Les particules élémentaires
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- Create Date：2021-06-26 03:51:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Michel Houellebecq
- ISBN：2290028592
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Summary
Michel， chercheur en biologie rigoureusement déterministe， incapable d'aimer， gère le déclin de sa sexualité en se consacrant au travail， à son Monoprix et aux tranquillisants。 Une année sabbatique donne à ses découvertes un tour qui bouleversera la face du monde。 Bruno， de son côté， s'acharne en une quête désespérée du plaisir sexuel。 Un séjour au « Lieu du Changement »， camping post-soixante-huitard tendance New Age， changera-t-il sa vie ？ Un soir， une inconnue à la bouche hardie lui fait entrevoir la possibilité pratique du bonheur。 Par leur parcours familial et sentimental chaotique， les deux demi-frères illustrent de manière exemplaire la société d'aujourd'hui et la quête complexe de l'amour vrai。
Reviews
MingoBJ
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Altorreal
Mrchristoff
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This is really a brilliant book。 Having just finished it， I have to say I find some of the reviews here a bit puzzling。 This is not a book a book about sex or pessimism， although it does contain some sex and has a few dark moments。 Its a cracker of a story， thoughtful， intelligent and pschologically astute that succeeds in provoking the imagination。 Well worth a read。
Μπαμπης Καψαλης
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Μπορεί σε ένα πρώτο επίπεδο αυτό το εξαιρετικό βιβλίο του Μισέλ Ούελμπέκ να μοιάζει ως μια σφοδρή κριτική του δυτικού πολιτισμού που η έννοια του ανθρώπου έχει πια ισοπεδωθεί μαζί με τις όποιες αξίες υπήρχαν， αλλά στο βάθος του είναι πολλά περισσότερα。 Ο Ούελμπέκ στο βάθος βλέπει τον άνθρωπο με τρυφερότατα， και λόγο αυτής της τρυφερότητας μας λέει στα ίσα και παλικαρίσια πως αν δεν «το πάρουμε αλλιώς» πάμε καρφί για τον γκρεμό。 Αν σκεφτούμε δε πως γράφτηκε πριν καμία εικοσαετία， με τα σημερινά δ Μπορεί σε ένα πρώτο επίπεδο αυτό το εξαιρετικό βιβλίο του Μισέλ Ούελμπέκ να μοιάζει ως μια σφοδρή κριτική του δυτικού πολιτισμού που η έννοια του ανθρώπου έχει πια ισοπεδωθεί μαζί με τις όποιες αξίες υπήρχαν， αλλά στο βάθος του είναι πολλά περισσότερα。 Ο Ούελμπέκ στο βάθος βλέπει τον άνθρωπο με τρυφερότατα， και λόγο αυτής της τρυφερότητας μας λέει στα ίσα και παλικαρίσια πως αν δεν «το πάρουμε αλλιώς» πάμε καρφί για τον γκρεμό。 Αν σκεφτούμε δε πως γράφτηκε πριν καμία εικοσαετία， με τα σημερινά δεδομένα το ένα μας πόδια αιωρείται είδη στον γκρεμό。 Η δομή του περιέχει μια τρομερή μίξη επιστήμης， φιλοσοφίας ， χιούμορ και πορνό， κάτι που αν έλλειπε νομίζω θα το έκανε δυσανάγνωστο και υπερβολικά βαρύ。 Ο Μισέλ όμως ξέρει την δουλειά του。 。。。more
Silvia
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Non ha fatto proprio per me。 Peccato :（
Autumn Christian
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Another book recommended to me by a friend。 The Elementary Particles is a beautiful book that's a testament to the tragic shortcomings of human beings， but also the hope of a new and imminent kind of being。 It shows the deterministic pathways of two brothers， both with very different lives， and how they're bound and come to rebound against one other。 It's probably one of my new favorites。 I was awestruck by its beauty and intelligence， its exploration of sex and sadness and science。 Houellebecq Another book recommended to me by a friend。 The Elementary Particles is a beautiful book that's a testament to the tragic shortcomings of human beings， but also the hope of a new and imminent kind of being。 It shows the deterministic pathways of two brothers， both with very different lives， and how they're bound and come to rebound against one other。 It's probably one of my new favorites。 I was awestruck by its beauty and intelligence， its exploration of sex and sadness and science。 Houellebecq is clearly a master of human emotions and understanding。 This book could only be written by someone who knew the human condition well。 。。。more
olga
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nareszcie skonczylam。 zakonczenie calkiem mi sie podobalo， ale pozostawiam bez oceny poniewaz: nie wiem。
kja3k
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"You can look at life ironically for years， maybe decades; there are people who seem to go through most of their lives seeing the funny side， but in the end， life always breaks your heart。" "You can look at life ironically for years， maybe decades; there are people who seem to go through most of their lives seeing the funny side， but in the end， life always breaks your heart。" 。。。more
Aggrey Odera
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I hated it！ Hated it！ And not because I was （any more than the supposed 'normal' person） disturbed by Houellebecq's casual racism/ sexism/ homophobia/ islamophobia: I've read many very good books that partake in many repugnant -isms and phobias。 Houellebecq is simply a bad writer。 The sex scenes are gratuitous and not well done at all。 The philosophising is third rate。 The pacing is shit。 This is the work of an aged proto-incel。 I hated it！ Hated it！ And not because I was （any more than the supposed 'normal' person） disturbed by Houellebecq's casual racism/ sexism/ homophobia/ islamophobia: I've read many very good books that partake in many repugnant -isms and phobias。 Houellebecq is simply a bad writer。 The sex scenes are gratuitous and not well done at all。 The philosophising is third rate。 The pacing is shit。 This is the work of an aged proto-incel。 。。。more
Marko K。
