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Les Particules élémentaires (The Elementary Particles) is a novel by the French author Michel Houellebecq, published in France in 1998. It tells the story of two half-brothers, Michel and Bruno, and their mental struggles against their situations in modern society. It was translated in English by Frank Wynne as Atomised (Heinemann,UK)/ The Elementary Particles (Knopf, US) and won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for writer and translator.

Plot summary

Despite the essentially elaborate scope of the plot (i.e. the eventual emergence of cloning as a replacement for the sexual reproduction of the human race), the narrative focuses almost exclusively on the bleak and unrewarding day to day lives of the protagonists.

Setting and narrative

The story unfolds as a sort of framed narrative, so despite the events described therein having taken place mostly in 1999, the story is essentially set some 50 or so years in the future. A similar device was used by Kurt Vonnegut in the novel Galápagos, however unlike Vonnegut, Houellebecq only reveals the frame to the reader in the epilogue. Large sections of the story are presented in the form of suppertime storytelling dialogues between Michel, his childhood sweetheart Annabelle, Bruno, and Bruno's post-divorce girlfriend Christiane.

Characters

The story really focuses on the lives of Bruno Clément and Michel Djerzinski, two French half brothers born of a hippie type mother. Michel is raised by his maternal grandmother and becomes an introverted molecular biologist who is ultimately responsible for the discoveries which lead to the elimination of sexual reproduction. Bruno's upbringing is much more tragic as described: shuffled and forgotten from one abusive boarding school to another, he eventually finds himself in a loveless marriage and teaching at a lycée. Bruno grows into a lecherous and insatiable sex addict whose dalliances with prostitutes and sex chat on Minitel do nothing to satisfy him, to the point where he finds himself on disability leave from his job and in a mental hospital after a failed attempt at seducing one of his students.

Reception and recognition

The novel's publication caused quite a stir in French literary circles, and it sold hundreds of thousands of copies and vaulted Houellebecq into the French intellectual and literary spotlight during the summer and autumn of 1998. The vivid, almost pornographic sexual descriptions were a frequent target of criticism, and Houellebecq himself attracted both scorn and praise for his erratic proclamations and behaviour on television interviews and the like. The author was eventually awarded the Prix novembre in recognition of the novel.

Film

A film version was premiered in the 2006 Berlin Film Festival and won the Silver Bear award. The German film Elementarteilchen was directed by Oskar Roehler, and had reportedly been sold to distributors in 23 countries within days of its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. The cast includes Moritz Bleibtreu (Bruno), Christian Ulmen (Michael), Franka Potente (Annabelle), and Martina Gedeck (Christiane).

External links

• IMDB page of the movie (Elementarteilchen)
• The prophets of pessimism, Josie Appleton, Spiked, August 3 2006