Perfect submission possible: A French novelist imagines an Islamist Europe

The Washington Times ^ | December 15, 2015 | Clifford D. May

[Perseverando]

Michel Houellebecq is a sardonic and iconoclastic French novelist, winner of the prestigious Prix Goncourt, and subject of considerable controversy in Europe these days. He deserves to be controversial here in the United States as well.

He calls his most recent novel a work of "political fiction." Titled "Soumission" (in English, "Submission," in Arabic, an accurate translation would be "Islam"), it is set in the near future, in France, "a Western civilization now ending before our very eyes."

Coincidence No. 1: "Soumission" was published in France the same week jihadis attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo, slaughtering as many members of the editorial staff as they could.

Coincidence No. 2: The satirical magazine's cover that week featured a caricature of Mr. Houellebecq. It showed him with a large, pimpled nose and bleary eyes, smoking a cigarette and wearing a wizard's hat. The caption read: "Predictions of the sorcerer Houellebecq." In cartoon balloons, he is making two: "In 2015, I'll lose my teeth," and "In 2022, I'll observe Ramadan."

A very good English language translation of the novel has now been published. If I were to send copies to President Obama and all the presidential candidates, do you think they'd read it?

Mr. Houellebecq's protagonist, Francois, is a world-weary, middle-aged, literature professor at the Sorbonne, a great expert on Joris-Karl Huysmans, a writer of the 19th century Decadent movement. Though bored by academia, Francois' enthusiasm for young women and haut cuisine remain undiminished. Not a particularly political animal, he is only mildly concerned when the Socialists begin negotiating with France's Muslim Brotherhood party to defeat Marine Le Pen's "nativist" National Front.

A politically savvy acquaintance explains that the Muslim Brotherhood and the Socialists "see eye to eye"

[Perseverando]

Sounds like Michel Houellebecq is very much in agreement with Matthew Bracken's prognostication - Tet, Take Two: Islam's 2016 European Offensive

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bkmrk.

[bigdaddy45]

Why send it to Obama? Why send him ANYTHING that would make him happy???

[BeadCounter]

I’ve heard of this book before, it may be apt for right now but I think it came out in the past 2 years.

[Perseverando]

I’ve heard of this book before, it may be apt for right now but I think it came out in the past 2 years.

Coincidence No. 1: "Soumission" was published in France the same week jihadis attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo, slaughtering as many members of the editorial staff as they could.

On 7 January 2015 at about 11:30 local time, two brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced their way into the offices of the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Armed with assault rifles and other weapons, they killed 11 people and injured 11 others in the building. After leaving, they killed a French National Police officer outside the building. The gunmen identified themselves as belonging to the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, who took responsibility for the attack. Several related attacks followed in the Île-de-France region, where a further five were killed and 11 wounded.

[BeadCounter]

Just briefly on the literature of France, I enjoyed “The Plague” by Camus, seemed like an outright great read.

I may have read the “Stranger”, I had heard about it for sure, I gather “The Stranger” by Camus has to do with Algeria, anyway:

“Algerian Writer Kamel Daoud Stands Camus’ ‘The Stranger’ On Its Head” http://www.npr.org/2015/06/23/416828000/algerian-writer-kamel-daoud-stands-camus-the-stranger-on-its-head

So, “The Stranger” has somewhat been updated in this new book, I guess “The Stranger” was about Algeria.

[BeadCounter]

Thanks for the note, I am sorry I briefly read through it.

[Jan_Sobieski]

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