French author Michel Houellebecq has stopped promoting his book after the attack at Charlie Hebdo’s office.
His controversial book was being promoted on the cover of the magazine the day of the massacre. After losing friends in the attack, Houellebecq’s agent confirmed that the author has left Paris to mourn.
The Guardian has the scoop:
Houellebecq’s topical new novel Soumission (Submission), which imagines France being ruled by a radical Muslim president after France and Europe“submit” to Islam, came out on Wednesday. His publisher’s offices were evacuated shortly after the shootings at Charlie Hebdo and placed under police protection amid fears that France’s enfant terrible may be on a terrorist hitlist. Houellebecq has in the past described Islam as the “stupidest” religion.