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Russell Williams

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Russell Williams

Associate Professor, Director of the Learning Commons and Director of Faculty Development

  • Department: Comparative Literature and English
  • Personal Website: 

Professor Williams came to 蜜桃导航 in 2013 after completing his doctoral studies at the University of London Institute in Paris and teaching at Universit茅 Paris-Est (Universit茅 Gustave Eiffel). His research focuses primarily on the contemporary novel and with his work, in particular, exploring the poetics, narrative technique and provocations of the French writer Michel Houellebecq. Professor Williams is also Director of the Learning Commons and Director of Faculty Development at 蜜桃导航. He was awarded the 蜜桃导航 Board of Trustees award for Innovation in Instructional Design at graduation in 2018 and 2020.听He shared the 2021 Distinguished Teaching Award with all of his Faculty colleagues and together with Dr Ruth Corran (Computer Science, Mathematics & Science) was awarded the 2022 Award for Innovation in Interdisciplinary Studies. In 2022 he was presented with the Undergraduate Student Council Faculty Recognition Award.

In addition to his ongoing work on Houellebecq and contemporary French writing, Professor Williams鈥� research concerns American and British literature of the same period, the cultural resonances between French and English language writing, and European detective fiction, particularly the work of听苍茅辞-辫辞濒补谤听writers Thierry Jonquet and Jean-Patrick Manchette. He has also published on the relationships between writing, extremity and intoxication and is increasingly interested in the complex relationships between writing, reading, teaching, thinking and technology. As well as literary fiction, Professor Williams is interested in contemporary cinema, TV series, visual art, French pop, experimental music and noise.

Professor Williams has, with Dr Carole Sweeney (Goldsmiths University London), co-edited a special issue of the scholarly journal听Modern and Contemporary France听on Michel Houellebecq. With Dr Anna-Louise Milne (University of London Institute in Paris), he听has co-edited听Contemporary Fiction in French,听collection of essays听examining contemporary writing in French for Cambridge University Press. His book on Houellebecq,听Pathos, poetry and politics in Michel Houellebecq's fiction听was published in 2019 with Rodopi/Brill. He has recently completed scholarly articles on Houellebecq and terrorism, Houellebecq's supposed 'plagiarism' and how the cultural logic of information management manifests in Houellebecq's literary style. Professor Williams is presently working on his next book, an interdisciplinary project tentatively titled听French Weird.

Professor Williams鈥� journalism and literary criticism regularly appears in publications including the听Times Literary Supplement, where he is Consultant Editor for French and Francophone literatures and contributes regularly to the podcast. He has written for听the听New Statesman, the听Los Angeles Review of Books听补苍诲听The Quietus. He also writes for his website, linked above, and tweets at @russwilliams_uk.



Education/Degrees

  • PhD, The University of London Institute in Paris
  • MA, The University of Manchester
  • BA, The University of Liverpool

Publications

Books

  • w/Anna-Louise Milne,听Contemporary Fiction in French听(Cambridge University Press, January 2021)
  • Pathos, poetry and politics in Michel Houellebecq's fiction, 'Faux Titre' (Leiden: Rodopi-Brill, 2019)
  • w/ Marcela Lacub and Herv茅 Le Bras, Fourier, Kafka, Houellebecq: trois th茅ories sur l'enfer conjugal (Paris: Descartes et Cie, February 2018)
  • w/ Eugene Brennan, Literature and Intoxication: Writing, Politics and the Experience of Excess (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015)
  • w/ Alastair Hemmens, Autour de l鈥檈xtr锚me litt茅raire (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012)

Peer-reviewed articles

  • 鈥樷�淒oing a Houellebecq鈥澨齣n the age of screens: trolling, selfies and textual bricolage鈥�,听Romance Studies, forthcoming 2022

  • 鈥楾he writer and the terrorist: on Michel Houellebecq鈥�, Textual Practice, 34:9, 2020, 1599-1622, DOI:听10.1080/0950236X.2020.1808302

