210:-type mother. Michel is raised by his paternal grandmother and becomes an introverted molecular biologist, who is ultimately responsible for the discoveries which lead to the elimination of sexual reproduction. Bruno's upbringing is much more tragic as described: shuffled and forgotten from one abusive boarding school to another, he eventually finds himself in a loveless marriage and teaching at a high school. Bruno grows into a lecherous and insatiable sex addict whose dalliances with prostitutes and sex chat on
222:
The novel sold hundreds of thousands of copies and propelled
Houellebecq into the French intellectual and literary spotlight during the summer and autumn of 1998. The vivid, almost pornographic, sexual descriptions were a frequent target of criticism, and Houellebecq himself attracted both scorn and
176:
Despite the essentially elaborate scope of the plot revealed in the novel's conclusion, the narrative focuses almost exclusively on the bleak and unrewarding day-to-day lives of the protagonists, two half-brothers who barely know each other. They seem devoid of love, and in their loveless or
289:, a rebuttal of his alleged mis-characterization of her parenting as contained in the novel. In press interviews, she promised that "if he has the misfortune of sticking my name on anything again he'll get my walking stick in his face and that'll knock his teeth out."
281:
saying on the consensus "No consensus. A fair amount of enthusiasm, though almost all are put off by some aspects of the book (the sex, the darkness, the writing, the characters). Many like what
Houellebecq is trying to do, fewer how he goes about it".
185:, while Michel's pioneering work in cloning removes love from the process of reproduction. Humans are proved, in the end, to be just particles and just as bodies decay (a theme in the book) they can also be created from particles.
188:
The story unfolds as a sort of framed narrative, so despite the events described therein having taken place mostly in 1999, the story is essentially set some fifty or so years in the future. A similar device was used by
36:
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203:. Large sections of the story are presented in the form of suppertime storytelling dialogues between Michel, his childhood sweetheart Annabelle, Bruno, and Bruno's post-divorce girlfriend Christiane.
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do nothing to satisfy him, to the point where he finds himself on disability leave from his job and in a mental hospital after a failed attempt at seducing one of his students.
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reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish":
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praise for his erratic proclamations and behaviour in television interviews and the like. The author was eventually awarded the
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231:, the founder of the Prix Novembre, disapproved of awarding the prize to Houellebecq and resigned; the prize got a new patron—
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152:, Michel and Bruno, and their mental struggles against their situations in modern society. It was translated into English by
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772:
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503:"'Les Particules élémentaires', sur France 2 : un requiem pour la masculinité d'après Michel Houellebecq"
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352:
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The story focuses on the lives of Bruno Clément and Michel
Djerzinski, two French half-brothers born of a
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In April 2008, Houellebecq's estranged mother, Lucie
Ceccaldi, returned to France to publish
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This article is about the novel by Michel
Houellebecq. For the film based on the book, see
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in recognition of the novel. He became the last one to get this prize under this name.
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148:, published in France in 1998. It tells the story of two
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soon-to-be loveless journeys, Bruno becomes a saddened
239:. It was generally well-received among British press.
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501:
476:"'I never left anybody. It was him that left me'"
374:"Le prix DĂ©cembre Ă©chappe Ă Victor-LĂ©vy Beaulieu"
741:H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life
307:and won the Silver Bear award. The German film
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548:International Dublin Literary Award recipient
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28:
401:"Books of the moment: What the papers said"
181:, wrecked by his upbringing and failure to
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27:
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355:. It was broadcast on 31 January 2022.
303:A film version premiered at the 2006
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859:The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq
920:Novels about dysfunctional families
500:Sotinel, Thomas (31 January 2022).
474:Northedge, Charlotte (7 May 2008).
372:Fessou, Didier (10 November 2010).
166:International Dublin Literary Award
144:), is a novel by the French author
275:review under "Rubbish". Globally,
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895:French novels adapted into films
16:1998 novel by Michel Houellebecq
765:In the Presence of Schopenhauer
718:Configuration du dernier rivage
454:"Just in time for Mothers Day!"
