Georges Simenon

Belgian Francophone novelist and short-story writer

• Born: February 13, 1903
• Birthplace: Liège, Belgium
• Died: September 4, 1989
• Place of death: Lausanne, Switzerland

Biography

Georges Joseph Christian Simenon, the master of the contemporary psychological novel, is perhaps best known for his detective stories featuring Inspector Maigret, but he also became internationally celebrated for his other novels, which—like the Maigret works—deal with guilt and innocence, flight and return, and the search for home.

Simenon was born in 1903 in Belgium. Simenon’s parents were a mismatched couple; his father was a petit bourgeois accountant whose values were at complete variance with those of his wife. The contrast between his parents’ values is reflected in Simenon’s stories, which often depict the narrowness and hypocrisy of middle-class values and the appeal of working-class honesty. Simenon dropped out of school at the age of sixteen to help augment the family income. After finding that he was inept at manual work, he became a successful reporter. His writing career was fully launched by the time he was seventeen years old, when he wrote his first novel. At this time he also began writing fiction pieces for Paris journals. Although Simenon himself was not certain of the extent of his enormous body of fiction, it has been estimated to be more than four hundred books and more than two thousand short stories; of these, more than fifty films were made and they have been widely translated. At nineteen, Simenon married and moved to Paris.

Simenon began writing thrillers and romances for an audience of shop girls and secretaries, but he soon found that his greatest strength lay in the detective story. Inspector Jules Maigret made his debut in Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett in 1931. Intuitive, fatherly, as much against the inhumane criminal justice system as against crime itself, Maigret proved an instant success. Over the next four years, Simenon produced about twenty novels featuring this popular pipe-smoking detective before turning to “straight” novels, many of which were also well received. By the late 1930’s, Maigret fans were mourning the lack of new Maigret novels, and Simenon felt compelled to satisfy the public. In 1939, he began a new series of Maigret stories, and he continued writing them along with other novels for the rest of his career. After World War II, Simenon, his wife, and their son moved to Connecticut. He was divorced from his first wife and married Denise Ouimet, a French Canadian, with whom he went on to have three children. The family finally resettled in Switzerland in the 1950s. The second group of Maigret novels features Simenon’s experiences in the United States and even includes episodes in which Maigret collaborates with the American police.

In 1964, Simenon separated from his wife and continued to live with his mistress. In the early 1970’s, Simenon gave up writing novels entirely; one of his late works, Intimate Memoirs, is an account of the events that led to the suicide of his daughter, Mary-Georges, in 1978.

Like Graham Greene, Simenon divided his works into two categories, the “Maigrets” and the serious novels. Although the author declared that novels should be short enough to be read in one sitting, his serious “romans durs” often run to three or four hundred pages of action, reflections, and careful settings for his social “dropouts.” Violent action is central to Simenon’s fiction and is brought on by revolt against an intolerable situation. Both the author and his detective, Maigret, realize that the seeds of violence are within all human beings and need only a fatal moment to be triggered. Simenon tended to work by closeting himself for a week or more and living “inside the skin” of his main character until the tale was complete.

Maigret is a very human detective, subject to error; in fact, he is most often blinded by his own desire to believe in innocence and Eden. In Maigret and the Old Lady, for example, he is deceived by the woman’s childlike femininity; in Maigret at the Crossroads, he at first sees openness and innocence, and his unwillingness or inability to look past the surface causes damage. He escapes the dark world of crime by returning to an ideal wife, an orderly and familiar Paris apartment, and the comforting aroma of a French kitchen.

What makes the novels memorable is not their characters, which are sometimes sketchily developed, or their themes, which lack variety, but Simenon’s detailed observation, which makes these novels so realistic that they could easily serve the sociologist as well as the fiction reader. Nearly every conceivable milieu within the French social structure is reproduced in most minute detail—the details of ordinary houses of prostitution, furniture factories, shipping firms, petit bourgeois and haute bourgeois households, fishing vessels, and boardinghouses. Many novels take place in exotic settings, and Simenon prepared himself for his descriptions of Africa, Central America, and Asia by traveling around the world. He believed that people are essentially the same but that their lives and destinies are determined by their environments. The evocative use of the concrete permeates all the novels, giving Simenon the reputation of a novelist of ambience. Simenon’s major contribution to literature may well be in the detective field. He joined the hard-boiled American school of detective fiction with the more descriptive British school to create an enactment of the ritual of crime and investigation that is both realistic and mythic.

Although his novels attained great popularity, Simenon received little critical recognition during his lifetime. He received the 1959 Edgar Award for best foreign film for Maigret Sets a Trap and was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America in 1966.