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"Elementarne čestice" bavi se životom dva polubrata， Mišela i Bruna。 Njihova majka hedonista je odlučila da ih ostavi sa njihovim babama， te su obojica odrasli bez roditeljske ljubavi što je uticalo na to kako žive život。 Niko od njih dvojice ne zna da voli na pravi način， niti je voljen kako bit tebalo da bude， ali opet svako bira drugačiji put u životu。 Mišel， povučeni i miran naučnik， na korak je da dobije Nobelovu nagradu。 S druge strane， tu je Bruno， nimfoman koji voli da uživa u životu， ko "Elementarne čestice" bavi se životom dva polubrata， Mišela i Bruna。 Njihova majka hedonista je odlučila da ih ostavi sa njihovim babama， te su obojica odrasli bez roditeljske ljubavi što je uticalo na to kako žive život。 Niko od njih dvojice ne zna da voli na pravi način， niti je voljen kako bit tebalo da bude， ali opet svako bira drugačiji put u životu。 Mišel， povučeni i miran naučnik， na korak je da dobije Nobelovu nagradu。 S druge strane， tu je Bruno， nimfoman koji voli da uživa u životu， konstantno masturbira， plaća prostitutke。 Njih dvojica su， iako dele istu majku， potpuno dva suprotna lika， a opet imaju tu neku zajedničku crtu koja ih prati kroz život。 Kako će svako od njih da pristupi ljubavi i poštovanju zajednice je samo jedna od tema u ovom romanu。Dakle， ispred nas ne roman koji ne govori samo o prirodi čoveka， već i o toj polemici da li je naše ponašanje posledica vaspitanja ili gena， kao i to do koje mere naše detinjstvo utiče na to kakvi smo。 Bruno je kao dete maltretiran od strane drugih dečaka， što dovoljno govori o načinu na koji on vodi i vidi život kad je stariji。 Ovo je jedan dobar roman， ne mogu da kažem da nije， i Uelbek je stvarno super pisac。 Međutim， čitaćete mnoge pasuse o nauci， o biologiji， o sociologiji， tako da može da se kaže da roman ima mnogo više "teorijskog" dela nego što bi možda to očekivali。 Ali ako vas zanimaju ove teme i ako ste spremni da se upustite u malo drugačiju priču， protkanu ne samo naukom i sociologijom već i mnogim primerima vulgarnog jezika， slobodno je uzmite u ruke。 Neko će reći da je na momente previše vulgarna; ali sve u svemu ovo je knjiga koja sjajno opisuje prirodu čoveka i govori nam koliko različitih ljudi oko sebe imamo， čak i ako delimo te neke zajedničke elementarne čestice。 。。。more
Thompson McDaniel
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Wackier in the end than it seemed in the beginning。 TC Boyles Drop City meets Huxley’s Brave New World。
Michael
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Verfrissend om te lezen。 Het thema: moderne masculiniteit in crisis， volgens Houellebecq het problematische gevolg van het individualisme en （seksueel） libertinisme。 Bijna als vanzelfsprekend met een boel smerige seks waarin de mens， of eigenlijk vooral de man， gereductioneerd is tot een dier。 Dat hij het liefst afwilt van al dat geseks， laat Houellebecq pas aan het eind echt blijken， hoewel zijn toon al veel had verraden。 Dat is jammer， want juist het epiloog was het enige dat nog restte om mij Verfrissend om te lezen。 Het thema: moderne masculiniteit in crisis， volgens Houellebecq het problematische gevolg van het individualisme en （seksueel） libertinisme。 Bijna als vanzelfsprekend met een boel smerige seks waarin de mens， of eigenlijk vooral de man， gereductioneerd is tot een dier。 Dat hij het liefst afwilt van al dat geseks， laat Houellebecq pas aan het eind echt blijken， hoewel zijn toon al veel had verraden。 Dat is jammer， want juist het epiloog was het enige dat nog restte om mij te doen laten verrassen。 。。。more
Igor
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“Historically， such human beings have existed。 Human beings who have worked—worked hard—all their lives with no motive other than love and devotion， who have literally given their lives for others， out of love and devotion; human beings who have no sense of having made any sacrifice，who cannot imagine any way of life other than giving their lives for others， out of love and devotion。 In general， such human beings are generally women。 ”„A world that respects only the young eventually devours ever “Historically， such human beings have existed。 Human beings who have worked—worked hard—all their lives with no motive other than love and devotion， who have literally given their lives for others， out of love and devotion; human beings who have no sense of having made any sacrifice，who cannot imagine any way of life other than giving their lives for others， out of love and devotion。 In general， such human beings are generally women。 ”„A world that respects only the young eventually devours everyone。“„Words cross the space， the space between one skin and another。 Unheard，unanswered， the words hang in the air and begin to decay， to stink; that’s the way it is。 Seen like this， words could separate， too。“„On 14 December 1967 the government passed the Neuwirth Act on contraception at its first reading。 Although not yet paid for by social security， the pill would now be freely available in pharmacies。 It was this which offered a whole section of society access to the sexual revolution， which until then had been reserved for professionals， artists and senior management—and some small businessmen。 It is interesting to note that the “sexual revolution” was sometimes portrayed as a communal utopia， whereas in fact it was simply another stage in the historical rise ofindividualism。 As the lovely word “household” suggests， the couple and the family would be the last bastion of primitive communism in liberal society。 The sexual revolution was to destroy these intermediary communities， the last to separate the individual from the market。 The destruction continues to this day。“„Men who grow old alone have it easier than older women。 They drink cheap booze and fall asleep， their breath stinks， then they wake up and start all over again; they tend to die young。 Women take tranquilizers， go to yoga classes， see a shrink; they live a lot longer and suffer a lot more。 They try to trade on their looks， even when they know their bodies are sad and ugly。 They get hurt but they do it anyway， because they can’t give up the need to be loved。 That’s one delusion they’ll keep to the bitter end。 Once she’s past a certain age， a woman might get to rub upagainst some cocks， but she has no chance of being loved。 That’s men for you。”“Never could stand feminists 。 。 。” Christiane continued when they were halfway up the hill。 “Stupid bitches always going on about washing dishes and the division of labor; they could never shut up about the dishes。 