Platform (novel)

Platform
Cover of the U.S. paperback release of the novel.
Original titlePlateforme
LanguageFrench
Publication date
2001

Platform (French: Plateforme) is a 2001 novel by French writer Michel Houellebecq (translated into English by Frank Wynne). It has received both great praise and great criticism, most notably for the novel's apparent condoning of sex tourism and Islamophobia. After describing Islam as "the most stupid religion" in a published interview about the book, Houellebecq was charged for inciting racial and religious hatred but the charges were ultimately dismissed, as it has been ruled that the right to free speech encompasses the right to criticize religions.[1]

The novel and its author have been deemed "prophetic" or "prescient", as the last part depicts an Islamic terrorist attack which bears strong similarities with the bombings in Bali in October 2002, about a year later (and the novel was published on 27 August 2001, a few days before the 11 September 2001 attacks).[2] A similar coincidence, involving Houellebecq, Islam and terrorism, would occur 13 years later, when his novel Submission, dealing with Islam again (although in a more nuanced and less confrontational way), was published on 7 January 2015, the day of the Charlie Hebdo shooting.[3]

A play in Spanish based on the book, adapted and directed by Calixto Bieito, premiered at the 2006 Edinburgh International Festival.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference guardian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Maslin, Janet (21 July 2003). "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Tourism, Sex and a Generous Dose of Contempt". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Houellebecq's 'Submission': Islam and France's Malaise | World Affairs Journal". www.worldaffairsjournal.org. 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)