The death of God in the West was the prelude to a formidable metaphysical soap opera which, according to Michel Houellebecq, continues to this day.

Christianity's masterstroke was to combine a fierce belief in the individual with the promise of eternal participation in Absolute Being. When that dream failed, various attempts were made to offer the individual a minimum of being. The latest of these attempts is advertising, which aims to arouse desire and transform the subject into an obedient phantom of becoming. But like all previous attempts, this skin-deep, superficial participation in the world fails and unhappiness and depression continue to spread.

However, we can all produce a cold revolution in ourselves by stepping outside the flow of information and advertising. We just need to take some time out, unplug the television, turn off our iPhones, stop buying stuff, stop wanting to buy stuff, temporarily detach ourselves and adopt an aesthetic position in relation to the world. We literally just need to stay still for a few seconds.

In this collection of texts and interviews that stretch over three decades, from 1992 to 2020, Michel Houellebecq explains and elaborates his point of view, discusses his novels and addresses a wide range of topics from politics, religion and literature to suicide, euthanasia and paedophilia. An indispensable book for anyone interested in the work of one of the most widely read and controversial novelists of our time.