Oh， sometimes they’d talk about cooking or vacuuming， but their favorite topic was washing dishes。 In a few short years， they managed to turn every man they knew into an impotent， whining neurotic。 Once they’d done that， it wasalways the same story—they started going on about how there were no realmen anymore。 They usually ended up ditching their boyfriends for a quickfuck with some macho Latin idiot。 I’ve always been struck by the wayintelligent women go for delinquents， brutes and assholes。 Anyway， they fuck their way through two or three， maybe more if they’re really pretty，and wind up with a kid。 Then they start making jam from Marie Claire recipe cards。 It’s always the same story， I’ve seen it happen dozens of times。”“I’ve always been struck by how accurate Huxley was in Brave New World，” he began before he’d even satdown。 “It’s phenomenal when you think he wrote it in 1932。 Everythingthat’s happened since simply brings Western society closer to the social model he described。 Control of reproduction is more precise and eventuallywill be completely disassociated from sex altogether， and procreation willtake place in tightly guarded laboratories where perfect genetic conditions are ensured。 Once that happens， any sense of family， of father-son bonds， will disappear。 Pharmaceutical companies will break down the distinction between youth and age。 In Huxley’s world， a sixty-year-old man is as healthy as a man of twenty， looks as young and has the same desires。 When we get to the point that life can’t be prolonged any further， we’ll be killedoff by voluntary euthanasia; quick， discreet， emotionless。 The society Huxley describes in Brave New World is happy; tragedy and extremes of human emotion have disappeared。 Sexual liberation is total—nothing stands in the way of instant gratification。 Oh， there are little moments of depression， of sadness or doubt， but they’re easily dealt with using advances in antidepressants and tranquilizers。 ‘One cubic centimeter cures ten gloomy sentiments。’ This is exactly the sort of world we’re trying to create，the world we want to live in。“Everyone says Brave New World is supposed to be a totalitarian nightmare， a vicious indictment of society， but that’s hypocritical bullshit。 Brave New World is our idea of heaven: genetic manipulation， sexual liberation， the war against aging， the leisure society。 This is precisely the world that we have tried—and so far failed—to create。 The only thing in the book that rankles a little with our idea of equal opportunities—or meritocracy—is the idea of dividing society into castes where each performs tasks according to their genetic makeup。 But that’s also the only point on which Huxley proved a false prophet。 Advances in automation and robotics have made the whole idea pointless。“„Any philosopher， not just Buddhist or Christian， but any philosopher worthy of the name， knows that， in itself， desire—unlike pleasure—is a source of suffering， pain and hatred。 The utopian solution—from Plato to Huxley by way of Fourier—is to do away with desire and the suffering it causes by satisfying it immediately。 The opposite is true of the sex-and-advertising society we live in， where desire is marshaled and blown up out of all proportion， while satisfaction is maintained in the private sphere。 For society to function， for competition to continue， people have to want more and more， until desire fills their lives and finally devours them。“„Amid the vile filth， the ceaseless carnage which was the lot of animals， the only glimmer of devotion and altruism was the protective maternal instinct， which had gradually evolved into mother love。 The female squid， a pathetic little thing barely twenty centimeters long， unhesitatingly attacks the diver who comes near her eggs。 Thirty years later he could not come to any other conclusion: women were indisputably better than men。 They were gentler， more affectionate， loving and compassionate; they were less prone to violence， selfishness， cruelty or self-centeredness。 Moreover， they were more rational， intelligent and hardworking。““There’s nothing more stupid， aggressive， hateful or obnoxious than a teenage boy， especially when he’s with boys his own age。 He is amonster crossed with an imbecile。 He’s unbelievably conformist—at puberty a boy is the sudden， malicious and unpredictable （considering thechild he was） crystallization of the very worst in mankind。 When you think about it， sexuality has to be an absolutely evil force。 I don’t know how people can live under the same roof as kids like that。 I think the only reason they can stomach it is because their lives are completely empty， though I suppose my life is completely empty and I didn’t manage it。 In any case， the world is full of liars; people spend their lives telling appalling lies。 ‘We’re divorced now， but we’re still good friends。 I get to see my son every other weekend 。 。 。’ That’s bullshit。 Complete bullshit。 In reality， men don’t give a damn about their kids， they never really love them。 In fact， I’d say men aren’t capable of love; the emotion is completely alien to them。 The only emotions they know are desire—in the form of pure animal lust—and male rivalry。“„There are families still， more or less（Sparks of faith among atheists，Sparks of love in the pit of nausea），And we do not know howThese sparks glow。Slaves working for incomprehensible organizations，The only way in which we can live our lives is through sex（Though only， of course， those for whom sex is still permitted，Those for whom sex is possible）。Now， marriage and fidelity cut us off from any possibility ofexistence，We will not find—in the office or the classroom—that spirit in uswhich clamors for adventure， for light， for dance;And so we try to pool our destinies through increasingly difficultloves，We try to sell a body which is ever more exhausted， mutinous，recalcitrantAnd we disappearIn the shadow of sorrowInto true despair，We go down the long， solitary road to the place where all is dark，Without children， without wives，We enter the lakeIn the middle of night（and the water on our ancient bodies is so cold）。