an age of stupid smartphone addiction.

[@fatamorgana909]

What nonsense he talks about 'Serotonin'

[@Marenqo]

yes, that was what i thought as well

[@davida.rosales6025]

Yeah, after seeing the slips they made, I acknowledged this was a covert hit piece. Especially the comment on Houellebecq's narrators are "misogynistic and homophobic", and how the anchor piggybacked the comment on an almost unrelated question so that the "professor" would not deal or challenge it. Not to mention that the "professor" seems to be talking nonsense in general!

[@dasfernandez1089]

The only novels worth Reading from Michel Houellebecq are : 1. Particuliers élémentaire 2. Plateforme The rest are Just beating about bush...

[@peteymax]

Really interesting. Looking forward to the translation. I hope the translator is Frank Wynne again, he’s excellent too.

[@ewaf4733]

I checked this book in Foyles in London today. It will be available in April

[@natehardy8350]

It's Shaun Whiteside doing Annihilate he ranslated Serotonin and another I can't remember, maybe Possibility? @peteymax

[@peteymax]

@@natehardy8350 Great, I’ll look out for it.

[@alley2405]

Long live Houellebecq!

[@thierryf2789]

Who is this maniac you are interviewing?

[@ines3171]

I love Michel's book. He is "unique"...

[@illegalsmirf]

I love that the French are a literature-loving, sex-loving people

[@romanjeremy5156]

Les présentateurs font vraiment robotiques. Je trouve ça comique quand on connait les livres de Houellebecq

[@therealignotus7549]

When will the English translation come?

[@stefanblue660]

I scrolled back to watch the beautiful and interesting moderator from the beginning. Houellebecq himself must be pleased.

[@marceltzara3253]

the short piece about Congolese sculptures is worth seeing

[@DarkAngelEU]

I went to Paris this weekend and nowhere was this book featured on display. I actually had to go into the bookshop to check whether they had it or not, it was simply displayed as just one of so many other new books that came out recently, so I definitely wouldn't call Houellebecq a sensation, at least in France. The girl working there was very surprised a tourist that had to ask what it meant when the machine bleeped and said "carte muette" bought a copy, though.

[@DarkAngelEU]

@@martinspam3489 I find it so weird that people will read Houellebecq, but rarely come out for doing so. Academics have become very narrow-minded on what is halal and haram for the mind.

[@DarkAngelEU]

@@martinspam3489 Also, do you live in Paris? Could you maybe explain to me if 'belge' is used as a pejorative? I heard it a few times, but never derived from the conversation what it actually meant.

[@willy_le_zed]

@@DarkAngelEU it means people from "belgium" and it is not really pejorative even if we sometimes make jokes on them as they do on us

[@DarkAngelEU]

@@willy_le_zed I know it means Belgian, because I am from Belgium, but heard it sometimes in a joking manner and couldn't understand if they were making fun of me for being different (eg stopping at a red light, whilst Parisians just casually cross) or if they were simply having a laugh in their conversation. And it's true, we make French jokes too, we love you though :)

[@willy_le_zed]

@@DarkAngelEU usually stereotypes on people from belgium is "simple minded", if they were making fun of you because you stopped at redlight they would have called you germans ahah but french people really love belgians, especiall from Wallonia

[@nr655321]

The latest book "anéantir" is dreadfully put together (so many plot points go nowhere) and plain boring (300 pages uselessly inflated to 700pages). I'd rather read the fun yet profound Seretonine twice in a row than this!

[@olivierbegassat851]

Interesting. I just finished Sérotonine a week ago and really liked it.

[@lanceash]

What's a "bookshop?"

[@donjindra]

I'm surprised he's even talked about.

[@maxcuthbert100]

'Professor' appears to be inebriated.

[@davida.rosales6025]

He also seems to be completely clueless about what Houellebecq actually writes about. Imagine calling him a "Right Wing Firebrand"!

[@majdavojnikovic]

I red one of his books, started great,with description of an artistic process, but as it goes on becoming thinner and thinner. Killing himself in the novel didn't help :)

[@sciagurrato1831]

I welcomed the topic of this video and the interviewer but the professor with his gesturing and articulation seemed borderline unhinged.

[@denizb.4142]

France: People are right wing Media are left wing

[@tokenfrenchman]

Dreadful analysis of Sérotonine- has Russell Williams read the novel?

[@cows3043]

The russel guy needs to chill

[@edwardbridgewater5641]

So he's meant to be this century's Celine?

[@nathanielzhou7376]

Yes.

[@puk4763]

@@nathanielzhou7376 you obviously have never read L F Celine...

[@davida.rosales6025]

Spiritually, kind of. But not the writing style.

[@FLCCFrench]

His name is Houellebecq. So well back Michel 😀😀✌✌

[@scarletttroquille3304]

He should have written a book about Covid Crisis....

[@unusualpond]

Atomised was brilliant. Every subsequent book gets weirder, angrier and more pointless. He’s pretty much lobotomised himself with booze and the writing shows it. In one of his later books he quotes a critic who said to Huysmans after he wrote A Rebours something like “after writing a book like that, nothing remains for you except to choose between the muzzle of a gum and the foot of the cross”. I think the same applies here. I hope he goes to rehab and joins AA.

[@davida.rosales6025]

Interesting, I think his first novels were the most "meh", obvious and blocky. In my book, he only got better and better with each book. Serotonin itself was immensely better than Submission.

[@67Parsifal]

@@davida.rosales6025 yes, I loved Serotonin, one of the most depressing books ever written - as well as one of the funniest.

[@richardwestwood8212]

Let me stick to Kawabata Yasunari and Hermann Hesse

[@TheBluesCorner]

How dare this man sum up serotonin the way he did, clearly hasn’t read it.

[@zwimipo1828]

did he run out of money?

[@franco912]

It's about fame, that's all. Intellectuals don't necessary have to be writers which is a stereotype portrayed by mass media, you're glorifying people that don't bring anything new on the table just words, we don't need books to perceive societies defects or problems even farmers that i know have more common sense and pragmatism and are more useful to people than these books sellers.

[@CorkBouldering]

rob doyle is as good as michel houellebecq

[@davida.rosales6025]

Who is Rob Doyle? You mean the reviews writer?

[@CorkBouldering]

@@davida.rosales6025 google Rob Doyle "we are the young men"

[@davida.rosales6025]

@@CorkBouldering Looks boring

[@CorkBouldering]

@@davida.rosales6025 you judge it by cover I guess.

[@operaguy1]

Where's his book conveying a vision of an uplifting, peaceful, prosperous, ideal world, and a path to actualizing it?

[@danw5760]

He doesn't write children's books

[@operaguy1]

@@danw5760 It is childish to write exclusively about "das nichts." Those of us who write and read affirmative literature include the tragedies, the human error, the senseless. However, we do not consider it adult literature unless the triumphs, goodness and aspiration of humans are shown, and are shown to be superior, even if they fail to win. To just write negation is a petulant tantrum to have one's grievance justify for failure of courage.