Russell Williams

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

  • Department: Comp. Literature, English, and Creative Writing
  • Personal Website:
  • <a href="https://twitter.com/rwilliamsparis" class="social-link" target="_blank"><img class="social-profile-icon" typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://my.aup.edu/sites/all/modules/contrib/social_profile_field/icons/twitter.com.png" alt="" /></a>

Professor Williams came to 黑料网 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 黑料网. He was awarded the 黑料网 Board of Trustees award for Innovation in Instructional Design at graduation in 2018 and 2020. 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 苍茅辞-辫辞濒补谤 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 Modern and Contemporary France on Michel Houellebecq. With Dr Anna-Louise Milne (University of London Institute in Paris), he has co-edited Contemporary Fiction in French, collection of essays examining contemporary writing in French for Cambridge University Press. His book on Houellebecq, Pathos, poetry and politics in Michel Houellebecq's fiction 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 French Weird.

Professor Williams鈥 journalism and literary criticism regularly appears in publications including the Times Literary Supplement, where he is Consultant Editor for French and Francophone literatures and contributes regularly to the podcast. He has written for the New Statesman, the Los Angeles Review of Books and 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, Contemporary Fiction in French (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 in the age of screens: trolling, selfies and textual bricolage鈥, Romance Studies, forthcoming 2022

  • 鈥楾he writer and the terrorist: on Michel Houellebecq鈥, Textual Practice, 34:9, 2020, 1599-1622, DOI: 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 : soumission, anomie et inertie dans la fiction de Michel Houellebecq', in Rapha毛l Baroni & Samuel Estier (eds), 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 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), Contemporary Fiction in French (Cambridge University Press, January 2021)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Review of 鈥楢udimat鈥, The Times Literary Supplement, November 25, 2022, 
  • 鈥楧anse macabre鈥, review of 鈥榁13鈥 by Emmanuel Carr猫re, The Times Literary Supplement, November 18, 2022, 
  • Review of 鈥楢cross Texts鈥 by Keith Reader, The Times Literary Supplement, October 14, 2022, 
  • Review of 鈥楥acaphonies鈥 by Annabel Kim, The Times Literary Supplement, September 2, 2022, 
  • 鈥楢utumn livres: The trends and triumphs of a seasonal literary jamboree鈥, The Times Literary Supplement, October 15, 2021
  • 鈥Christy Wampole, Degenerative Realism: Novel and Nation in Twenty-First-Century France鈥. H-France Review Vol. 21 (August 2021), No. 144. 
  • 鈥楳emories are made of this: Jean-Philippe Toussaint鈥檚 unforgettable, decisive moments鈥, 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, Contemporary French and Francophone Studies, vol. 23, no. 4, 2019, pp. 414-424, doi: 
  • Entries on Laurent Garnier (pp. 285-8) and Jean-Michel Jarre (pp. 331-5) in Je chante donc je suis: an anthology of French and Francophone singers, from Abd al Malik to Zazie, ed. by Micha毛l Abecassis and Marcelline Block (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018)
  • 鈥楤lurring the Boundaries: The Poetry of Michel Houellebecq鈥, 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
  • ', French Studies, 2016
  • 鈥橳he Psychedelic Phenomenon鈥, Los Angeles Review of Books, April 30, 2016 
  • 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
  • &苍产蝉辫;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, 
  • 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, 
  • 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 chair, Discussion about Edward Chisholm鈥檚 book A Waiter in Paris, American Library in Paris, December 12, 2023. Recording available at, 
  • Invited chair, Discussion on The Attention Economy/In Search of the Third Bird with Justin EH Smith and Graham Burnett, American Library in Paris, October 19, 2023. Recording available at, 
  • Invited panel member, Discussion with novelists Shumona Sinha and Maylis de Kerangal, Institut Fran莽ais, London, September 27, 2022. Recording available at, 
  • 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, 
  • Invited talk, 鈥楲a France, ce n鈥檈st pas Michel Houellebecq鈥, 黑料网 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,  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 Soumission 禄: a contemporary 芦 Dog Whistle 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 Soumission 禄: a contemporary 芦 Dog Whistle 禄 novel?鈥, Words That Kill conference, 黑料网, 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, 黑料网 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. 
  • 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