  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq, Information Management and Our New Dark Age鈥�. French Cultural Studies, vol. 31, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 46鈥�58, doi:10.1177/0957155819893587
  • 'Uncomfortable proximity. Literary technique, authorial provocations and dog whistles in Michel Houellebecq鈥檚 fiction', Modern & Contemporary France, 2019, 27:1, 61-76, DOI: 10.1080/09639489.2018.1557128
  • 'Une po茅tique de la neutralit茅听: soumission, anomie et inertie dans la fiction de Michel Houellebecq', in听Rapha毛l Baroni & Samuel Estier听(eds),听Les "voix" de Michel Houellebecq, Actes du Colloque de l'Universit茅 de Lausanne 2016, Fabula, <>
  • 鈥樷��, in Jean Kaempfer and Andr茅 Vanoncini (eds.), Revue critique de fixxion fran莽aise contemporaine, No. 10
  • 鈥樎� La transgression ne m鈥檌nt茅resse pas, pour le dire brutalement听禄. Michel Houellebecq, critic of transgression鈥�, in Elizabeth Benjamin and Jessica Goodman (eds.), MHRA Working Papers in the Humanities, MHRA, Vol. 9, 2014, pp. 67-83

Book chapters

  • 鈥楾he Franco-American Novel鈥�, in Russell Williams and Anna-Louise Milne (eds),听Contemporary Fiction in French听(Cambridge University Press, January 2021)

  • 'La vie litt茅raire inconnue de Michel Houellebecq', in Agathe Novak-Lechevalier (ed),听Cahier Houellebecq听(Paris: Editions de l'Herne, 2017)

  • 鈥榃riting and Intoxication: Drunken Philosophers, Crack Addicts and the Perpetual Present鈥�, in Russell Williams and Eugene Brennan (eds.), Literature and Intoxication: Writing, Politics and the Experience of Excess (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), pp. 25-48
  • 鈥樎� La souffrance 脿 la fois p茅n茅trante et douce 禄. Depression in Michel Houellebecq鈥檚 fiction鈥�, in Gillian Ni Chellaigh, Laura Jackson and Siobh谩n McIlvanne (eds.), Quand La Folie Parle (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2014), pp. 134-150
  • 鈥楬ouellebecq et L鈥橧diot international : la gen猫se d鈥檜ne voix litt茅raire ?鈥�, in Bruno Viard (ed.), L鈥橴nit茅 de l鈥櫯搖vre de Michel Houellebecq, (Paris: Classiques Garnier, 2014), pp. 337-349
  • 鈥楥ults, crimes and coprophilia. Subversive 鈥╟ommunities in Richard Morgi猫ve鈥檚 Sex Vox Dominam and Thomas Hairmont鈥檚 Le Coprophile鈥�, in Alastair Hemmens and Russell Williams (eds.) Autour de l鈥檈xtr锚me litt茅raire, (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012)

Review articles and encyclopedia entries

  • 鈥淲riting struggles鈥�, review听of Joseph Andras鈥檚 and Kaoutar Harchi鈥檚 book听Litt茅rture et r茅volution,听The Times Literary Supplement,听February 23, 2024,听
  • 鈥淢茅troSpotting鈥�, review听of Andrew Martin鈥檚 book听Metropolitain,听The Times Literary Supplement,听December 22/29, 2023,听
  • 鈥淎rtful dodgers鈥�, review听of Laurent Binet鈥檚 novel听Perspective(s),听The Times Literary Supplement,听November 24, 2023,听
  • 鈥淕ainsbourg confidentiel鈥�, review听of听the Maison Gainsbourg museum,听The Times Literary Supplement,听November 10, 2023,听
  • 鈥淲eird thinking鈥�, review of听Mondes invisibles听ed.听by听Sylvain Ledda,听The Times Literary Supplement,听September 29, 2023,听
  • 鈥淓veryday culture鈥�, review of听The Politics and Poetics of Everyday Life听by听Kristin Ross,听The Times Literary Supplement,听August 18/25, 2023,听

  • 鈥淪ales talk鈥�, review of听Boniments听by Fran莽ois B茅gaudeau,听The Times Literary Supplement,听July 14, 2023,听

