{"product_id":"whatever-paperback","title":"Whatever - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichel Houellebecq\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003ePaul Hammond\u003c\/b\u003e (Translator), \u003cb\u003eToby Litt\u003c\/b\u003e (Introduction by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJust thirty, with a well-paid job, no love life and a terrible attitude, the anti-hero of this grim, funny novel smokes four packs of cigarettes a day and writes weird animal stories in his spare time. A computer programmer by day, he is tolerably content, until he's packed off with a colleague - the sexually-frustrated Raphael Tisserand - to train provincial civil servants in the use of a new computer system\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Houellebecq's first novel was a smash hit in France, expressing the misanthropic voice of a generation. Like \u003cem\u003eA Confederacy of Dunces\u003c\/em\u003e, Houellebecq's bitter, sarcastic and exasperated narrator vociferously expresses his frustration and disgust with the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eNovelist and poet Michel Houellebecq was born in 1958, on the French island of Reunion. At the age of six, Michel was given over to the care of his paternal grandmother, a communist, whose family name he later adopted. His literary career began when, at twenty, he started to move in poetic circles in France. \u003ci\u003eWhatever\u003c\/i\u003e, Houellebecq's first novel, has been translated into several languages. Houellebecq's second collection of poems, \u003ci\u003eLe sens du combat\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eThe Meaning of the Fight\u003c\/i\u003e), obtained the Prix Flore in 1996. In 1998, he received the prestigious Grand Prix National des Lettres Jeunes Talents for his literary work. He has also won the Prix Novembre (for \u003ci\u003eThe Elementary Particles \u003c\/i\u003e). His first album, \u003ci\u003ePresence humaine\u003c\/i\u003e, was released in 2000. He currently lives in Ireland.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.5 x 7.7 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 28, 2011\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42692995809343,"sku":"9781846687846","price":17.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/525d34a78ef8557a94cad94c96a7c2e5.webp?v=1764997361","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/whatever-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}