Michel Houellebecq’s book to be published in U.S. by FSG

Michel Houellebecq’s “Soumission” (“Submission”) will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in the U.S., confirms Jeff Seroy, senior vice president, publicity and marketing. The recently-acquired book does not yet have an American publication date.

Houellebecq and his book were on the cover of the latest issue of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo. The magazine was attacked Wednesday by gunmen who killed 12 and reportedly shouted “God is great” to one another in Arabic.

In his novel “Soumission,” Houellebecq imagines France in 2022 with a Muslim president and a regressive culture. The book, officially published Wednesday, has already created a cultural stir and been accused of inciting Islamophobia.

Houellebecq denies that claim. “My book describes the destruction of the philosophy handed down by the Enlightenment,” Houellebecq told The Paris Review

Houellebecq is a high-profile provocateur. He has even been taken to court -- and won -- over charges of racism. After the shooting at Charlie Hebdo, a police guard was installed at Houellebecq’s French publisher Flammarion.

With the translation of “Soumission” pending, details of its American publication are still up in the air. Its title may be a direct translation (“Submission”) and it may not; it’s possible it will be published in 2016, although Farrar Straus and Giroux will not say for sure.

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