  • 鈥淐ityscapes鈥�, review of Paris, Boulevard Voltaire by Mich猫le Audin,听The Times Literary Supplement,听July 7, 2023听

  • 鈥淏lue movie鈥�, review of Quelques mois dans ma vie by Michel Houellebecq,听The Times Literary Supplement,听June 2, 2023,听

  • 鈥淲hen a star was made鈥�, review of听Et la femme cr茅a a la star, exhibition at the Petit Palais,听The Times Literary Supplement,听May 26, 2023,听

  • 鈥淗ouse Arrest鈥�, review of听The Birthday Party听by Laurent Mauvignier (trans. by D. Levin-Becker),听The Times Literary Supplement, March 10, 2023,

  • Review of听Interventions 2020听by Michel Houellebecq (trans by A. Brown), French Studies, December 27, 2022,

  • Review of 鈥楢udimat鈥�,听The Times Literary Supplement, November 25, 2022,听
  • 鈥楧anse macabre鈥�, review of 鈥榁13鈥� by Emmanuel Carr猫re,听The Times Literary Supplement, November 18, 2022,听
  • Review of 鈥楢cross Texts鈥� by Keith Reader,听The Times Literary Supplement, October 14, 2022,听
  • Review of 鈥楥acaphonies鈥� by Annabel Kim,听The Times Literary Supplement, September 2, 2022,听
  • 鈥楢utumn livres: The trends and triumphs of a seasonal literary jamboree鈥�,听The Times Literary Supplement, October 15, 2021
  • 鈥�Christy Wampole,听Degenerative Realism: Novel and Nation in Twenty-First-Century France鈥�.听H-France Review听Vol. 21 (August 2021), No. 144.听
  • 鈥楳emories are made of this: Jean-Philippe Toussaint鈥檚 unforgettable, decisive moments鈥�,听The Times Literary Supplement, October 9, 2020
  • 鈥楾he Novels of Self-Isolation鈥�, 3am Magazine, May 19, 2020,
  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq: Google, Plagiarism, and Postproduction,听Contemporary French and Francophone Studies,听vol. 23, no. 4, 2019, pp.听414-424,听doi:听
  • Entries on Laurent Garnier (pp. 285-8) and Jean-Michel Jarre (pp. 331-5) in听Je chante donc je suis: an anthology of French and Francophone singers, from Abd al Malik to听Zazie, ed. by听Micha毛l Abecassis and Marcelline Block (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018)
  • 鈥楤lurring the Boundaries: The Poetry of Michel听Houellebecq鈥�,听The Los Angeles Review of Books, June 1, 2017, <>
  • 鈥楶unk and Politics: the S茅rie Noire in 2016鈥�, interview with Aur茅lien Masson, Gallimard, NoirCon 2016 programme, ed. by Lou Boxer, p. 33
  • , Times Literary Supplement, September 30, 2016
  • 鈥樷��, Times Literary Supplement, July 8, 2016
  • 鈥樷��, Los Angeles Review of Books, July 2, 2016
  • ',听French Studies, 2016
  • 鈥橳he Psychedelic Phenomenon鈥�, Los Angeles Review of Books, April 30, 2016听
  • 鈥楴urit Buchweitz, An Officer of Civilization: The Poetics of Michel Houellebecq鈥�, French Studies, French Studies, 2016 ]
  • 鈥楾he Real Paris鈥�, Los Angeles Review of Books, February 22, 2016
  • 听鈥樷��, Los Angeles Review of Books, September 23, 2015
  • 鈥樷��, Los Angeles Review of Books, July 27, 2015
  • 鈥楢lain Mabanckou, 鈥�, New Statesman, May 28, 2015
  • 鈥樏塪ith Piaf retrospective at the Biblioth猫que Nationale de France鈥�, The Independent, Radar magazine, April 4, 2015, p. 5
  • 鈥樷��, Contreligne, January-March, 2015,听
  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq, Soumission鈥�, Times Literary Supplement, February 13, 2015, p. 19
  • 鈥樷��, New Statesman, March 19 2015
  • 鈥楰amel Daoud, Meursault, contre-enqu锚te鈥�, Times Literary Supplement, January 2, 2015, p. 23
  • 鈥樷�欌�� (contemporary art review), The Independent, October 28, 2014, p. 39
  • 鈥楽abri Louatah, Les Sauvages鈥�, Times Literary Supplement, May 22, 2014, p. 21
  • 鈥楲aurent Garnier, Electrochoc鈥�, Times Literary Supplement, February 28, 2014, p. 27
  • 鈥樷��, Independent on Sunday, February 9, 2014
  • 鈥�鈥�, Independent on Sunday, January 26, 2014
  • 鈥楧ouglas Morrey, Michel Houellebecq: Humanity and its aftermath鈥�, French Studies, 2014, 68, pp. 128-129
  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq, Configuration du dernier rivage鈥�, Times Literary Supplement, August 30, 2013
  • 鈥楻茅gis Jauffret, Severe鈥�, Independent on Sunday, March 24, 2013,听
  • 鈥�R茅gis Jauffret, Claustria and Lacrimosa鈥�, Times Literary Supplement, November 2, 2012
  • 鈥楻uth Amar (ed.), L鈥櫭ヽriture du bonheur dans le roman contemporain鈥�, French Studies, 2012, 66, p. 589-590
  • 鈥楽abine Van Wesemael and Murielle Lucie Cl茅m茅nt (eds.), Michel Houellebecq 脿 la Une鈥�, French Studies, 2012, 66, p. 586
  • 鈥楤ret Easton Ellis, Imperial Bedrooms鈥�, Transgressive Culture, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2012, pp. 115-121
  • 鈥楯o毛l Loehr, Les Grandes notions 濒颈迟迟茅谤补颈谤别蝉鈥�, French Studies, Vol. 66, No. 1, 2012, pp. 124-125
  • 鈥楢lain-Philippe Durand, Fr茅d茅ric Beigbeder et ses doubles鈥�, French Review, Vol. 85, No. 2, 2011, pp. 355-35

