(Drivebycuriosity) - France has a proud history - and many French seem still to dream about the "Grand Nation", Ludwig XIV and Napoleon. But the country is getting more and more under the influence of the Muslims, who immigrated from Northern Africa, and their offspring. Michel Houellebecq focuses in his novel "Submission" on the islamization of France ( amazon).
The plot is told in first person. The narrator is an intellectual who makes his living being the expert on Joris-Karl Huysmans, a "decadent" French author who had lived in the 19th century and is "considered remarkable for its idiosyncratic use of the French language, large vocabulary, descriptions, satirical wit and far-ranging erudition" (wikipedia ). Apparently the reader sees the world with the eyes of a refined French intellectual.
"Submission" seems to contain 2 different novels. The first novel describes rising tensions and violence, but then follows a novel where everyone seems to be relaxed and happy (this is spoiler free blog). Maybe the second part is meant as a farce. I found the first part much more interesting and believable than the second.
There are many interesting musings about Huysmans, French literature and the growing influence of the Muslims on French society and family live. "Muslim women were devoted and submissive ... they aimed to please". Many men might like that, maybe an explanation for the rising popularity of Islam. Maybe many like to stock their harems with 13 year old virgins.
The novel would have been plausible during the oil crises in the 1970s, when the Saudis drove the world into chaos, but today I think Houellebecq overrates the geopolitical influence of the desert people way too much.
PS On top you can see an image of the
Grande Mosquee de Paris ( bonjourparis).
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