The Possibility of an Island (Vintage International)

I’ve heard people describe him irl as a “raging demon” but you can’t look away at the affection toward humanism, regret of love and his intellectual sci fi projects like this

When I began reading this book, I nearly stopped after the first few pages. While I had read about the language and sex, seeing it in print really offended me because of its excessive nature. Had I done that, this would have been the first book I had not completed in 72 years of reading. That is not why I stuck. The other comments about the book indicated that there was more here than just the initial shock and also indicated that there was some method top its madness. The last two sections are much different from the earlier chapters and are worth reading through the muck. I realized this morning that my reaction to it was like the reaction to "Lady Chatterly" a century ago. Like "Chatterley" the book needs its graphic nature to make its point, and like Lawrence, there is a point to be made. Collectively, this book affords a pretty grim picture of our world now and our world centuries from now, so if you can make it past the initial shock, there is something worthwhile to find.

After something of a sputtering with Platform, Houellebecq is in high form here with Possibility of an Island. He admitted himself that Platform was a failure partially because the idea behind Possibility was clunking around in his head as he wrote Platform. That's interesting . . . This book has a number of high marks. Houellebecq isn't thought of as a sci-fi writer, but his science fiction scenarios have a quiet elegance to them, a sort of foreboding and sense of inevitability. In this sense, he matches and exceeds traditional science fiction writers. In a way, I wonder if his return to form here has something to do with his subject matter. Houellebecq is, of course, brilliant in Platform, but without the aspirations inherent in writing scifi, it could be that he surrendered to a smallness in thinking. Radikal Hip Hop... Houellebecq (this is the second time I've written Celine in place of his name, despite that their writing is not similar in the least) has a brutal mind for the kitsch. In fact, there's a hilarious line on kitsch and its relation to art: "everything is kitsch, if you like. music as a whole is kitsch; art is kitsch; literature itself is kitsch. any emotion is kitsch, practically by definition; but any reflection also, and even in a sense any action, the only thing that is not absolutely kitsch is nothingness." It's great to see that Houellebecq isn't afraid of developing what is essentially a hipster's aesthetic. Funny and a little unnerving at the same time - could it be that the hipsters have had it right all along? This book is simultaneously more and less allusive than Houellebecq's previous work. Where there would be a two page essay in Elementary particles, there is a paragraph or two here. On the other hand, Houellebecq now seems to have no problem casually namedropping Celine, Rochefoucauld, Rochelle, and so on. This signals, I think, an efficiency in thinking and more of a thought for form - after all, by this point Houellebecq has enough credibility that his mentioning "Rochefoucauld" should be enough for the dedicated reader to look the man up for himself. I agree - Good job! Looking forward to reading The Map and the Territory. Bravo, Houellebecq. By the way, there is a picture of him that was published recently where he looks exactly like Celine - it's bizarre

So very sorry, author, but that is how I felt during the book. I bought it at first because I adored the beginning and I am a Kindle user. So I purchased after the sample. But I found it far too much a post modern man lost in a dictatorship type solution for my taste - too much because I consider myself neither lost in post modernism nor attracted to dictatorship type answers. So I had no one with whom to identify. Also, I found it rather masturbatory - compelling, in a way, for it conveyed the feeling of languorous sex (you could almost feel the sheets under you), but better kept to one's self or peddled as pure pornography for those who like to pick up a pornographic tome. Not the next best book since "The Stranger," as I recall one review stating. I am sorry to be so harsh, but I could not wait for it to end. Now I must confess, that I didn't wait. I put it down, turned off the switch. I will probably swipe through it at some point to see how the symphony of stupidity of the masses and immature lasciviousness of the man come together ('scuse the pun) in the end ('scuse the pun). It had great potential, though, and he writes sex scenes well, if you like May-December sex rather than mature-mature sex. PS: the Bill Gates Steve Jobs moment was such that it allowed me to swipe the Kindle with astounding rapidity, for I no longer worried about missing something "important."

MH does not disappoint. His obsession with sex as the sole source of real meaning aside, his vision is deep, visceral, revolutionary and raw. Little gems of insight/wisdom abound. His disdain of humanity is clear & well justified.