“„To be so seductive， he had to personify evil， to be its perfect embodiment—and what the masses adored above everything was the image of evil unpunished。“„There is no power in the world—economic， political， religious or social— that can compete with rational certainty。 Western society is interested beyond all measure in philosophy and politics， and the most vicious， ridiculous conflicts have been about philosophy and politics; it has also had a passionate love affair with literature and the arts， but nothing in its history has been as important as the need for rational certainty。 The West has sacrificed everything to this need: religion， happiness， hope—and， finally， its own life。 You have to remember that when passing judgment on Western civilization。„Mathematical proofs and experimental methods are the highest expressions of human consciousness。I realize that the facts seem to contradict me。 I know that Islam—by far the most stupid， false and obfuscating of all religions—currently seems to be gaining ground， but it’s a transitory and superficial phenomenon: in the long term， Islam is even more doomed than Christianity。”„The world outside had its own rules， and those rules were not human。“„Young girls today were more sensible， more sophisticated。 Nowadays they worried more about their exam results and did their best to ensure they would have a decent career。For them， going out with boys was simply a game， a distraction motivated as much by narcissism as by sexual pleasure。 They later would try to make a good marriage， basing their decision on a range of social and professional criteria， as well as on shared interests and tastes。 Of course， in doing this they cut themselves off from any possibility of happiness—a condition indissociable from the outdated， intensely close bonds so incompatible with the exercise of reason—but this was their attempt to escape the moral and emotional suffering which had so tortured their forebears。 This hope was， unfortunately， rapidly disappointed; the passing of love’s torments simply left the field clear for boredom， emptiness and an anguished wait for old age and death。““In this space of which they are so afraid， human beings learn how to live and to die; in their mental space， separation， distance and suffering are born。There is little to add to this: the lover hears his beloved’s voice over mountains and oceans; over mountains and oceans a mother hears the cry of her child。 Love binds， and it binds forever。 Good binds， while evil unravels。Separation is another word for evil; it is also another word for deceit。 All that exists is a magnificent interweaving， vast and reciprocal。” 。。。more
Luke Charnley
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Bitter and twisted。 All the forces of history conspire to ruin the lives of the characters， their existence stretched out as one long disappointment after another， compelling them into degeneracy。 The ending doesn't really seem to know what it wants， cutting between misanthropic posthumanism and some wierd Ubermensch thing that just crops up， but it's still an extremely compelling read。 Bitter and twisted。 All the forces of history conspire to ruin the lives of the characters， their existence stretched out as one long disappointment after another， compelling them into degeneracy。 The ending doesn't really seem to know what it wants， cutting between misanthropic posthumanism and some wierd Ubermensch thing that just crops up， but it's still an extremely compelling read。 。。。more
Jackson Cho
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This is a really strange book。 It is essentially a story of two brothers， one being the total embodiment of scientific knowledge and the other being the natural conclusion of materialism。 It's an exhausting book that often writes of human affairs with such detachment and yet incisiveness。 I'm still not sure how I felt about it， but I really couldn't stop reading and feeling that this was a great work I was reading here。 This is a really strange book。 It is essentially a story of two brothers， one being the total embodiment of scientific knowledge and the other being the natural conclusion of materialism。 It's an exhausting book that often writes of human affairs with such detachment and yet incisiveness。 I'm still not sure how I felt about it， but I really couldn't stop reading and feeling that this was a great work I was reading here。 。。。more
Vikash （kashivology。wordpress。com）
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Rating -3。5/5。。An elementary particle has little identity unless it has an atomic nucleus。 And the basis of all existence in the universe is the sub-atomic particle or more recently， vibrating strings。 So， all beings in the universe are made up of the same thing - the only difference is in the math of the atomic bonding。 This is the scientific foundation on which the novel， Atomised， is built。 Here Michel paints a magnified picture of human existence and psyche through these science colours。。。At Rating -3。5/5。。An elementary particle has little identity unless it has an atomic nucleus。 And the basis of all existence in the universe is the sub-atomic particle or more recently， vibrating strings。 So， all beings in the universe are made up of the same thing - the only difference is in the math of the atomic bonding。 This is the scientific foundation on which the novel， Atomised， is built。 Here Michel paints a magnified picture of human existence and psyche through these science colours。。。Atomised takes place in difficult times - after the second world war， where a disturbed humanity questions its life through the lens of sudden and illogical mortality， trying to find meaning in its existence （if any） through fancy bonding， sex and indulgent scientific discoveries。It is a story of two half brothers， Michel and Bruno， who fight themselves throughout the novel to understand their core and to rise above the hubbub of the beating heart which is no different from any other person's。 。。Houellebecq jumps back and forth with the plot's timeline with a strong graphic portrayal of sexual scenes。 His characters are often seen to be troubled and devoid of a proper string to align their thoughts and contemplations。 He does say， however， that this string is love。 。。。The prevalence of suicides in the novel signifies the apocalypse of the human heart。 The book contains some clever albeit disturbing philosophical insights of the writer。 His work is the dystopia of human emotions being replaced by logic， pragmatism and monotony。。。The book which has an omnipresent， shadowy sense of love， has everything to offer but love。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。 。。。more
