Mr Houellebecq's unflattering vision of a contemporary France with a disaffected far-right and out-of-touch elites is shared by other young writers such as Virginie Despentes and Vincent Ravalec, who also employ a direct, corrosive style.

ECONOMIST: France��s literary sensation

The report's suggestion that online material had far less reach and credibility than traditional media was seen as out of touch by some critics.

BBC: Leveson: Internet needs new privacy laws

This is far more convenient, but we found all the physical controls to be very hard to find by touch.

ENGADGET: Amazon Kindle Fire HD review (7-inch)