These authors have a lot that separates them and a lot that unites them. Michel Houellebecq achieved everything on his own. He is reclusive and taciturn, speaks enthusiastically about Russia and loves to visit it here. His philosophical and fantastic novels—"Atomized," "Platform," and "The Possibility of an Island"—are filled with hopeless pessimism and shockingly candid scenes.
Bernard-Henri Lévy, a publicist, philosopher, and writer—comes from a wealthy family and loves to dazzle with eloquence. He harshly criticizes Russia for totalitarianism and for Chechnya. In the French press they simply call him BHL (which speaks to his cult status), and yet they attack him on any pretext—just like they do Houellebecq.
The heated dispute between these two so different "enemies of society" is a clear confirmation: extremes converge.