Curtis
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16 years ago a friendly acquaintance recommended me a book and， since we seemed to have similar tastes， I looked for it online the next day。 I couldn't remember the title or the author but I thought this might be it， so I bought it and left it on a shelf for 16 years。 Last night， I opened it for the first time and， surprisingly enough， it turned out to be a real treat。 I still don't know if I bought the right book。Houellebecq's style flits from highbrow to lowbrow quite seamlessly， with the only 16 years ago a friendly acquaintance recommended me a book and， since we seemed to have similar tastes， I looked for it online the next day。 I couldn't remember the title or the author but I thought this might be it， so I bought it and left it on a shelf for 16 years。 Last night， I opened it for the first time and， surprisingly enough， it turned out to be a real treat。 I still don't know if I bought the right book。Houellebecq's style flits from highbrow to lowbrow quite seamlessly， with the only unintentionally jarring moments in the prose being a result of swearwords that occasionally take you by surprise， possibly due to seeing very English swearwords like 'ar*e' and 'w*nker' crop up in the UK translation of a French novel， as opposed to the more Americanized choices that tend to be more common。 I also felt that his use of language was vividly descriptive but still disciplined enough to maintain readability throughout even the most complex ideas under discussion。 Luckily for me， some of the other books I've read over the last year or two， such as A Brave New World and the works of Plato， were referenced and had strong connections to the novel's main assertion， which certainly aided in my understanding of the work as a whole。It seemed to me that the two brothers in the book， Bruno and Michel， represented the irrational libido and the rational mind respectively， and the difficulties they had in understanding each other are something we are probably all familiar with。 Michel's intolerance for Bruno's constant talking about sex when he's trying to think about more important things， definitely feels familiar。Obviously， there can't be a single review about this book that doesn't reference the relatively graphic depictions of sex。 Well， I'll try to keep it short and sweet （like Bruno）。 Sexuality is an absolutely central part of the books overall theme， which is， I promise， far grander than you are expecting， and will not reveal itself until the very end of the book。 As a result， there is a lot of dirty stuff thrown in along the way， and while it is described in pretty raw fashion a lot of the time， I personally didn't feel that much of it was out of place or 'pornographic'， but then I suppose it depends how easily offended you are by sex。 There are certainly a few bits that will make you think 'Jesus。。。this guy is a FREAK！'， but you're supposed to think that。 Besides， it's fiction， so there's no point getting too worked up。Additionally， I didn't find this book to be misogynistic， and feel those that did must have failed to understand it。 There are some great reviews that go into this in more detail on this page， but to summarise， while Bruno （the sex addict） objectifies women to a ridiculous extent （strange that）， his existence as a character is to demonstrate the book's overarching themes， which argue that this kind of thinking is so fundamentally harmful as to potentially sever us entirely from love。 In fact， the characters in the book that are treated with the most sympathy and respect， and have the potential to save our two protagonists， are both women， and their scenes are among the most memorable and moving in the book。SPOILERSOn the subject of the ending， I loved the way in which the epilogue revealed the greater significance of everything we had just been through。 It allowed the book to finish on a high note， after the crushingly bleak final third of the book， where all chances of happiness crumble to dust， as well as to provide the deeper relevance that the book's mixture of hedonism and self-loathing needed all along。As for Houellebecq's message， I don't agree with others that claim his writing is full of hate。 I think the word 'desperation' better characterizes what seems to me to be his longing to be something more than he is， and his frustration at being （in his own mind， at least） one of those 'before their time' people， who are forced to live their life in wait， while the world around them catches up。 The bitterness that Bruno feels at his constant rejection is， to me， utterly human， and his inability through most of the novel to change his priorities， is the source of his repeated humiliations， his misery and his downfall。Houellebecq's concludes that by removing the link between sex and reproduction through science （via cloning）， and thus removing the necessity for death， humanity can becomes as gods and remove our greatest sources of pain， fear and misery， reminded me of Bruno's rant about Huxley's works earlier in the novel， and it's something I'm still thinking about now， some 90 minutes after finishing the book。 I don't know yet what I think about all that， and I'll probably read more about various interpretations of this tomorrow when I'm still thinking about it。So， overall I really liked this， and breezed through it in about 24 hours。 It's left me with a lot to think about， which is always a good sign， and I feel pretty good to recommending it to anyone who a） likes a bit of philosophizing and b） doesn't mind a bit of dirty sex in their reading。 As for me， I'll certainly give more of Houellebecq's stuff a try in the future。 。。。more
