The Art of Struggle

Overview

Translated for the first time into English, a dual text edition of a prize-winning poetry collection from the always-controversial novelistNotorious as a novelist, Michel Houellebecq was first known in France as a poet, and in many ways it is through poetry that he found his novelist's voice. The recipient of the prestigious poetry prize Prix de Flore, this collection of prose and verse pieces investigate issues of alienation, individualism, and disillusionment—themes that will be familiar to Houellebecq readers—while subtly adopting a variety of tones and styles, revealing facets of the author unknown until now in the English-speaking world. Deeply melancholic and despairing at the inhumanity of the present-day world, yet brimming with vitality and invention, these timely, poignant poems clear away the dross of hollow optimism and call for an end to the nightmare of modern existence.

Reviews

"Fearless, vivid and astringently honest . . . can permanently change how we view things that happened in our own lives. Not many novels can do that."  —Los Angeles Times on The Elementary Particles

"Bewitching . . . Ingenious . . . often brilliant and searing."  —New York Times on The Possibility of an Island

Author Biography

Michel Houellebecq is a novelist and poet whose books include The Elementary Particles, for which he won the Prix Novembre; Platform; The Possibility of an Island; and Whatever. In 1998, he received the prestigious Grand Prix National des Lettres Jeunes. Delphine Grass is a poet.  Timothy Mathews is Professor of French and Comparative Criticism and has translated contemporary French verse and prose poetry into English.