Simenon died on September 4, 1989, in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Author Works

Long Fiction:

Pietr-le-Letton, 1931 (The Strange Case of Peter the Lett, 1933; also known as Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett, 1963)

M. Gallet, décédé, 1931 (The Death of Monsieur Gallet, 1932; also known as Maigret Stonewalled, 1963)

Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien, 1931 (The Crime of Inspector Maigret, 1933; also known as Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets, 1963)

Le Charretier de la “Providence,” 1931 (The Crime at Lock 14, 1934; also known as Maigret Meets a Milord, 1963)

La Tête d’un homme, 1931 (A Battle of Nerves, 1939; also known as A Man's Head, 2006)

Le Chien jaune, 1931 (A Face for a Clue, 1939; also known as Maigret and the Yellow Dog, 1987)

La Nuit du carrefour, 1931 (The Crossroad Murders, 1933; also known as Maigret at the Crossroads, 1964)

Un Crime en Hollande, 1931 (A Crime in Holland, 1940)

Au rendez-vous des terreneuves, 1931 (The Sailors’ Rendezvous, 1940)

La Danseuse du Gai-Moulin, 1931 (At the “Gai-Moulin,” 1940; also known as The Dancer at the Gai-Moulin, 2014)

La Guinguette à deux sous, 1931 (The Guinguette by the Seine, 1940; also known as The Bar on the Seine, 2007)

Le Relais d’Alsace, 1931 (The Man from Everywhere, 1941)

Le Passager du “Polarlys,” 1932 (The Mystery of the “Polarlys,” 1942; also known as Danger at Sea, 1954)

Le Port des brumes, 1932 (Death of a Harbour Master, 1941)

L’Ombre chinoise, 1932 (The Shadow in the Courtyard, 1934; also known as Maigret Mystified, 1964, and The Shadow Puppet, 2014)

L’Affaire Saint-Fiacre, 1932 (The Saint-Fiacre Affair, 1940; also known as Maigret Goes Home, 1967)

Chez les Flamands, 1932 (The Flemish Shop, 1940; also known as The Flemish House, 2014)

Le Fou de Bergerac, 1932 (The Madman of Bergerac, 1940)

Liberty Bar, 1932 (English translation, 1940)

L’Écluse numéro un, 1932 (The Lock at Charenton, 1941)

Les Gens d’en face, 1933 (The Window over the Way, 1951)

La Maison du canal, 1933 (The House by the Canal, 1948)

Les Fiançailles de M. Hire, 1933 (Mr. Hire’s Engagement, 1956)

Le Coup de lune, 1933 (Tropic Moon, 1942)

Le Haut Mal, 1933 (The Woman in the Gray House, 1942)

L’Homme de Londres, 1934 (Newhaven-Dieppe, 1942)

Le Locataire, 1934 (The Lodger, 1943)

Les Suicidés, 1934 (One Way Out, 1943)

Maigret, 1934 (Maigret Returns, 1941)

Quartier Nègre, 1935

Les Demoiselles de Concarneau, 1936 (The Breton Sisters, 1943)

Faubourg, 1937 (Home Town, 1944)

Le Blanc à lunettes, 1937 (Talatala, 1943)

L’Assassin, 1937 (The Murderer, 1949)

Chemin sans issue, 1938 (Blind Alley, 1946)

L’Homme qui regardait passer les trains, 1938 (The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By, 1945)

Monsieur la Souris, 1938 (The Mouse, 1950)

Les Inconnus dans la maison, 1940 (Strangers in the House, 1951)

Il pleut, bergère … , 1941 (Black Rain, 1949)

Le Voyageur de la Toussaint, 1941 (Strange Inheritance, 1950)

La Veuve Couderc, 1942 (Ticket of Leave, 1954; also known as The Widow, 1955)

Oncle Charles s’est enfermé, 1942 (Uncle Charles Has Locked Himself In, 1987)

L’âiné des Ferchaux, 1945 (Magnet of Doom, 1948)

La Fuite de Monsieur Monde, 1945 (Monsieur Monde Vanishes, 1967)

Le Cercle des Mahé, 1946 (The Mahé Circle, 2014

Trois Chambres à Manhattan, 1946 (Three Bedrooms in Manhattan, 1964)

Le Clan des Ostendais, 1947 (The Ostenders, 1952)

Lettre à mon juge, 1947 (Act of Passion, 1952)

Maigret à New York, 1947 (Maigret in New York’s Underworld, 1955)

La Neige était sale, 1948 (The Snow Was Black, 1950; also known as The Stain in the Snow, 1953, and Dirty Snow, 2003)

