Michel Houellebecq

His 2001 novel Platform drew significant controversy for its critiques of Islam and its depiction of sex tourism, and Houellebecq was taken to court for inciting racial hatred, though he was acquitted. His 2015 novel Submission, which imagines an Islamic party winning the French presidency, also generated intense debate and was published on the day of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

Yes, Houellebecq won the Prix Goncourt in 2010 for The Map and the Territory (La Carte et le Territoire), which satirizes the contemporary art world through a successful painter. The Prix Goncourt is France's most prestigious literary prize.

Atomised (Les Particules élémentaires), published in 1998, follows two half-brothers—Bruno, a sexually frustrated teacher, and Michel, a reclusive molecular biologist—whose lives reflect the spiritual emptiness of post-1960s French society. The novel became an international bestseller and established Houellebecq as a major literary provocateur.

Born Michel Thomas in 1956 on the island of Réunion, he adopted the pen name Houellebecq from his paternal grandmother's maiden name. He took the name early in his writing career, and his grandmother had played an important role in raising him.