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We’ve never pretended to understand the dark underbelly of literary criticism, so maybe the notion of releasing embarrassing rap records as retaliation for withholding review copies is a normal thing. We try to run with a less vicious crowd.

When the celebrated French author Michel Houellebecq launched his latest novel in circumstances of extraordinary secrecy last week, he enraged some of France’s most eminent literary critics by witholding copies from them to stave off bad reviews.

Now they appear to have struck back by circulating an embarrassing rap album featuring the tuneless voice of the controversial author in an apparent effort to dent his reputation as the bête noire of contemporary French writing.

This is one we’ll let you figure out on your own. We are trying to figure out if there’s anyone in the U.S. review game with the wherewithal to actually produce a rap album. Needless to say, we’re stumped.

• Snubbed critics snigger at writer’s psychedelic rap