これはhouellebecqの第三作目なのでしょうか？発表は2005年とクレジットされている。底流に流れる著者の世界認識は前に発表された他の2作（AtomisedやPlatform)と同じなのだろう。しかし今回作者が選んだ小説というか語りの技法は特異なものだ。本書に語り手は、三人登場するのだが、これは三人であって一人ともいえるのだ。いうまでもなくこの技法を取るためには作品の構成上特異なひねりが必要であり、そのために本作品は俗にいうSFというジャンルのカラーをまとわされているのだ。 舞台は西暦2000年前後（つまり現代）とその2000年後が想定されている。そしてその長い時間の経過の間には国家間の核戦争と気候や地形変化が想定されているようだ。これらは詳しく語られることはないが、そういう意味では、Pierre Boulleの「猿の惑星」、Nevil Shuteの「渚にて」やGeorge Orwellの「1984」をも強く想起させる作品である。またPrologueで語られるDaniel 24の思いは、Koestlerの「Oceanic feeling」をも思い起こさせ、実際にその言葉がそのまま本書には登場する。また「まえがき」ともいえる部分に登場する電話ボックスの寓話的な光景はジャンコクトーの「人間の声」をも思い起こさせる。 時間の経過の間に、現代の人間（Human-Daniel 1)はクローンともいうべき新人類(Neohuman-Daniel 24・Daniel25)へと変貌している。ところがこの両者の間にはDNAの保存により遺伝子上の連続が想定されているのだ。つまり2000年後のNeohumanは自らの先祖でもある現在のhumanの残したlife storyを読み込み、もはや追体験が不可能と思えるその絶望的な思いを追体験していくというものだ。啓蒙主義と進歩信仰の袋小路にはまり込んだDaniel 1の孤独と無はHouellebecqの他の作品と共通している。そこでは肉体の老いと若者信仰が徹底的に語られるのだが、この袋小路からの脱出として安楽死の選択の制度化が触れられるが、それに絡めて登場するのが新興宗教のElohismだ。この宗教は奇妙な先端テクノロジーの装いをまとって、DNAの保持を通じての不死と再生をその教義の根本に位置づけており、これもまたロシアのFedorovの哲学に類似したものなのだ。 本書の魅力はこのDaniel 1が書き綴る文明批評の部分だろう。肉体の劣化への恐怖の下での自由の極限に登場した無ともいうべき殺風景な心象風景の描写が著者の真骨頂なのだが、その背後には述べたような様々な西欧の伝統や先行作品への著者の思いとその整理が潜んでおり、SF小説ではない。DNAの維持を通じてどの程度人間の頭脳や遺伝子そして不死は維持されるのか、これらは著者にとっては重要な哲学的なテーマなのだ。再生散りばめられたヒントや思い、そして本書に頻発されるスペインの地名のもたらすイメージを本書から追体験するのは日本人には無理だ。だいたい本書の題名からして不可解なのだ。もはや不可能である「愛」の感覚を求めて保護区域から外に出るDaniel２5だが、そこでの幸福が犬との旅に凝縮されているのは、またしてもJacque brelの「Les Filles et Les Chiens」との連想を強くさせてしまうのだ。 ところでhouellebecqまた新作が出たようなのだ。

Compren el de pasta dura y en español

A drawn out novel, it started as something interesting/promising, but got more boring and repetitive with every next chapter. The main middle-aged male character who is childless is utterly obsessed with the sex with young females, as though a sterile sex is the only purpose/pleasure in life... and the "older women" are apparently completely useless/aimless and commit suicides. This is a recurring theme in this author's novels. His characters are hopeless/miserable losers, obsessed with their addictions and rudderless in life. Nothing inspiring to read about, just makes you sad and bewildered that this kind of creatures exist, and what a waste of time to read about.

Couldn't get past the first 30 pages. Utter crap

Simply, Houllebecq ensures he stays way ahead of the chasing field in relation to illustrating modern philisophy, albeit with his usual sprinkling of controversial sentiments for this world he almost despises, whilst embracing. The poet in him bellows at us, the rapper sometimes whispers his demands, the philosopher is omnipresent and all linked with ease by the supreme yet uncompromisng novellist. Msr Michel demands we listen and learn, and we do, as we have no option. He will seduce us with eroticism whilst enticing us with science fiction. Throw in the odd relationship issue and the enduring questions about the meaning of life and you realise, this is Houllebcq doing what he does best! and with consumate ease. You can almost imagine his furrowed brow as he types each page, the mischievious grin as he stimulates in us what we dont like, yet want to love. He finds it too easy fear! This maybe his last. If so, read and read again. The earlier 'stumbling' of "Lanzarote" are history, hes getting better and better.