452:Shirbon, Estelle (1 May 2008).
269:review under "Pretty Good" and
1:
900:French science fiction novels
337:produced the television film
905:Novels by Michel Houellebecq
659:The Possibility of an Island
263:reviews under "Love It" and
168:for writer and translator.
142:Les Particules élémentaires
60:Les Particules élémentaires
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427:"The Elementary Particles"
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910:Éditions Flammarion books
773:Quelques mois dans ma vie
667:The Map and the Territory
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407:. 27 May 2000. p. 72
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832:The Elementary Particles
808:La Possibilité d'une île
340:The Elementary Particles
162:The Elementary Particles
133:The Elementary Particles
816:To Stay Alive: A Method
925:Novels about sexuality
343:which was directed by
164:in the US. It won the
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297:Further information:
915:Works about brothers
353:Jean-Charles Clichet
305:Berlin Film Festival
710:The Art of Struggle
405:The Daily Telegraph
242:The Daily Telegraph
56:Original title
30:
890:1998 French novels
752:(1998, 2009, 2020)
599:Michel Houellebecq
146:Michel Houellebecq
50:Michel Houellebecq
877:
876:
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555:Succeeded by
540:No Great Mischief
327:(Annabelle), and
309:Elementarteilchen
235:—and a new name:
160:in the UK and as
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114:Publication place
98:Groupe Flammarion
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784:Film adaptations
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433:. 4 October 2023
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317:Moritz Bleibtreu
311:was directed by
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287:The Innocent One
229:Philippe Dennery
130:, also known as
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431:Complete Review
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349:Guillaume Gouix
345:Antoine Garceau
321:Christian Ulmen
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299:Atomised (film)
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278:Complete Review
248:Daily Telegraph
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88:Science fiction
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21:Atomised (film)
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559:My Name Is Red
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331:(Christiane).
329:Martina Gedeck
325:Franka Potente
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851:Préliminaires
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843:Miscellaneous
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749:Interventions
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313:Oskar Roehler
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237:Prix DĂ©cembre
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225:Prix Novembre
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193:in the novel
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191:Kurt Vonnegut
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150:half-brothers
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824:Unterwerfung
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691:Annihilation
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610:Bibliography
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514:. Retrieved
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483:. Retrieved
480:The Guardian
479:
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457:. Retrieved
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435:. Retrieved
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409:. Retrieved
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383:. Retrieved
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233:Pierre Bergé
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59:
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516:23 December
512:(in French)
260:Independent
183:individuate
154:Frank Wynne
70:Frank Wynne
884:Categories
732:monographs
730:Essays and
675:Submission
359:References
347:and stars
323:(Michel),
66:Translator
683:Serotonin
643:Lanzarote
485:9 January
459:9 January
437:4 October
379:La Presse
319:(Bruno),
218:Reception
196:Galápagos
94:Publisher
29:Atomised
867:Thalasso
800:Atomised
792:Whatever
651:Platform
635:Atomised
627:Whatever
509:Le Monde
335:France 2
266:Observer
254:Guardian
201:epilogue
158:Atomised
127:Atomised
76:Language
531:Awards
411:19 July
212:Minitel
870:(2019)
862:(2014)
854:(2009)
835:(2021)
827:(2018)
819:(2016)
811:(2008)
803:(2006)
795:(1999)
776:(2023)
768:(2017)
760:(2008)
744:(1991)
721:(2013)
713:(1996)
702:Poetry
694:(2022)
686:(2019)
678:(2015)
670:(2010)
662:(2005)
654:(2001)
646:(2000)
638:(1998)
630:(1994)
619:Novels
385:31 May
257:, and
208:hippie
138:French
118:France
79:French
46:Author
552:2002
272:Times
179:loner
84:Genre
518:2022
487:2015
461:2015
439:2023
413:2024
387:2013
351:and
172:Plot
109:1998
156:as
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136:(
23:.
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