Overview

Having made his name with an exhibition of photographs of Michelin roadmaps - beautiful works that won praise from every corner of the art world - Jed Martin is now emerging from a ten-year hiatus. And he has had some good news. It has nothing to do with his broken boiler, the approach of another lamentably awkward annual Christmas dinner with his father or the memory of his doomed love affair with the beautiful Olga. It is that, for his new exhibition, he has secured the involvement of none other than the French novelist Michel Houellebecq. The great writer has agreed to write the text for the exhibition guide, for which he will be paid handsomely and also have his portrait painted by Jed. The exhibition - 'Professions', a series of portraits of ordinary and extraordinary people at work - brings Jed new levels of global fame. Yet his boiler is still broken, his ailing father flirts with oblivion and, worse still, he is contacted by one Inspector Jasselin, who requests his assistance in solving an unspeakable, atrocious and gruesome crime. Art, money, fathers, sons, death, love and the transformation of France into a tourist paradise come together to create a daringly playful and original twist on the contemporary novel from a modern master of the form.

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9780099554578

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Reviews

Impressive... Beguiling... He is a true original * Observer * This book, so beautifully written, so inspiriting for all its pessimism, is the new novel I have loved best this year. We have not his equal -- David Sexton * Spectator * A dark master of invention... From the very first paragraph of this brilliant novel, the reader can be in no doubt that they're in the blisteringly bleak, darkly inventive grand massif that is Houellebeqc land * Evening Standard * The outlaw of French letters returns with an acerbic riff on art and celebrity... witty, wildly erudite * The Times * A delicious exercise in satire and self-parody... His best ever * Daily Telegraph *

A delicious exercise in satire and self-parody... His best ever * Daily Telegraph * The outlaw of French letters returns with an acerbic riff on art and celebrity... witty, wildly erudite * The Times * A dark master of invention... From the very first paragraph of this brilliant novel, the reader can be in no doubt that they're in the blisteringly bleak, darkly inventive grand massif that is Houellebeqc land * Evening Standard * This book, so beautifully written, so inspiriting for all its pessimism, is the new novel I have loved best this year. We have not his equal -- David Sexton * Spectator * Impressive... Beguiling... He is a true original * Observer *

Virginia writes: Contrary to one reviewer's opinion Houellebecq's novel "The Map and the Territory"; is not a foray into pop crime fiction. This novel presents a wonderful parody of the art world beginning with a delightful image of Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst together in a portrait. It follows the portrait painter Jed to his meeting with the author 'Houellebecq' who represents the myth of the drunk, isolated, depressed auteur. The character of the author 'Houellebecq' is murdered. There is blood splatter likened to a Pollock, and while there is a lovely Christmassy contrast with the green sofa and the blood splatter, it is not a just murder, but theft of Jed's priceless painting of Houellebecq. Oh and Houellebecq's dog is beheaded. It's a blast. I hesitate to use absolutes at any time, superlatives must be redundant or at least have been robbed entirely of meaning by advertising and mass consumer culture, but this review is not about me - is it? I suspect that without Houellebecq there would be only dull dialogues, frown and lament around living authors. The Map and the Territory may be the only novel to successfully enter into literal and metaphorical and metaphysical dialogues with Roland Barthes essay from 1967 "Death of the Author", philosophy, art theory, myths of the author and genre. He also nods in passing to Heidegger and Adorno. The Map and the Territory engages in questions regarding representation in art and literature. A colleague amused me last week telling me that while reading her own review of a novel she wanted to reread it, now I find the same thing happening.

A delicious exercise in satire and self-parody... His best ever Daily Telegraph The outlaw of French letters returns with an acerbic riff on art and celebrity... witty, wildly erudite The Times A dark master of invention... From the very first paragraph of this brilliant novel, the reader can be in no doubt that they're in the blisteringly bleak, darkly inventive grand massif that is Houellebeqc land Evening Standard This book, so beautifully written, so inspiriting for all its pessimism, is the new novel I have loved best this year. We have not his equal -- David Sexton Spectator Impressive... Beguiling... He is a true original Observer

Author Information

Michel Houellebecq is a poet, essayist and novelist. He is the author of several novels including The Map and the Territory (winner of the Prix Goncourt), Atomised, Platform, Whatever and Submission. He was awarded the Legion d'Honneur in 2019.

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