Conferences & Lectures

  • Invited听chair,听Discussion听about Edward Chisholm鈥檚 book听A Waiter in Paris,听American Library in Paris,听December 12, 2023. Recording available at,听
  • Invited听chair,听Discussion听on The Attention Economy/In Search of the Third Bird听with听Justin EH Smith and Graham Burnett,听American Library in Paris,听October 19, 2023. Recording available at,听
  • Invited听panel member,听Discussion with novelists Shumona Sinha and Maylis de Kerangal,听Institut Fran莽ais,听London,听September 27, 2022. Recording available at,听
  • Invited talk, 鈥楲ire An茅antir鈥�, S茅minaire Michel Houellebecq, Universit茅 Paris Nanterre/Sorbonne Universit茅, April 7, 2022
  • Invited paper, 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq鈥檚 New Dark Age: Information Overload, Appropriation, Extremity鈥�, Houellebecq in Focus conference, Villanova University, March 2021, Online conference. Recording available at,听
  • Invited talk, 鈥楲a France, ce n鈥檈st pas Michel Houellebecq鈥�, 蜜桃导航 Forum francophone interd茅partemental de Recherches et d鈥檈nseignement, Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, March 28, 2019
  • Invited Speaker, 'Uncomfortable Proximity', Launch of a special issue of Modern and Contemporary France: 鈥楲a France ce n'est pas Michel Houellebecq鈥�, Goldsmiths University London,听 February 14, 2019
  • Invited speaker, 'Michel Houellebecq: Uncreative Writer', Houellebecq's Cultural Transgressions conference, Institute of Modern Language Research, Senate House, University of London, September 29, 2018
  • 'Houellebecq鈥檚 芦听Soumission听禄: a contemporary 芦听Dog Whistle听禄 novel?鈥�, Society of French Studies conference, University College Cork, July 2, 2018
  • Invited panel chair, Literature and Reality in the 21st Century study day (IMLR/Paris-Nanterre), University of London Institute in Paris, June 8, 2018
  • 鈥楬ouellebecq鈥檚 芦听Soumission听禄: a contemporary 芦听Dog Whistle听禄 novel?鈥�, Words That Kill conference, 蜜桃导航, May 28, 2018
  • Invited speaker, 'Houellebecq et le sacrifice du soi', S茅minaire Droit, histoire et litt茅rature, 脡cole des hautes 茅tudes en sciences sociales, Paris, March 5, 2018
  • Invited speaker, 'Houellebecq et le terrorisme', S茅minaire Droit, histoire et litt茅rature, 脡cole des hautes 茅tudes en sciences sociales, Paris, February 6, 2017
  • Invited speaker, 鈥楬ouellebecq et la crise du couple鈥�, Conference on 鈥榣a Fin du couple鈥�, 脡cole des hautes 茅tudes en sciences sociales, Paris, December 2, 2016
  • Co-organizer (with Alice Craven) and panel chair, Noire is the New Noire, conference on the Gallimard S茅rie Noire including the participation of Aur茅lien Masson (Gallimard) and Dominque Manotti (novelist), American University of Paris, November 5, 2016
