Michel Houellebecq interview

In Paris review, Susannah Hunnewel interviews Michel Houellebecq, France's most famous living writer.

Q:What do you think is the appeal of your work, in spite of its brutality?

A:There are too many answers. The first is that it’s well written. Another is that you sense obscurely that it’s the truth. Then there’s a third one, which is my favorite: because it’s intense. There is a need for intensity. From time to time, you have to forsake harmony. You even have to forsake truth. You have to, when you need to, energetically embrace excessive things. Now I sound like Saint Paul.