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Interventions 2020

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( 551 ratings, 67 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
Interventions 2020 is a collection of essays by Michel Houellebecq, offering insights into his thoughts on contemporary society, culture, and politics. The book delves into various topics, presenting Houellebecq's unique viewpoints and often controversial opinions, while reflecting his philosophical and psychological perspective on the world. It's a compelling read for those interested in exploring the critical commentary of one of modern literature's provocative voices.
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Format: Hardback
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You might enjoy this book if you appreciate thought-provoking essays and provocative commentary on society, politics, and culture. The author, known for his incisive and controversial views, delves into various contemporary issues, providing a unique philosophical perspective that challenges conventional thinking.

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Originally published in French as: Interventions 2020. [Paris]: Flammarion, 2020.

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

The death of God in the West was the prelude to a metaphysical soap opera that continues to this day. Christianity’s masterstroke was to combine a fierce belief in the individual with the promise of eternal participation in the Absolute. When that dream evaporated, various attempts were made to offer the individual a minimum of being. The latest of these attempts is advertising, which seeks to arouse desire and transform the subject into a docile phantom, doomed to follow advertising’s every whim. But, like all previous attempts, this superficial participation in the world fails, and unhappiness and depression continue to spread.

We can all produce a cold revolution in ourselves, however, by stepping outside the flow of information and advertising. We need to take some time out, unplug the television, turn off our smartphones, stop buying stuff and adopt an aesthetic attitude to the world. We just need to stay still for a few seconds.

This is one of the key themes developed by Michel Houellebecq in this collection of his texts and interviews from the last three decades. Here he explains and elaborates his point of view, discusses his novels and addresses a wide range of topics from politics, religion and literature to suicide, euthanasia and paedophilia. An indispensable book for anyone interested in the work of one of the most widely read and controversial novelists of our time.

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Interventions 2020 by Michel Houellebecq is regarded as a compelling collection of essays from a highly influential French novelist. Critics praise his ability to capture and predict societal changes with both humour and insight. The essays cover a diverse range of challenging subjects, providing an excellent introduction to Houellebecq's unique voice.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509549955

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 25 March 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 145.0mm

Height: 218.0mm

Weight: 476g

Pages: 314

About the Author

Michel Houellebecq is a French writer, poet and essayist.  His many bestselling books include PlatformThe Possibility of an IslandSubmission and Serotonin.  He won the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2010 and, in 2019, he was awarded the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest order of merit.

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