Submission was a masterpiece. That said, this guy hits the nail on the head about Houellebecq’s inherent contradictions. Reminds me of Bukowski in a way. Great interview.
Houellebecq's adventures with the Dutch "Art Collective" were certainly self-inflicted. But he deserves enormous credit for discussing Islam's challenge to France's Christian heritage and republican values. Islam has assaulted France before. Charles Martel beat back a Moorish invasion at Tours (central France) in 732. The Barbary pirates ravaged the coasts of southern Europe and paralyzed Mediterranean shipping for centuries, prompting the French colonization of North Africa. French elites foolishly imported large numbers of unassimilable North Africans in the 20th century.
I don't have the same biographical background on Houellebecq so much as the work itself, which always struck me, especially in his earlier work, as a sort of satirical pessimism. There are clearly things he believes but it can be difficult to tell through all the bitter irony. At his core, Houellebecq is an embittered former humanist betrayed by the failed promises of the Enlightenment.
Houellebecq is a prophet of the near future. Almost always. He tapped into the culture and development of France as Jean Raspail did. Sadly, Raspail was hounded to an early death by the people with "correct" opinions.
Well, it all sounds REALLY interestin', at least! I mean, c'mon, most writers' lives are, like, sadly disappointing--at least in a public sense, not in a personal sense. If he DIDN'T have any scandals to disclose, THEN I'd be disappointed!