Les Vacances de Maigret, 1948 (Maigret on Holiday, 1950; also known as No Vacation for Maigret, 1953)

Maigret et son mort, 1948 (Maigret’s Special Murder, 1964)

Pedigree, 1948 (English translation, 1962)

La Première Enquête de Maigret, 1949 (Maigret’s First Case, 1958)

Mon Ami Maigret, 1949 (My Friend Maigret, 1956)

Le Fond de la bouteille, 1949 (The Bottom of the Bottle, 1954)

Les Fantômes du chapelier, 1949 (The Hatter’s Ghosts, 1956)

Les Quatre Jours du pauvre homme, 1949 (Four Days in a Lifetime, 1953)

Les Volets verts, 1950 (The Heart of a Man, 1951)

Maigret et la vieille dame, 1950 (Maigret and the Old Lady, 1958)

L’Amie de Mme Maigret, 1950 (Madame Maigret’s Own Case, 1959; also known as Madame Maigret’s Friend, 1960)

Les Mémores de Maigret, 1951 (Maigret’s Memoirs, 1963)

Maigret au “Picratt’s,” 1951 (Maigret in Montmartre, 1954)

Maigret en meublé, 1951 (Maigret Takes a Room, 1960)

Maigret et la grande perche, 1951 (Maigret and the Burglar’s Wife, 1969)

Une Vie comme neuve, 1951 (A New Lease on Life, 1963)

Maigret, Lognon, et les gangsters, 1952 (Inspector Maigret and the Killers, 1954; also known as Maigret and the Gangsters, 1974)

Le Révolver de Maigret, 1952 (Maigret’s Revolver, 1956)

Maigret et l’homme du banc, 1953 (Maigret and the Man on the Bench, 1975; also known as Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard, 2007)

Maigret a peur, 1953 (Maigret Afraid, 1961)

Maigret se trompe, 1953 (Maigret’s Mistake, 1954)

Antoine et Julie, 1953 (The Magician, 1955)

Feux rouges, 1953 (The Hitchhiker, 1955)

Crime impuni, 1954 (The Fugitive, 1955)

Le Grand Bob, 1954 (Big Bob, 1954)

Les Témoins, 1954 (The Witnesses, 1956)

Maigret à l’école, 1954 (Maigret Goes to School, 1957)

Maigret et la jeune morte, 1954 (Maigret and the Dead Girl, 1955)

Maigret chez le ministre, 1954 (Maigret and the Calame Report, 1969)

Maigret et le corps sans tête, 1955 (Maigret and the Headless Corpse, 1967)

Maigret tend un piège, 1955 (Maigret Sets a Trap, 1965)

Les Complices, 1955 (The Accomplices, 1964)

En cas de malheur, 1956 (In Case of Emergency, 1958)

Un Échec de Maigret, 1956 (Maigret’s Failure, 1962)

Maigret s’amuse, 1957 (Maigret’s Little Joke, 1957)

Maigret voyage, 1958 (Maigret and the Millionaires, 1974)

Les Scrupules de Maigret, 1958 (Maigret Has Scruples, 1959)

Dimanche, 1958 (Sunday, 1960)

Maigret et les témoins récalcitrants, 1959 (Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses, 1959)

Une Confidence de Maigret, 1959 (Maigret Has Doubts, 1968)

Maigret aux assises, 1960 (Maigret in Court, 1961)

Maigret et les vieillards, 1960 (Maigret in Society, 1962)

L’Ours en peluche, 1960 (Teddy Bear, 1971)

Betty, 1961 (English translation, 1975)

Le Train, 1961 (The Train, 1964)

Maigret et le voleur paresseux, 1961 (Maigret and the Lazy Burglar, 1963)

Maigret et les braves gens, 1962 (Maigret and the Black Sheep, 1976)

Maigret et le client du samedi, 1962 (Maigret and the Saturday Caller, 1964)

La Porte, 1962 (The Door, 1964)

Les Anneaux de Bicêtre, 1963 (The Patient, 1963; also known as The Bells of Bicêtre, 1964)

Maigret et le clochard, 1963 (Maigret and the Bum, 1973)

La Colère de Maigret, 1963 (Maigret Loses His Temper, 1964)

Maigret et le fantôme, 1964 (Maigret and the Apparition, 1975)

Maigret se défend, 1964 (Maigret on the Defensive, 1966)

La Chambre bleue, 1964 (The Blue Room, 1964)

Le Petit Saint, 1965 (The Little Saint, 1965)

La Patience de Maigret, 1965 (The Patience of Maigret, 1966)

Maigret et l’affaire Nahour, 1966 (Maigret and the Nahour Case, 1967)

Le Confessional, 1966 (The Confessional, 1968)

