Platform

In his novel "Platform", French writer Michel Houellebecq deals with themes that are dear to him. The contemporary man e his relation to sex, love and existence are at the center of the narrative that has globalization as its background. Actually what is behind the narrative is a little bit more complicated that just plain the world going global. What Houellebecq wants to state is that sex and prostitution has acquired global dimension. People travel to find pleasure -- but not that plain pleasure of living their home. As the story exploits, men and women go to poor countries looking for finding new partners. It is an act so common in the contemporary world that an industry has been developed for it. With his sharp prose, Houellebecq exploits the lives of a group of people bound by that industry. The main character is Michel a government employee who inherits a large sum and decide to take a travel to find pleasure. He meets Valerie, who works for a tourism agency. With her boss, she will move to another company and they will develop a new program of traveling. It becomes a huge success proving that there is market for that kind of tourism. Houellebecq states the facts in a very matter-of-factly and assured fashion one wonders what kind of field research he went through to writer "Platform". Technicalities aside, this novel is pretty much close to his previous works, such as "Elementary Particles" and "Whatever". Sometimes we have the felling that the three novels are narrated by the same person. But is seems to be part of his literary project. He is one of the most daring writers of the contemporary world. Heir to the French existentialism, he has some of the melancholy typical of Camus's novels. People who inhabit his world are sad and desperate. They search for a meaning for their boring lives. Most of them are not able to find it. At least so far. Although when that meaning can be found it is not certain that they can keep it.

Those of you who are interested in European discourse will remember the crusade on author of this book two years ago, which culminated in whole dossier published in Finkelkraut's European Messenger in which leading pens of Euro culture raised their voices trying to intelectually subdue this book and statements presented in it. Inraged cries of every religious community out there, from islam to christianity ensured the succes to this book. We are witnesses of methods of mass media so one should always look with scepticism too all kind of fusses that are raised towards todays literature. But this book really deserved it. And that, believe it or not is a good thing to literature. Ever since the begining of time, writer was supposed to shock community, from Boccacio's Decameron to Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Sluggishnes of thought and slowness of mind that dominated Europe are finaly broken with this book. Every concept out there is driven trough, you may almost call it Occham's razor, deconstructig society in general, not willing to admit any kind of supremacy to culture or historicism author tries to present the new world which even in today's democracy (whatever that means) stands out as twisted and pervert....At least to majority of people. Read this book... It is a begginig of a new epoch....

Platform is probably the best of Houellebecq's novels (the somewhat daft ending of 'Atomised' spoiled it for me). Houellebecq is one of the best writers living today. Next to his novels, most others just seem weak in comparison, beating around the bush, never really getting to grips with what we might call real life. Houllebecq tells it as it is; he does not mess about. He writes frankly about the things that really matter, the issues that really concern us, with acute and often brutal incisiveness. A common criticism of Houellebecq is that he digresses too much from the plot and frequently goes off on tangents, weaving philosophies and observations on life in general into the narrative. I would say that this is one of his greatest strengths. The beauty of novels is that this kind of digression is possible, whereas in a movie script, for example, it is not. It enriches the novel - it gives it depth. Anyone who has seen the film 'Whatever' as well as reading the book will know that as good as the film is, it could never have contained all the hilarious observations and incisive social commentary that the book does.

?Platform? is not for everyone ? it is a rigorous philosophical novel and its meditations on alienation, religion, and the commodification of sex in late-period capitalism will probably bore some and offend others with its graphic, some would say degrading, depictions of sex, the attitudes expressed by some of the characters, and the anti-Islamic beliefs that some critics have ascribed to author Michel Houellebecq.As a writer, Houellebecq appears to be equally at ease in describing the action in Thai massage parlors and French boardrooms. He has some fundamental insights and pursues them with an unstinting through the novel, and whether in the end one agrees or finds them persuasive or not, it must be granted that he is putting more on the table than the vast majority of contemporary novelists. If I had any criticism or disappointment with the writing, it is that the sex in the novel is essentially pornographic ? it is a fantasy ideal where nothing ever goes awry ? but then perhaps in a novel directed at an alienated Western audience, that is the point. With respect to Islam, Houellebecq has some hard things to say, but this should be viewed is in the context of a more general critique of ?the desert religions? (as one of his characters calls them) and their rigorous codes of sex and death. If, as one reviewer noted, there is a plea for ?Catholicism,? my impression is that this is more a plea for catholicism with a lower case ?c.? Houellebecq argues through his main protagonist that Catholicism is to be preferred to Judaism, Islam, or Protestantism in the specific sense its very lack of rigor makes it a more tolerant and accepting, and ultimately humane, faith. I interpret this as less promoting Roman Catholicism as a religion than upholding the values of tolerance and acceptance. Houellebecq seems comfortable with Buddhism ? there is a reason that much of the novel takes place in Thailand. Islam comes into his line of fire precisely because of the Abrahamic religions, it is the one of which today some of its adherents have had greatest difficulty with the transition to modernity, manifested in the intolerance depicted in the novel. Which brings me to the ending. Not to give away the plot, but it is frankly hard to read the novel without the Bali bombing echoing in one?s head, reinforcing the emotional impact of this interesting, difficult novel.

With "Platform", Michel Houellebecq has disproved the adage that you can't follow up a groundbreaking debut with something even better. If truth be told, I thought "Atomised" was original but wildly overpraised, but when I finished "Platform", it felt like a train had run through me. I was floored by its power, vision and courage. Unlike many books which peter out after a promising start, "Platform" gets better with each page and ends on a shattering climax and a devastating afternote. Like "Atomised", the author speaks directly to us through the voice of the novel's protagonist (also named Michel), so you'd be forgiven for simply assuming that it's Michel Houellebecq himself who is telling the story. This perspective is reinforced by the author's unique trademark of making political and social commentary an integral part of the novel's plot. So when critics lambast Michel (the character) for being racist, anti-Islamic and all the rest of it, it's hard to escape levelling these same charges against the author.But while it's tempting though surely missing the point to dismiss much of "Platform" as a diatribe against the lurid excesses of third world sex tourism, the madness of terrorism, etc, it isn't difficult to locate the tongue-in-cheek yet bitter irony in Houellebecq's view of the 21st century world. The pimps and whores of the third world regard the sex trade as a means of survival, and that's alright because everybody has a right to live, their customers - mostly pathetic human specimens in need of getting themselves a life like the early Michel and his failed bureaucrat friends - are driven to such levels of depravity and despair by their own society which makes gratification of their primal sex urge such a complicated and unattainable affair. So the graphic sex scenes featuring Michel, his bisexual girlfriend Valerie and many anonymous others in twosomes or threesomes are funny, absurd, sexy, yet strangely touching. Houellebecq has elevated sex to hyperbole in "Platform" to suggest that Western society may have dug its own grave on the subject of sex from playing too many mind games. Hence the need to "Look East" to rediscover their lost but false paradise.Houellebecq's narrative voice can be distancing and alienating, especially when he's being cryptic during his periodic lapses into commentary, so the really big surprise is that by the end of the story, he has transformed Michel into a real human being and against our better judgement, we begin to feel for him and even find ourselves hurting badly over his loss. "Platform", Houellebecq's sophomore effort is not only vastly superior to "Atomised", it is a truly great novel. I am tempted to call it a masterpiece. There aren't too many novels this powerful, daring and courageous. Don't miss it !