Houellebecq and Lévy in Public Enemies: A Literary Correspondence

In a rare joint interview with art press, Michel Houellebecq and Bernard-Henri Lévy discuss their book 'Ennemis publics' (Public Enemies), a published correspondence between the two writers. The interview, conducted after their appearance on Daniel Picouly's show Le Café littéraire on France 2 on October 10, 2008, explores themes of religion, literature, and their shared experience of public hostility. Houellebecq reveals his past attempt at conversion to Catholicism and his admiration for Pascal, while Lévy discusses his Judaism without God and the three 'crimes' of his early books: 'La Barbarie à visage humain', 'Le Testament de Dieu', and 'L'Idéologie française'. They reflect on the phenomenon of the 'meute' (pack) that attacks them, with Lévy noting that anti-Semitism now primarily comes from the left. The interview also touches on their fathers, their literary tastes (both admire Baudelaire), and their views on biography and autobiography. Lévy mentions his nightly journal, which he intends to destroy, and they make a pact to delete drafts of their letters. The conversation was published in art press in December 2008.