For Houellebecq, it is easier to understand evil than good. “And so what if they call me a fascist?”

Michel Houellebecq enters the room wearing his house coat, a denim shirt and black ankle boots: he is dressed like Houellebecq, that man who seems to care little about anything, and yet. “Anyone who doesn’t share the values of their own time is seen as a nihilist, and I don’t have much faith in progress, nor in health. Generally speaking, I don’t share the values that surround us. I once said, half-jokingly, that the moment you light a cigarette, they already consider you a nihilist. And this is becoming increasingly true.” So said Houellebecq to the Spanish newspapers El País and ABC.

“The French are starting to get used to violence. For several years now, whenever there’s an event that brings large numbers of people onto the streets – whether it’s a demonstration, a national holiday or a football final – there’s looting. Always. Every single time. That’s why I wasn’t particularly shocked by what happened. It’s sad to say, but we French have become accustomed to violence. People are less and less afraid of being arrested. It’s not because of discontent; it’s because they’re no longer afraid of the police. Nor of the justice system, above all.”

They call him far-right. “It’s quite exhausting being called a fascist writer, but one ends up resigning oneself to it.” He speaks of the return of Christianity. “It’s a strange thing, a phenomenon I really don’t know how to explain. It’s something surprising that’s been happening in recent years – this phenomenon, this spiritual reawakening. It’s possible they’re following the example of Muslims.”

He discusses death. “I’ve always doubted the fear of death. I’ve never experienced it. I’ve seen people die and I haven’t seen them being afraid. It’s easier to understand evil than good. Even altruism is mysterious. I believe that no one has ever managed to explain it. No one.” He is currently working on a new project. “Yes. But even Marguerite Duras didn’t like to talk about what she was writing; she said it sapped her strength to write. Writing has to do with solitude.”