Jason Wu
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It sucks but I agree with him so 5/5
Maxwell Rosenbloom
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This book cycles between scenes of erotica， scientific musings， heartbreak and （briefly， at the very end） sci-fi。 There’s also a lot about the death of the hippy movement， which failed in its attempt to create a viable new way of living through intentional communities， and overtime devolved into new age capitalism—crystal knobbers， sage sniffers， reiki frauds， spiritual retreats， the commodification of practices like yoga， etc。
Harry Allard
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Quite ugly in the narratives it uses to repudiate individualism and libertinism （and libertarianism）， before it gives way to a beautiful， moving exploration of grief， love and broad humanism。 I really admired the enormity of the consequences that spin out from the stories of two brothers， from prosaic struggles to the complete reshaping of reality。
Théodore
，
No matter what he writes， Houellebecq generates controversy， and each of his books seem to be something else that leaves the impression on most readers。 And it really is something else。。 How could I classify his book ？ Apparently， as one of sexual frustrations， but it would be incompletely said， because this is just the visible part， created by what we see and read。 If， however， we have the skills to " ignore" the strong imprint of obsessive sexuality， we can approach this book from several angl No matter what he writes， Houellebecq generates controversy， and each of his books seem to be something else that leaves the impression on most readers。 And it really is something else。。 How could I classify his book ？ Apparently， as one of sexual frustrations， but it would be incompletely said， because this is just the visible part， created by what we see and read。 If， however， we have the skills to " ignore" the strong imprint of obsessive sexuality， we can approach this book from several angles。 The novel wants to be the portrait of a certain disenchanted male generation， in search of new benchmarks， which knows the consecration。 The themes Houellebecq approach are， though， far from innovative and even less popular。 The controversial dimension will undoubtedly have played a role。 The author does not hesitate to approach certain taboo subjects， with a lucidité， cynicism and a disarming lightness， masturbations， ejaculations - succeed in a dizzying cadence。 Houellebecq perfectly reproduce the atmosphere of existential misery from which his two anti-heroes suffer， and his sardonic humor does not help his disastrous picture of the modern male condition。 Over the pages， his paradoxical and conflicting vision of the woman he admires and hates for the sexual frustrations she makes him endure - is often revealed， but on the other hand ， he does not hesitate to condemn feminism， on every occasion， and at the same time， " à world of women would be infinitely superior in all respects "。 An abundant novel， its relatively banal topic is ultimately only a pretext to dig deep into a multitude of subjects， mainly religion and sexuality， and their connection， but also love， seduction， loneliness， the market value of bodies， （ the cult of youth and physical beauty ） - and the inequalities it causes， family relations， filiation， the " laws of attraction " ， or even determinism。 The novel thus ends on a register of anticipation （ à little naive， for me ） : " Humanity had to disappear。 Humanity had to give birth to a new species， asexual， and immortal， having gone beyond individuality， separation and becoming "。 。。。more
Sonny Spek
，
Een belangrijk boek als je het oeuvre van Houellebecq en literaire kritiek op ongelimiteerd vrijheidsdenken tot je wil nemen。 'Willen we onsterfelijk， gelukzalig en belachelijk zijn of toch maar liever sterfelijk， vaak ongelukkig en heel soms groots？' Een belangrijk boek als je het oeuvre van Houellebecq en literaire kritiek op ongelimiteerd vrijheidsdenken tot je wil nemen。 'Willen we onsterfelijk， gelukzalig en belachelijk zijn of toch maar liever sterfelijk， vaak ongelukkig en heel soms groots？' 。。。more
Jerzy Baranowski
，
Bardzo mi się podobało。 To nie jest lekka lektura， ale też tak， której nie chce się przestać czytać。 Skandalizujące？ Oczywiście。 Ale jest w tym coś co ze mną rezonuje。 To jest książka o kryzysie 40 latków， i może przez to że się zbliżam do tego wieku jestem odpowiednim czytelnikiem。 Na pewno pozwala inaczej spojrzeć na konsumpcjonizm。 Polecam。
Peter
，
een uitdaging De reden waarom ik pas nu een boek van Michel Houellebecq ben beginnen te lezen heeft veel te maken met het feit dat hij beschouwd wordt als het 'enfant terrible' van de Franse literatuur。 In mijn ervaring is zo'n label meestal geen garantie voor een goede schrijver， integendeel zelfs。 （zie maar Herman Brusselmans in Vlaanderen）。Maar ik moet de schrijver ook het voordeel van de twijfel geven en ik ben tenslotte blij dat ik dat gedaan heb。 Betekent dit dat ik het een goede roman vo een uitdaging De reden waarom ik pas nu een boek van Michel Houellebecq ben beginnen te lezen heeft veel te maken met het feit dat hij beschouwd wordt als het 'enfant terrible' van de Franse literatuur。 In mijn ervaring is zo'n label meestal geen garantie voor een goede schrijver， integendeel zelfs。 （zie maar Herman Brusselmans in Vlaanderen）。Maar ik moet de schrijver ook het voordeel van de twijfel geven en ik ben tenslotte blij dat ik dat gedaan heb。 Betekent dit dat ik het een goede roman vond？ Niet echt。 Toegegeven， ik heb veel sympathie voor de pessimistische filosofie waarvan dit werk doordrongen。 Je vindt er gemakkelijk het gedachtengoed van Schopenhauer en depressieve realisten zoals Benatar of Ligotti terug。 Daar hou ik wel van。 De zinloosheid van het leven van de twee broers， Bruno en Michel， druipt van het boek。 Zelfs Michel's passie voor de wetenschap， waaraan hij overigens een belangrijk bijdrage levert， blijkt meer een verhulling van zijn sociale angsten te zijn dan een echte passie。Wat me echter wel bijzonder stoorde zijn de ontelbare masturbatie en groepssex scenes。 Vandaar vermoedelijk het "enfant terrible"。 Hij overdrijft echter schromelijk met deze vrij vulgaire scenes en dat doet voor mij aanzienlijk afbraak aan de kracht van deze roman。 。。。more
