Serotonin

Name: Serotonin
ISBN: 9787532787746

米歇尔·维勒贝克 / 金龙格Shanghai Translation Publishing House · ChinaJul 2022

4.2

Word count: 157K words
Chapters: 3
ISBN: 9787532787746

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Summary

Depression, the plague of modern society. I, 46, a senior agricultural consultant devoted to supporting French domestic agriculture, earn a high salary with generous benefits and have an enviable Japanese girlfriend. I have no reason to be depressed, yet I know my life is falling apart. My girlfriend does not love me; my work is meaningless. For over forty years I have dutifully followed middle-class rules, only to find everything absurd and laughable. Happiness was once within reach, yet I still ruined it beyond repair. So I vanish, setting out on a journey in search of myself.

This is a story of one man against depression, one man against social disintegration—sadness against sadness, decadence mocking decadence.

Editor's review

Michel Houellebecq's Serotonin is a sharp and painful diagnosis of the contemporary psyche. Narrated in the first person, it depicts the inner monologue and collapsing life of Florent-Claude Labrouste, a former agricultural engineer under the influence of an antidepressant (a serotonin reuptake inhibitor). With his signature cold, unsparing touch, Houellebecq dissects individual loneliness in modern society, the commodification of sexual relations, the destruction of traditional life by the globalized agricultural economy, and the spiritual emptiness of the European middle class. This is not merely a story about depression but a biting critique of liberal economic logic and the proliferation of identity politics. The author tightly interweaves personal pathology with social pathology, making the protagonist's breakdown a metaphor for the ailments of an entire era. The depiction of rural France's decline is especially striking, filled with an elegiac anger. Houellebecq's language is precise as a scalpel while emotionally maintaining a detached despair; this tension makes the reading experience both painful and intellectually challenging. The work continues and deepens themes from The Elementary Particles and The Map and the Territory, making it a heavy and important work in his career—unsuitable for readers seeking light consolation, but offering a profound literary experience to those willing to face the dark side of modernity.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers with a strong interest in contemporary social critique and existentialist themes
Scholars or enthusiasts of contemporary French literature and Houellebecq's work
Thinkers concerned with mental health, modern alienation, and the dilemmas of post-industrial society
Mature readers able to accept a cold, blunt, even offensive style

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light entertainment or emotional comfort
Readers uncomfortable with explicit sexual descriptions and social pessimism

Reading tips

Read when in a stable mood; the pervasive despair may affect your emotions.
Read in comparison with Houellebecq's other works (such as Submission) to understand the trajectory of his thought.
Pay attention to the depictions of agriculture, bureaucracy, and other social institutions—these are key clues to understanding his critical dimension.

About the publisher

Shanghai Translation Publishing House China · Founded in 1978

Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.

版权信息
译本序所有的一切一片荒芜
血清素

FAQ

What is the theme of Serotonin?

The novel's core themes are the mental breakdown of the modern individual and the systemic decline of society. Through the protagonist's depression, it explores how liberal capitalism, identity politics, and agricultural industrialization destroy human emotional bonds and the meaning of life—a pathological dissection of contemporary Western civilization.

What is Houellebecq's writing style like?

Houellebecq's style is known for being cold, blunt, full of irony and philosophical speculation. He excels at describing emotional alienation and social phenomena with almost clinical detail; his language is precise and devoid of warmth, creating a distinctive sense of detachment and despair.

How does this book relate to the author's previous works?

Serotonin continues Houellebecq's enduring concerns with sex, death, social decline, and existential void. It can be seen as a deepening and summation of the ideas in his "contemporary predicament trilogy" (along with The Elementary Particles and The Map and the Territory), especially its sharper attack on the consequences of economic globalization.

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About the author

米歇尔·维勒贝克 Author

Michel Houellebecq is a French writer, often classified under foreign literature. The library currently holds two of his works, The Elementary Particles and Serotonin. Due to limited public information, details such as birth and death years, specific experiences, and awards are not included here. Judging from these two works, his writing tends to center on the individual's situation in contemporary Western society, touching on themes such as emotional alienation, desire, loneliness, and the weariness of the age. His narratives often combine cool, sharp observation with critical scrutiny of social reality. His works have exerted a certain influence in contemporary French literature and among a broader readership, and they frequently provoke discussion because of their subjects and viewpoints. The two works mentioned above can offer Chinese readers a reference for understanding his creative profile.

金龙格 Author

Public information about Jin Longge is limited. Judging from the four works held in the collection, he is a translator focusing on foreign literature. His translations include The Cafe of Youth (Nobel Laureates Library Edition), The Man Who Had Never Seen the Sea, Serotonin, and The Eden Cinema. These works are mostly classified as foreign literature and classics, indicating that he has long been engaged in translating overseas fiction into Chinese. The titles point to different narrative styles: writing about urban life and youthful experience, stories set against the sea and distant places, expressions concerning the spiritual state of contemporary people, and works related to cinema and image experience. The available materials do not reveal his nationality, dates of birth and death, or educational background, nor can they establish the specific languages or source texts behind his translations. What can be confirmed is that through these translations he has helped open a channel for Chinese readers to encounter foreign literature, presenting works of different subjects in a Chinese context and providing Chinese texts for their dissemination.