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Whatever

By Michel Houellebecq
Series: Serpent's Tail Classics
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3.57 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 20,671 ratings, 1,743 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Whatever by Michel Houellebecq is a provocative novel focusing on the life of a disillusioned computer programmer. Battling a feeling of disconnection, the protagonist navigates a mundane, monotonous existence. Through dark humour and sharp social criticism, the book explores themes of alienation and the search for meaning.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy satirical and philosophical explorations of modern life, examining themes of isolation and existential despair. Michel Houellebecq's sharp, often dark humour provides a thought-provoking look at the absurdity of contemporary human existence, making it intriguing for readers who appreciate deep, reflective narratives.

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The mischief-making enfant terrible of new-wave French fiction.

'The mischief-making enfant terrible of new-wave French fiction' Independent

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Just thirty, with a well-paid job, no love life, and a terrible attitude, the anti-hero of this grim, funny novel smokes four packs of cigarettes a day and writes weird animal stories in his spare time. A computer programmer by day, he is tolerably content, until he's packed off with a colleague — the sexually frustrated Raphael Tisserand — to train provincial civil servants in the use of a new computer system.

Whatever, Michel Houellebecq's first novel, was a smash hit in France, expressing the misanthropic voice of a generation. Like A Confederacy of Dunces, Houellebecq's bitter, sarcastic, and exasperated narrator vociferously expresses his frustration and disgust with the world.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Michel Houellebecq's Whatever is recognised for its dark humour and philosophical depth. Reviews highlight its mix of comedy and grim narrative details, capturing the disaffection of modern youth with precision. The book is noted for its potent blend of philosophical insight and narrative, offering a vividly pessimistic look into contemporary life under late capitalism.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846687846

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 May 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Serpent's Tail

Edition: Main - Classic edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 119g

Pages: 160

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Michel Houellebecq Series: Serpent's Tail Classics

About the Author

Novelist and poet Michel Houellebecq was born in 1958, on the French island of Reunion. At the age of six, Michel was given over to the care of his paternal grandmother, a communist, whose family name he later adopted. His literary career began when, at twenty, he started to move in poetic circles in France. Whatever, Houellebecq's first novel, has been translated into several languages. Houellebecq's second collection of poems, Le sens du combat (The Meaning of the Fight), obtained the Prix Flore in 1996. In 1998, he received the prestigious Grand Prix National des Lettres Jeunes Talents for his literary work. He has also won the Prix Novembre (for Atomised). His first album, Presence Humaine, was released in 2000. He currently lives in Spain.

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