MICHEL HOULLEBECQ

A worldwide phenomenon and the most important French novelist since Camus, Michel Houellebecq now delivers his magnum opus- a tale of our present circumstances told from the future, when humanity as we know it has vanished. Surprisingly poignant, philosophically compelling, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny, "The Possibility of an Island "is at once an indictment, an elegy, and a celebration of everything we have and are at risk of losing. It is a masterpiece from one of the world'' s most innovative writers.

Liebe ist unmöglich - Das Alter unausweichlich Daniel24 und Daniel25, emotionslose Neomenschen späterer Klongenerationen, blicken auf ihren genetischen Prototypen und damit auf unsere Gesellschaft zurück: Eine Gesellschaft, die alle Tabus gebrochen hat und unter vernichtender Angst vor dem Altwerden leidet. Doch auch der Neomensch findet in seiner individuellen Unabhängigkeit kein Glück. Marie23 und Daniel25 begeben sich schließlich auf die Suche nach der Möglichkeit einer Insel …

Realising that his New Year is probably going to be a disaster, as usual, our narrator, on impulse, walks into a travel agency to book a week in the sun. Sensitive to his limited means and dislike of Muslim countries, the travel agent suggests an island full of 21st century hedonism, set in a bizarre lunar landscape - Lanzarote. On Lanzarote, one can meet some fascinating human specimens, notably Pam and Barbara - ''non-exclusive'' German lesbians - who can give rise to some interesting combinations. Will they succeed in seducing Rudi, the police inspector from Luxembourg, currently living in exile in Brussels? Or will he join the ''Azraelian'' sect, as they prepare for humanity to be regenerated by extra-terrestrials? As for our narrator, will he consider his week''s holiday on the island a success?