Quelques mois dans ma vie
memoir · First published 2023
Author guide
Michel Houellebecq Books in Order
Michel Houellebecq is a French writer whose work spans novels, poetry, essays, memoir, correspondence, photography, and graphic collaborations. His fiction frequently explores alienation, sexuality, consumer society, technology, religion, politics, and the decline of Western social bonds. He is also known for essays on H. P. Lovecraft and Arthur Schopenhauer, poetry collections, collaborative books, and screen work.
novelnovellapoetryessaymemoircorrespondencegraphic literature
Catalog record updated .
Michel Houellebecq's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Extension du domaine de la lutte
Best starting point for his fiction and central themes.
La poursuite du bonheur
Best starting point for his poetry.
H. P. Lovecraft : Contre le monde, contre la vie
Best starting point for his nonfiction and literary criticism.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (9)
- Extension du domaine de la lutte
novel · 1994
"Ever found yourself all at sea at work? Suffered from information overload?" "If you have, Houellebecq's grim, funny and clever tongue-in-cheek exploration of corporate jargon, psychobabble and the ineffectual use of long words is for…
- Les Particules élémentaires
novel · 1998
- Lanzarote
novella · 2000
On Lanzarote, there are some fascinating human specimens - notably Pam and Barbara, "non-exclusive" German lesbians. Will they succeed in seducing Rudi, the police inspector, currently living in exile in Brussels? And will our narrator…
- Plateforme
novel · 2001
- La Possibilité d'une île
novel · 2005
- La Carte et le Territoire
novel · 2010
- Soumission
novel · 2015
"Dans une France assez proche de la nôtre, un homme s'engage dans la carrière universitaire. Peu motivé par l'enseignement, il s'attend à une vie ennuyeuse mais calme, protégée des grands drames historiques. Cependant les forces en jeu…
- Sérotonine
novel · 2019
Un récit qui traverse une France qui piétine ses traditions, banalise ses villes, détruit ses campagnes au bord de la révolte. Le narrateur raconte sa vie d'ingénieur agronome, son amitié pour un aristocrate agriculteur, l'échec des…
- Anéantir
novel · 2022
"Dès qu'ils atteignirent les premières forêts il comprit que ce voyage était une excellente idée, et qu'ils allaient pendant ces quelques jours être très heureux, peut-être pour la dernière fois ; c'était certainement, en tout cas, leur…
Nonfiction (1)
- Quelques mois dans ma vie
memoir · 2023
Essays and speeches (4)
- Rester vivant
essay · 1991
- H. P. Lovecraft : Contre le monde, contre la vie
essay · 1991
" Howard Phillips Lovecraft constitue un exemple pour tous ceux qui souhaitent apprendre à roter leur vie, et éventuellement, à réussir leur œuvre. Encore que, sur ce dernier point, le résultat ne soit pas garanti. " Auteur de L'appel de…
- Interventions
essay-collection · 1998
- En présence de Schopenhauer
essay · 2017
Houellebecq entdeckt Schopenhauer im Alter von etwa sechsundzwanzig Jahren. In diesem Alter begreift er sich als »fertigen« Leser, für den sich bereits alles zu wiederholen beginnt, doch das Erlebnis der Lektüre von Schopenhauers…
Poetry (4)
- La poursuite du bonheur
poetry · 1992
- Le sens du combat
poetry · 1996
- Renaissance
poetry · 1999
- Configuration du dernier rivage
poetry · 2013
Configuration du dernier rivage est composé d'une centaine de poèmes, recueillis en cinq parties.
Other (3)
- La Peau
graphic-work · 1995
- Ennemis publics
correspondence · 2008
- La Carte et le Territoire
graphic-work · 2022
Frequently asked questions about Michel Houellebecq
Who is Michel Houellebecq?
Michel Houellebecq is the pen name of French writer Michel Thomas, a novelist, poet, essayist, and filmmaker. He is known for provocative, often bleak examinations of contemporary society and human alienation.
Sources: universalis.fr (opens in a new tab)fayard.fr (opens in a new tab)
What is Michel Houellebecq's real name?
His birth name is Michel Thomas. He adopted “Houellebecq,” his grandmother’s maiden name, as his literary name.
Sources: universalis.fr (opens in a new tab)frenchrights.com (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Michel Houellebecq's writing?
H. P. Lovecraft and the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer are among his most important acknowledged influences. Their pessimism and focus on human limits recur in critical discussions of his work.
Sources: academic.oup.com (opens in a new tab)wiley-vch.de (opens in a new tab)fayard.fr (opens in a new tab)
How did Michel Houellebecq become famous?
His international breakthrough came with the 1998 publication of The Elementary Particles, which sold widely in France and established him as a major—and controversial—contemporary writer.
Sources: theparisreview.org (opens in a new tab)frenchrights.com (opens in a new tab)
Has Michel Houellebecq won the Prix Goncourt?
Yes. He won France’s Prix Goncourt in 2010 for The Map and the Territory.
Sources: academiegoncourt.com (opens in a new tab)frenchrights.com (opens in a new tab)