  • Panel member and organiser, 鈥榃ho Do You Think You Are?鈥�, panel discussion featuring 脡douard Louis, author and Hannah Westley, 蜜桃导航 Global Communications, American University of Paris, September 28, 2016,
  • 鈥楯e n鈥檃urais rien 脿 regretter鈥�, a discussion with Louis Betty (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater), Berkeley Books, Paris, June 28, 2016
  • 鈥業n conversation鈥� with photographer John Minihan, 脡cole Normale Sup茅rieure, Paris, Paris Beckett Festival 2016, March 18, 2016.
  • Panel member and organiser, 鈥楾ranslating Houellebecq鈥�, panel discussion featuring Lorin Stein, The Paris Review and Nelly Kapri猫lian, Les Inrockuptibles, American University of Paris, March 15, 2016.
  • 鈥楿ne po茅tique de la neutralit茅: soumission, anomie et inertie dans la fiction de Michel Houellebecq鈥�, International Conference, Les 芦 voix 禄 de Michel Houellebecq, Universit茅 de Lausanne, March 3, 2016.
  • 鈥楾he 鈥楻ebranding鈥� of Michel Houellebecq: Persona, Authorial Presence and Narrative Voice, Society for French Studies conference, Cardiff, June 30, 2015.
  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq and the roman noir 鈥� between 诲茅迟辞耻谤苍别尘别苍迟 and homage鈥�, Society for French Studies conference, Nottingham, July 2, 2013.
  • Chair and event organiser, 鈥楧oes Paris Own Psychogeography?鈥�, panel discussion with Andrew Hussey and novelist Will Self, University of London Institute in Paris, April 22, 2013.
  • 鈥業n conversation鈥� with novelist Aur茅lien Bellanger, University of London Institute in Paris, March 22, 2013
  • 鈥楲a voix po茅tique et critique dans les romans de Michel Houellebecq鈥�, L鈥橴nit茅 de l鈥櫯搖vre de Michel Houellebecq, Universit茅 de Provence, May 4, 2012.听
  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq (and) the depressive subject鈥�, London French Postgraduate Conference 2011, IGRS London, November 14, 2011.
  • 鈥楨xperiences of transgression in Michel Houellebecq's fiction鈥�, Transgression(s), Universit茅 de Provence/Association des 脡tudes Fran莽aises et Francophones d鈥橧rlande, October 21, 2011.
  • 鈥楥ults, crimes and coprophilia. Subversive communities in Richard Morgi猫ve鈥檚 Sex Vox Dominam and Thomas Hairmont鈥檚 Le Coprophile鈥�, Autour de l鈥檈xtr锚me litt茅raire, University of London Institute in Paris, June 3, 2011.
  • 鈥楳ichel Houellebecq: celebrity, pop star, transgressor鈥�, Interfaces conference, University of Exeter, January 29, 2011.

Research Areas

Michel Houellebecq, contemporary French fiction, detective fiction, the 苍茅辞-辫辞濒补谤, the Franco-American novel, Thierry Jonquet, Jean-Patrick Manchette, French popular culture