H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life
by Michel Houellebecq
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Read in May, 2008
Reading a book by one of your current favorite authors about your all-time favorite author is possibly one of the best literary experiences I can imagine.
In H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life Michel Houellebecq, the bitterly cynical, oft-misunderstood French misanthrope and champion of 21st-century nihilism, attempts to demystify exactly what it is about Lovecraft's fiction that has allowed it to remain fresh and relevant after nearly a century.
And he succeeds in ways...more
In H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life Michel Houellebecq, the bitterly cynical, oft-misunderstood French misanthrope and champion of 21st-century nihilism, attempts to demystify exactly what it is about Lovecraft's fiction that has allowed it to remain fresh and relevant after nearly a century.
And he succeeds in ways...more
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Read in June, 2007
(Full review can be found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)
For Americans who don't know -- there's this French dude named Michel Houellebecq who a lot of Europeans are super pissed at. And that's because he's a writer, see, a brilliant one, who also happens to be a misanthrope, and who sincerely despises just about 98 percent of all humanity, and takes great care to detail all the ways they deserve his hatred in his provocative novels, which have all be...more
For Americans who don't know -- there's this French dude named Michel Houellebecq who a lot of Europeans are super pissed at. And that's because he's a writer, see, a brilliant one, who also happens to be a misanthrope, and who sincerely despises just about 98 percent of all humanity, and takes great care to detail all the ways they deserve his hatred in his provocative novels, which have all be...more
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bookshelves:
him,
them
Read in July, 2007
This was the only book I completed this summer aside from Harry Potter. It's sort of funny because I completed Potter as a gesture FOR the world and life. HPL : ATWAL successfully rekindled my interest in Lovecraft (although that fizzled when I subsequently attempted to expand my Lovecraft reading beyond the "major texts" that I had devoured in high school and college), who was a fascinating, tormented individual.
I'm sure that someone familiar with M.H.'s fiction would find this e...more
I'm sure that someone familiar with M.H.'s fiction would find this e...more
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This book was a blockbuster hit in my circle of friends last year.
We would actually do our best to quote passages out of it to one another. How could you not with lines like, "Attack the story like a radiant suicide, utter the great NO to life without weakness..." and "Those who love life do not read. Nor do they go to the movies, actually. No matter what might be said, access to the artistic universe is more or less entirely the preserve of those who are a little fed up wi...more
We would actually do our best to quote passages out of it to one another. How could you not with lines like, "Attack the story like a radiant suicide, utter the great NO to life without weakness..." and "Those who love life do not read. Nor do they go to the movies, actually. No matter what might be said, access to the artistic universe is more or less entirely the preserve of those who are a little fed up wi...more
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brilliance: "Life is painful and disappointing. It is useless, therefore, to write new, realistic novels. We generally know where we stand in relation to reality and don't care to know any more. Humanity, such as it is, inspires only an attenuated curiosity in us. All those prodigiously refined notations, situations, anecdotes ... All they do, once a book has been set aside, is reinforce the slight revulsion that is already adequately nourished by any one of our "real life" days.&
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2005
A must. A misanthrope essaying a misanthrope. Read by a misanthrope. All created by a misanthropic God? Am I missing anything? Nope.
Update: A great remix of the Mountain Goats' "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" : http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pvk...
Update: A great remix of the Mountain Goats' "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" : http://youtube.com/watch?v=Pvk...
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smartest criticism of hpl i've encountered from an author who understands nihilism. my only complaint: houllebecq does not take into consideration the generative power of hpl's language -- which perhaps combats that nihilism. stephen king's intro is nice too. plus you get 2 stories.
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Read in May, 2008
Come for Houellebecq's essay about Lovecraft (wherein, in 1991, Michel essentially drafts the thematic and stylistic blueprint for his future novels), but stay for the suprisingly awesome Lovecraft tales. (I rarely have nightmares but have since reading these -- seriously!)
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Read in March, 2008
This was a wonderful analysis of Lovecraft, whose writing I'm only just beginning to explore. Houellebecq and I seem to share a similar world view. Many of his insights here have helped to expand and clarify my thinking on similar themes in my own writing and artwork.
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I don't give a shit shingle for or against Houellebecq. I might pick this up tho for a second to figure out what part of Lovecraft would work for me. I like E.A. Poe, but that's about it in this direction. Someone give me a tip?
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Read in June, 2006
Houellebecq attempts to explain Lovecraft's literary philosophy while arguing his place among the 20th century's greatest writers. Houellebecq obviously adores Lovecraft, and his passion is infectious.
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Read in January, 2005
If I understand correctly, Lovecraft is in fact a realist. Most of us just won't admit that life is as terrifying as a Lovecraft story.
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Read in January, 2006
Not as interesting as I thought it would be, it's okay. Put me in the mood to read some Lovecraft again, though.
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