/lit/ - Literature

Which books / writers influenced Houellebecq?

I've almost finished reading The Literature of Despair, critical anaylsis of Houellebecq, and it talks about the fact that Michel was raised in an far left / communist environment, and was a part of left-wing circles in Paris in the 80s, and how his anti-neoliberal, anti-68er work was one of many such works (fiction and non-fiction) being published at the time.

He's obviously a well-read guy, and references many sociologists, historical figures and so on. And he often discusses things in sociological terms, doing away with realism and instead just pasting a long speech given by his protagonist during a conversation.

Which specific books or writers do you think influenced him the most?