La Carte et le territoire
Encyclopedia
The Map and the Territory is a novel by French author Michel Houellebecq
. The narrative revolves around a successful artist, and involves a fictional murder of Houellebecq. It was published on 4 September 2010 by Flammarion
and received the Prix Goncourt
, the most prestigious French literary prize, in 2010. The title was inspired by an Alfred Korzybski
quote, "The map is not the territory".
The Map and the Territory is Michel Houellebecq's fifth novel. It was published five years after his prior novel, The Possibility of an Island
. The Map and the Territory was among the most eagerly awaited and discussed novels of the 2010 literary season in France. The first printing was for copies, as announced by the publisher.
The Map and the Territory received the Prix Goncourt
on 8 November 2010 on the first ballot with seven votes against two for Apocalypse bébé by Virginie Despentes
.
in order to ask him to write the text for the catalog of one of his exhibits, and offers to paint the writer's portrait.
A few months later Houellebecq is brutally murdered.
As a tongue-in-cheek gimmick, the novel also portrays a few celebrities from French literature and the French media, including Houellebecq himself, Frédéric Beigbeder
, Julien Lepers
, and Jean-Pierre Pernaut
.
of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia
without mentioning the source, therefore without complying with the Creative Commons
licence BY-SA. Flammarion, his publisher, has clarified the issue and noted that Houellebecq often uses existing texts from available documentation and web sites as raw literary material for his novels; for instance, the description of a police officer is taken from the official web site of the Ministry of the Interior
and the text of a touristic leaflet is used for the humorous description of the Carpe Diem hotel.
Michel Houellebecq
Michel Houellebecq , born Michel Thomas, 26 February 1958—or 1956 —on the French island of Réunion, is a controversial and award-winning French author, filmmaker and poet. To admirers he is a writer in the tradition of literary provocation that reaches back to the Marquis de Sade and Baudelaire;...
. The narrative revolves around a successful artist, and involves a fictional murder of Houellebecq. It was published on 4 September 2010 by Flammarion
Groupe Flammarion
Groupe Flammarion is the fourth largest publishing group in France, comprising many units, including its namesake, founded in 1876 by Ernest Flammarion, as well as units in distribution, sales, printing and bookshops . Flammarion became part of the Italian media conglomerate RCS MediaGroup in 2000...
and received the Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
, the most prestigious French literary prize, in 2010. The title was inspired by an Alfred Korzybski
Alfred Korzybski
Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski was a Polish-American philosopher and scientist. He is remembered for developing the theory of general semantics...
quote, "The map is not the territory".
The Map and the Territory is Michel Houellebecq's fifth novel. It was published five years after his prior novel, The Possibility of an Island
The Possibility of an Island
The Possibility of an Island is a 2005 novel by French novelist Michel Houellebecq, set within a cloning cult that resembles the real-world Raëlians.-Plot summary:There are three main characters, Daniel, and two of his clones....
. The Map and the Territory was among the most eagerly awaited and discussed novels of the 2010 literary season in France. The first printing was for copies, as announced by the publisher.
The Map and the Territory received the Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
on 8 November 2010 on the first ballot with seven votes against two for Apocalypse bébé by Virginie Despentes
Virginie Despentes
Virginie Despentes is a French writer, novelist and filmmaker.-Life:She settled in Lyon, where she worked multiple odd jobs; including maid, prostitute in "massage parlors" and peep shows, recorded store sales, and a freelance rock journalist and pornographic film critic.She moved to Paris.Her...
.
Synopsis
The novel tells the story of the life and art of Jed Martin, a fictional French artist who becomes famous by photographing Michelin maps and painting scenes about professional activities. His father is slowly entering old age. Jed falls for a beautiful Russian executive from Michelin but is unable to hang onto this relationship. He becomes extraordinarily successful and therefore suddenly rich. He meets Michel Houellebecq in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in order to ask him to write the text for the catalog of one of his exhibits, and offers to paint the writer's portrait.
A few months later Houellebecq is brutally murdered.
Themes
In a televised interview given after the Goncourt award, Houellebecq declared that the main themes of the novel were "aging, the relationship between father and son and the representation of reality through art".As a tongue-in-cheek gimmick, the novel also portrays a few celebrities from French literature and the French media, including Houellebecq himself, Frédéric Beigbeder
Frédéric Beigbeder
Frédéric Beigbeder is a French writer and literary critic. He won the Prix Interallié in 2003 for his novel Windows on the World and the Prix Renaudot in 2009 for his book Un roman français...
, Julien Lepers
Julien Lepers
Julien Lepers is the stage name of Ronan Lepers, a French television and radio host.He was born in Paris.He is known for hosting Questions pour un champion since 1988, the French version of Going for Gold.-Notes:...
, and Jean-Pierre Pernaut
Jean-Pierre Pernaut
Jean-Pierre Pernaut is a news reader and broadcaster on French television. He is widely known simply by his initials, JPP....
.
Accusations of plagiarism
The novel incorporates a few abstracts from the French editionFrench Wikipedia
The French Wikipedia is the French language edition of Wikipedia, spelt Wikipédia. This edition was started in March 2001, and has about articles as of , making it the third-largest Wikipedia overall, after the English-language and German-language editions...
of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
without mentioning the source, therefore without complying with the Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
licence BY-SA. Flammarion, his publisher, has clarified the issue and noted that Houellebecq often uses existing texts from available documentation and web sites as raw literary material for his novels; for instance, the description of a police officer is taken from the official web site of the Ministry of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
and the text of a touristic leaflet is used for the humorous description of the Carpe Diem hotel.