Nikola Jovic
，
Jedna o prvih stvari sa kojim se čitalac susreće prilikom početka čitanja romana definitivno su predrasude， bilo da su predrasude o političko-korektnim konvencijama， predrasudama samog pisca ili naše predrasude o piscu， koje će se konstantno preplitati i odupirati nekom krajnjem ukalupljivanju do samog kraja。 U roman isprva ostavlja utisak gledanja propasti zapada u usporenom snimku kroz praćenje životnih okolnosti dva polubrata， Mišela i Bruna， od njihovog neposrednog rođenja， adolescencije pa Jedna o prvih stvari sa kojim se čitalac susreće prilikom početka čitanja romana definitivno su predrasude， bilo da su predrasude o političko-korektnim konvencijama， predrasudama samog pisca ili naše predrasude o piscu， koje će se konstantno preplitati i odupirati nekom krajnjem ukalupljivanju do samog kraja。 U roman isprva ostavlja utisak gledanja propasti zapada u usporenom snimku kroz praćenje životnih okolnosti dva polubrata， Mišela i Bruna， od njihovog neposrednog rođenja， adolescencije pa do same pozne dobi。 Bruno je seksualno isfrustrirani pisac i profesor književnosti， koji u isto vreme mrzi sve u vezi sa hipi kulturom kojoj su pripadali njegovi roditelj， ali toj kulturi istovremeno stalno i robuje， bivajući na njenim marginama u nadi da će uspeti da zadovolji svoje seksualne frustracije。 Mišel je s druge strane ambiciozni i nadareni biolog pri institutu。 Mišel je maltene bezživota， on nema frustracije kakvih ima Bruno， i njegovi su odnosi sa ženama i ljudima najčešće hladni i bez zadovoljstva， dok je Bunov doživljaj sveta u izobilju zadovoljstava， ali im robuje jer nije u stanju da ih zadovolji。 Ono šta sa odmicanjem romana postaje očigledno da se ne radi toliko o propasti same zapadne civilizacije sa nastupanjem ciničnog doba i krahom 68-osmaških pokreta i hipi komuna， koliko o propasti kompletne duhovne baštine zapada na kojima se zapad temeljio uopšte， i kojim je zapadno društvo sebi davalo smisao uopšte。。。 roman se ispostavlja manje kritikom zapada i ispostavlja se kao inauguracija post-humanizma， gde maltene svi događaji bivaju svedeni， a životi ljudi koje smo pratili tokom čitavog romana bivaju potpuno apstrahovani i svedeni na svega par usputnih opisa i maltene se ispotave kao fusnota za priču o potpuno drugom liku， naučnog popluariztora neke budućnosti i vremena koje je prevazišlo pojmove humanizma， ljudskisti i ostalih sličnih pojmova koje je zapad baštinio kroz svoju tradiciju。 Radnja je podeljena na Prolog， tri odvojena dela， i Epilog。。。 gde su prva dva dela， struktuirani na neki način kao jedna petlja životnih procesa otkrića i razočarenja， koji pred kraj oba poglavlja kulminiraju tragičnim događajem。。。 kao što imamo udvojenost Mišela i Bruna， na sličan način imamo udvojenost prva dva dela romana， dok u trećem delu， kao da sa poslednjim tragičnim događajem u životima braće， pisac pokušava da potpuno obesmisli svaki od mehanizama nošenja sa patnjom koje je demonstrirao u prethodna dva poglavlja romana， pa na primer ukoliko je dobar deo drugog dela pokazivao neku nadu za novim početkom u srednjoj dobi， Mišel koji i sam iznova započinje vezu sa svojom devojkom iz detinjstva， zaključuje da svakoga ko u tim godina misli da najbolje tek dolazi: treba ubogaljiti， ili su oni koji u najvećim tragedijama traže tračak vedrine i povod za smeh， su u grdnoj zabljudi。。。 polako deo po deo rušeći svaki tračak nade i svetla koji bi čitalac video kao mogućom strategijom da se nihilizam zapada prevaziđe。 On ne vidi nadu u prevazilaženju tog nihilizma， vidi samo njegovo eskaliranje do tačke kada ćemo prevazići potebu za humanističkim opštim mestima što vodi ka samom epilogu gde pisac čini jedan preokret od 180 stepeni u odnosu na tok romana koji mu prethodi， pretvarajući ga iz romana o propadanju jedne porodice， kalup koji se postavio kao kliše zapadne književnosti， da bi između redova podvaljivao esejističku kritiku zapda， a onda u epilogu to okrenuo u biografki prikaz osobe koju je uveo na samom kraju romana a koja je popularizator Mišelovih naučnih ideja。 U tom smislu se konstatno igrajući sa našim predrasudama i pretpostavkama koje imamo i o njemu kao piscu i prema tome šta bi roman trebalo da predstavlja。 Stalno nam nabacuje te predrasude na koje se ili upecamo ili ne， čas će u negativnom svetlu pričati ili o religiji， meditaciji， feminizmu i gejevima， a onda uzeti i stotinu stranica kasnije ponuditi potpuno oprečno stanovište， pružajući otpor u nekom političkom ili ideološkom svođenju i stvarajući neku vrstu konfuzije。 Kao što će Niče tvrditi da usled opterećenosti i prezasićenosti istorijom， koja poslednjeg čoveka， za kojeg se sve već odigralo i dogodilo， dovodi do ciničnog i distanciranog odnosa spram života， pacifizujući ga u potpunosti。 Sličan sentiment imamo i kod Uelbeka， samo njegov cinizam nija samo pacifizujuć usled toga da je sve predeterminisano， unapred zapisano i dogođeno， već i usled krajne konfuzije tih stvari koje su unapred zapisane。 Taj pojam udvojenosti prožima celo delo， od Bruna i Mišela koji kao da predstvaljaju dva različita modusa samog pisca， ali u istovreme su kao i refleksija braće Haksli， koji su jedna od ključnih referenci u samom delu。 Tu je i aporetičnost krejnjeg determinizma na makro nivou， oličeno Ajnštajnovim teorijama specijalne i generalne relativnosti， i potpune spontanosti na mikro nivou， oličenom u Kopenhaškoj školi i Nils Boru。 I generalno antinomičnost između odnosa sa religijom i slobodom。 Sve je ovde u nerazrešivim napetostima， kojima se ne nude nužno rešenja koliko se nabacuju polu rešenja u vidu dugih monoloških ekskursa na piscu zanimljive teme， koji se na kraju pre ispostave kao mamci za pecanje predrasuda u samom čitaocu。 ALi verovatno najveća napetost u samom romanu je između besa i nežnosti; i animalnosti i ljudskosti。 