Alan Beguivin Book order (chronological)

On the fiftieth anniversary of the first English edition, this Routledge Classics edition offers the English reader the complete text of this landmark work for the first time ever.

In "Annihilation," set in a deteriorating France in 2027, Paul Raison navigates a tense political landscape amid cyberattacks while grappling with family dynamics following his father's stroke. Michel Houellebecq infuses his narrative with newfound compassion, blending rage and tenderness in this thought-provoking novel.

In 2008 Houellebecq and Levy, two of France's most celebrated intellectuals, began a ferocious exchange of letters, resulting in this book. In their inimitably witty, fascinating, and confrontational correspondence they lock horns on everything, including literature, sex, politics, family, fame, and even themselves."

Florent-Claude Labrouste is dying of sadness. Despised by his girlfriend and on the brink of career failure, his last hope for relief comes in the form of a newly available antidepressant that alters the brain's release of serotonin.When he returns to the Normandy countryside in search of serenity, he instead finds a rural community left behind by globalisation and red-tape agricultural policies, with local farmers longing for an impossible return towhat they remember as a golden age.

Traces the experiences of artist Jed Martin, who rises to international success as a portrait photographer before helping to solve a heinous crime that has lasting repercussions for his loved ones.

A controversial, intelligent, and mordantly funny new novel from France’s most famous living literary figure It’s 2022. François is bored. He’s a middle-aged lecturer at the New Sorbonne University and an expert on J. K. Huysmans, the famed nineteenth-century novelist associated with the Decadent movement. But François’s own decadence is of considerably smaller scale. He sleeps with his students, eats microwave dinners, and watches YouPorn. Meanwhile, it’s election season, and in an alliance with the Socialists, France’s new Islamic party sweeps to power—and Islamic law is instituted. Women are veiled, polygamy is encouraged, and François is offered an irresistible academic advancement—on the condition that he converts to Islam. A darkly comic masterpiece from one of France’s great writers, Submission by Michel Houellebecq has become an international sensation and one of the most discussed novels of our time.

Michel is a civil-servant at the Ministry of Culture. When his father is murdered, Michel takes leave of absence to go on a package tour to Thailand. Infuriated by the shallow hypocrisy and mediocrity of his fellow travellers, only the awkward Valerie att

In this dark and disturbing novel, Michel Houellebecq establishes himself as a significant voice in European literature. Following his earlier work, he extends his unique perspective through the lives of two half-brothers, Michel and Bruno, who embody contrasting aspects of Houellebecq himself. Michel, a molecular biologist, struggles to comprehend ordinary human emotions, appearing cold and distant. In contrast, Bruno is a frustrated libertine, trapped in an unappealing body yet clinging to sex as his source of validation. Their intertwined stories reveal a complex and often moving narrative. Houellebecq's formidable intellect shines as he critiques anthropology, psychoanalysis, New Age philosophy, and modern society, all while maintaining a beautifully controlled narrative. The pacing and seamless transitions between the brothers’ stories exhibit a quiet grace. Although some of his views are controversial and provoke unsettling conclusions, the work's value remains intact. The novel poses significant questions about the commodification of sex, the implications of genetics on procreation, and the evolving moral landscape we navigate. It challenges readers to consider the relevance of spirituality in a rapidly changing world. This ambitious, bold, and clever work has garnered more than cult status in France, inviting careful reading and reflection.

Tolkien: Na březích Středozemě je první francouzsky psanou knihou, jež se do hloubky zabývá Tolkienovým nejslavnějším dílem, trilogií Pán prstenů. Jde o svého druhu průkopnickou práci a vůbec první hlubší analýzu Pána prstenů, již nyní dostávají k dispozici i čeští čtenáři. Na pozadí starých mýtů a moderních teorií románu nám Ferré nejprve představuje svět, v němž se odehrávají dobrodružství Froda, Gandalfa, Aragorna, Legolase a dalších románových postav. Zasazuje Pána prstenů do kontextu Tolkienova díla a zabývá se jeho vztahem k žánru fantasy. Ve druhé části knihy se pak věnuje tématu smrti, jejíž zkušenost je podle něj zásadní pro vývoj všech postav Tolkienovy trilogie a koneckonců i pro vyústění boje o Prsten.

Just thirty, with a well-paid job, depression and no love life, the narrator and anti-hero par excellence of this grim, funny, and clever novel smokes four packs of cigarettes a day and writes weird animal stories in his spare time.Houellebecq's debut novel is painfully realistic portrayal of the vanishing freedom of a world governed by science and by the empty rituals of daily life.