How I Became Stupid

"How I Became Stupid" (or "Comment je suis devenu stupide") is a philosophical novel by French author Martin Page. It was published in 2004 under Penguin Books.

Background

"How I Became Stupid" is Page's first novel, and has been translated into 24 languages. The book was given one literary award called the Euregio-Schüler-Literaturpreis by Dutch and German students. The book was translated into English by Adriana Hunter.

ynopsis

The protagonist is a young-adult named Antoine who grows miserable due to the tragic empathy over everything his profound intelligence causes. Throughout the novel, Antoine attempts many different methods of dumbing himself down. He tries to become an alcoholic (which fails after he is rushed to the hospital after taking one sip of beer), takes Happyzac pills prescribed to him by his doctor, goes to McDonalds and tempts himself with other capitalist merchandise made by unethical means, and loses his four closest friends in changing his entire lifestyle. Eventually, a childhood friend, who was convinced to head a stockbroking firm because of Antoine's advice, offers the impecunious Antoine a job as a stockbroker. When his coffee falls on his computer one day, he accidentally earned the company millions of dollars, and instantly became a millionaire himself, indulging in all the vices and debauchery of wealth and success. After Antoine rebukes Raphi for his infidelity, Raphi sends Antoine to a dating service, where the receptionist talks about the science of love and how seemingly objective and superficial it really is. Eventually, Antoine gets a visit from Danny Brilliant's premature ghost who, after invading his refridgerator, tells him that his life is in shit. Soon after that, four kidnappers in Einstein masks kidnap Antoine and bring him to an undisclosed location where they surround him with chicken heads and project a movie containing the great thinkers, inventors and works of art. The four captors were indeed his four best friends who only had the honorable intentions of bringing their old friend back. Once Antoine converts back to his old self, a young woman named Clemence approaches him in the park in a way that implies that it was meant to be (she introduces herself as if she were reciting from a script). The story ends when she leads a blind-sighted Antoine into the middle of a road and pushes him off the road right before a car comes by, thus saving his life and being in his life forever.

Themes

One of the most important themes in the book is the relationship between intelligence and happiness. It confronts and questions the age-old sayings, "Ignorance is Bliss" and "What You Don't Know Can't Hurt You." While Antoine is still sympathetic to the ailments of the human condition and international problems, he is more realistic, and less idealistic, about his role in the grand scheme of things. The novel begs the question: what is the source of happiness? Truth and individuality, or ignorance and conformity.

Many philosophies and bits of wisdom are featured in this book. Gustave Flaubert is perhaps quoted most importantly, in the context of Danny Brilliant singing along to karaoke, as deriding the efforts of conclusion-hungry minds, eager for answers. The metaphor Flaubert draws is one of an intellectual wanting to count the grains of sand on a beach, when he/she should really just walk along the water. Descartes, Madame de Stael, Nietzsche, Pascal and even Kirk Douglas were all referenced in some manner.