literary material for his novels; for instance, the description of a police officer is taken from the official web site of the Ministry of the Interior and the text of a touristic leaflet is used for the humorous description of the Carpe Diem hotel. Reaction after Goncourt award Houellebecq had already been a contender for the Goncourt on two previous occasions. It was the first time since 1980 that the award had gone to a novel published by Flammarion. Houellebecq commented right after the award that "it is a strange feeling, but I am deeply happy" (C'est une sensation bizarre mais je suis profondément heureux). Editions See also 2010 in literature Contemporary French literature References 2010 French novels Novels by Michel Houellebecq Novels about artists Novels involved in plagiarism controversies Prix Goncourt winning works Novels set in Ireland Éditions Flammarion books