Michel Houellebecq - Interventions 2020

1 Cover

2 Title Page Interventions 2020 MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ Translated by Andrew Brown polity

3 Copyright Originally published in French as Interventions 2020 © Michel Houellebecq and Flammarion, Paris, 2020 This English edition © Polity Press, 2022 Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-4997-9 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Control Number: 2021945287 The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

4 1 Jacques Prévert is a jerk Notes

5 2 The Mirage by Jean-Claude Guiguet

6 3 Approaches to distress Contemporary architecture as a vector for speeding up movements Building the shelves Simplifying the calculations A brief history of information The onset of weariness The world as supermarket and derision The poetry of arrested movement Notes

7 4 Staring into the distance: in praise of silent cinema

8 5 Interview with Jean-Yves Jouannais and Christophe Duchâtelet Notes

9 6 Art as peeling

10 7 Creative absurdity Notes

11 8 The party What the hell am I doing with these jerks? Gathering together to have fun Gathering together to fight (student demonstrations, environmental gatherings, talk shows in the suburbs) Gathering together to fuck (sex clubs, private orgies, some New Age groups) Gathering together to celebrate (masses, pilgrimages) Partying without tears Notes

12 9 Time outWhat are you looking for here? The German Lowering the retirement age Calais, Pas-de-Calais Metropolitan comedy Just take it in your stride What use are men? The skin of the bear Notes

13 10 Opera Bianca4" 36" 43" 50" 56" 59" 1'00" 1'04" 1'06" 1'10" 1'17" 2'15" Notes

14 11 Letter to Lakis Proguidis Notes

15 12 The question of paedophilia Notes

16 13 Humanity, the second stage Notes

17 14 Empty heavens

18 15 I have a dream

19 16 Neil Young

20 17 Interview with Christian Authier Notes

21 18 Technical consolation

22 19 Sky, earth, sun

23 20 Leaving the twentieth century

24 21 Philippe Muray in 2002 Notes

25 22 Towards a semi-rehabilitation of the hick Notes

26 23 Conservatism, a source of progress Notes

27 24 Prolegomena to positivismThe disappearance of metaphysics The establishment of religion

28 25 I’m normal. A normal writer Notes

29 26 I have read my whole life long Notes

30 27 Soil cutting Note

31 28 The lost text Notes

32 29 Interview with Frédéric Beigbeder Notes

33 30 A remedy for the exhaustion of being Notes

34 31 Interview with Marin De Viry and Valérie Toranian Notes

35 32 Interview with Agathe Novak-Lechevalier

36 33 Emmanuel Carrère and the problem of goodness

37 34 Donald Trump is a good president

38 35 Conversation with Geoffroy LejeuneThe liturgy Social organization Inter-religious dialogue Hell Christian art Science Political power Sexuality Note

39 36 A bit worse. A response to a few friends

40 37 The Vincent Lambert affair should not have taken place Notes

41 Sources

42 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Table of Contents

3 Title Page

4 Copyright

5 Begin Reading

6 Sources

7 End User License Agreement

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MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