The first author of the world bestsellers “Elementary Particles” and “Platform” appears before the Russian public as a poet. The book includes poems from the collections “The Pursuit of Happiness” (Tristan Tzara Prize, 1992), “The Meaning of Struggle” (Flor Prize, 1996), “Renaissance” (1999) and the essay “Staying Alive” (1991), stylized as a guide for aspiring poets. M. Houellebecq, famous for the causticity and harshness of his prose, confesses here, as poets have confessed from time immemorial, and adapts to today all the themes of world poetry, including satire on the surrounding life, longing for perfection and unrequited love. Many of these poems were set to music by the French composer B. Burgala and were included in Houellebecq's first album "Presence humaine" ("Human Presence", 2000).