Michel Houellebecq

Michel Houellebecq, the most iconic author of the contemporary Western world, was born in 1958 on the island of Réunion, a former French colony in the Indian Ocean. He grew up in France, raised by his paternal grandparents. He began his studies in agricultural engineering and started writing in 1978. Initially a poet and essayist, Houellebecq first published his poems in 1985. He entered the world of novels in 1994 and has since become globally renowned, with his books being printed in high volumes worldwide and receiving significant French and international awards. In 1991, he published the biography of H.P. Lovecraft, subtitled "Against the World, Against Life." He made his novel debut in 1994 with "Whatever," a novel that caused a sensation and was adapted into a film. His second novel, "Atomised," has been translated into more than 25 languages and was also made into a film. This book won two French awards in 1998 and brought the author international fame. His next work was "Lanzarote," a novella accompanied by an album of photographs taken by the author, followed by the novel "Platform." In June 1998, the French Minister of Culture awarded him the National Order of Merit for Literature. In 2002, Houellebecq was also honored with the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a significant Irish literary prize. A multifaceted talent, Michel Houellebecq is also involved in cinema and music. He retreated to Spain to write "The Possibility of an Island" (Interallié Prize 2005) after the legal battles and storm of reactions caused by his now-famous reference to Islam (in "Platform"). In 2002, he was also honored with the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and in 2010, his fifth novel, "The Map and the Territory," received the most prestigious French literary award, the Prix Goncourt. In 2019, he was awarded the highest distinction of the French Republic (Legion of Honour). All his books are available in Greek from Estia Publications. (Photo: Pierre Ferbos/Reuters)