U toj napetosti između aniamlnosti i ljudskosti možda se najbolje može videti gde je Uelbekova pristrasnosti kojem trenutku， jer je govor o ljudima najvećim delom govor o predeterminisanim životinjama， osim kada u pojedinim delovima govori o ženama koje se jedine kvalifikuju za ljudska bića u njegovom govoru， dok ih u isto vreme objektifikuje jezikom koji je natopljen najmasnijim seksualnim konotacijama。 Kao način humanizovanja ili otuđivanja koristi čak i upotrebu ličnih imena， pa što se više otuđujemo od glavnih likova， to im se ređe koristi prvo ime a sve češće bivaju oslovljeni samo prezimenom。 Iako na momente vrlo efektno i upečatljivo， upravo takav jedan stilski pristup umetanja neke esejistike u svoju prozu， najčešće dovodi do postavljanja uzroka nekih fenomena u grubim crtama， povlačeći uzročno-posledične niti do te mere opšte da su na mestima simplifikacije možda čak i preterane。 Referiranje na različite figure iz istorije filozofije i sociologije， u nekim je slučajevima nespretno， u slučaju Ogista Konta to je uspelije， ali primeri sa Kantom i Ničeom ne baš u najboljoj meri， i verovatno bi bolje poentirao bez ikakvog referisanja， već direktnim iznošenjem poruke koju želi da poruči。 Problem je u tome što prečesto poenta nije toliko u prenosu poruke， kojiko u genezi ideja koje su uzidane u kanon zapada， koje Uelgbek pokušava da razobliči， što onda pažnju pre usmerava na teorijska sitničarenja koja ne bi trebalo da odvlače od prenosa poruke i emocije。 Pojedini ekskursi o eufemizmima politiko korektne post hipi zapadne kulture， iako jesu interesantni， u svetlu samog kraja romana koji cilja na prevazilaženje same ljudskosti， samim tim čini da većina tih ekskursa deluju kao usputni rentovi bez kojih se i moglo。 Često je pun fraza koje bi stilski trebalo da budu ubedljive， ali same pos ebi ne komuniciraju smisaono mnogo， na priemr: od tog trenutka za nju ništa neće biti drugačije。 Iako u ovom konkretnom priemeru imamo opet ilustraciju upisivanja kraja u početak， izvesnog determinizma， roman je prepun sličnim frazama koje nemaju tematsko opravdanje čak da se čak i postupci koji imaju stilsko opravdanje， mogu dovesti pod znak pitanja。 Na kraju krajeva， u mnogim kritikama i zamerki koej sami likovi imaju na račun hipi kulture， u mnogim trenucima čini se da ono šta identifikuju kao problem je nužno samo simptom većeg strukturalnog i političkog problema， kojim se Uelbek ne bavi jer ostaje isključivo na nivou diskursa kulture i nauke， ali čak i utim momentima u svojim je predrasudama dovoljno iskren da ode do samih granica， pa samim tim tačno i ocrta konture i granice iza kojih ne odlazi。 Iako uzimajući u obzir sve svoje mane i pozitivne strane， Elementarne čestice deluje kao roman koji pokušava da zagrize mnogo više materijala nego što je u stanju da sažvaće， ta njegova samouverenost i preambicioznost， čak i kada se ispostavlja da ispaljuje ćorke， ispadaju kao njegovi najbolji aduti。 。。。more
Peťo
，
A word 'masochism' comes to my mind when I think about this book。 And in a good way - the bleakness hits you hard but the writing is stellar。In contrary to the popular opinion I don't think that this is book w/ just a high shock value。 The story contains a vast amount of hard-pill-to-swallow observations - sometimes hidden， other time explicitly stated。 You may not like the nihilistic tone or story in general， but it would be wrong to categorize this as pretentious or irrelevant。 A word 'masochism' comes to my mind when I think about this book。 And in a good way - the bleakness hits you hard but the writing is stellar。In contrary to the popular opinion I don't think that this is book w/ just a high shock value。 The story contains a vast amount of hard-pill-to-swallow observations - sometimes hidden， other time explicitly stated。 You may not like the nihilistic tone or story in general， but it would be wrong to categorize this as pretentious or irrelevant。 。。。more
Byron Zambrano
，
Omg
Lucy
，
This book was lent to me by a friend and I decided to give it a go at the beginning of the month。 In all honesty it has been a tough and slow read for me。 Originally published in the authors native French， this is a translation of the fictional story of 2 half-brothers whose parents were absent。 One is a molecular biologist who does not feel love and is portrayed as being asexual。 The other is a teacher who is sexually frustrated and some might consider to be a sexual deviant。 Their stories are This book was lent to me by a friend and I decided to give it a go at the beginning of the month。 In all honesty it has been a tough and slow read for me。 Originally published in the authors native French， this is a translation of the fictional story of 2 half-brothers whose parents were absent。 One is a molecular biologist who does not feel love and is portrayed as being asexual。 The other is a teacher who is sexually frustrated and some might consider to be a sexual deviant。 Their stories are equally depressing and sad and although at the end they are both not unhappy， it all left me feeling quite low and unsatisfied with the book。 There's lot of philosophical musing throughout the book which I imagine must come - at least in part - from the author's own opinions。 I wondered how much of this book is semi-autobiographical masked as fiction after googling the author （who I must add seems to be quite an unpleasant man）。 I think the authors aim is a takedown of the societal norms that he himself dislikes or looks down on。 For the most part， I think this is a book that is trying to be much more intellectual than it really is。 Some sections were well written and interesting， but I think the author could have written an essay that conveyed his message better than the story woven around the message here。 Maybe this is worth a re-read in the future to see if I think differently， but I think this book is probably just not my cup of tea！ 。。。more
Voro
，
Tras leer Particulas elementales y La Plataforma llego a la conclusión de estar frente a un autor especializado en personajes fracasados en sus vidas， obsesionados con el sexo hasta el punto de producir un cierto hartazgo en el lector。
Jan Wicher Emmens
，
Eerste werk dat ik van hem lees; cinq balles！
Simon Young
，