La Mort d’Auguste, 1966 (The Old Man Dies, 1967)

Le Chat, 1967 (The Cat, 1967)

Le Voleur de Maigret, 1967 (Maigret’s Pickpocket, 1968)

Maigret à Vichy, 1968 (Maigret in Vichy, 1969)

Maigret hésite, 1968 (Maigret Hesitates, 1970)

L’Ami de l’enfance de Maigret, 1968 (Maigret’s Boyhood Friend, 1970)

La Prison, 1968 (The Prison, 1969)

La Main, 1968 (The Manon the Bench in the Barn, 1970)

Novembre, 1969 (November, 1970)

Maigret et le tueur, 1969 (Maigret and the Killer, 1971)

Maigret et le marchand de vin, 1970 (Maigret and the Wine Merchant, 1971)

La Folle de Maigret, 1970 (Maigret and the Madwoman, 1972)

Maigret et l’homme tout seul, 1971 (Maigret and the Loner, 1975)

Maigret et l’indicateur, 1971 (Maigret and the Informer, 1972)

La Disparition d’Odile, 1971 (The Disappearance of Odile, 1972)

La Cage de verre, 1971 (The Glass Cage, 1973)

Les Innocents, 1972 (The Innocents, 1973)

Maigret et Monsieur Charles, 1972 (Maigret and Monsieur Charles, 1973)

Short Fiction:

Les 13 coupables, 1932 (The Thirteen Culprits, 2002)

Les Dossiers de L’Agence O, 1943

Nouvelles exotiques, 1944

Les Nouvelles Enquêtes de Maigret, 1944 (The Short Cases of Inspector Maigret, 1959)

Nonfiction:

Le Roman de l’homme, 1958 (The Novel of Man, 1964)

Quand j’étais vieux, 1970 (When I Was Old, 1971)

Lettre à ma mère, 1974 (Letter to My Mother, 1976)

Mémoires intimes, 1981 (Intimate Memoirs, 1984)

Mes Apprentissages: Reportages, 1931-1946, 2001

Miscellaneous:

Tout Simenon, 1989–92 (25 vol. omnibus collection)

Bibliography

Acocella, Joan. "Crime Pays." The New Yorker, vol. 87, no. 31, 10 Oct. 2011, pp. 120–27. Literary Reference Center Plus, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=66508564&site=lrc-plus. Accessed 11 Apr. 2017. Chronicles Simenon's writing career and personal life. Discusses his sexual proclivities as well as the assessment that his writings were misogynistic.

Assouline, Pierre. Simenon: A Biography. Translated by Jon Rothschild. New York: Knopf, 1997. A good reference for biographical information on Simenon.

Becker, Lucille Frackman. Georges Simenon. Boston: Twayne, 1977. An informative introductory study, with chapters on Simenon’s family background, the creation of Maigret, his handling of such basic themes as solitude and alienation, and his understanding of the art of the novel. Includes a chronology, notes, and an annotated bibliography.

Becker, Lucille Frackman. Georges Simenon Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1999. Further reflections on Simenon, focusing more closely on the novels than did Becker’s earlier work.

Bresler, Fenton. The Mystery of Georges Simenon. Toronto: General, 1983. A well-written biography that gives a strong sense of Simenon’s roots and the development of his career. Includes conversations between Bresler and Simenon.

Carter, David. The Pocket Essential Georges Simenon. Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England: Pocket Essentials, 2003. Short book containing a critical analysis of Simenon’s work, as well as a bibliography of works by and about him.

Collins, Carvel. “The Art of Fiction IX: Georges Simenon.” The Paris Review 9 (Summer, 1993): 71-90. A comprehensive interview with the author about his career and his fictional methods.

Eskin, Stanley. Simenon: A Critical Biography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1987. Eskin provides a meticulous narrative and analysis of Simenon’s work. His notes and bibliography are very detailed and helpful.

Franck, Frederick. Simenon’s Paris. New York: Dial, 1970. While this is basically a book of illustrations of Paris, a good deal is revealed about the way Simenon chose locations for his fiction.

Freeling, Nicolas. Criminal Convictions: Errant Essays on Perpetrators of Literary License. Boston: D. R. Godine, 1994. Presents critical essays on crime fiction by a number of prominent writers, including Simenon.

Gill, Brendan. “Profiles: Out of the Dark.” The New Yorker, January 24, 1953, 35-45. A succinct biographical and critical profile by an astute essayist.

Marnham, Patrick. The Man Who Wasn’t Maigret: A Portrait of Georges Simenon. London: Bloomsbury, 1992. A study of Simenon’s life and times. Includes bibliographical references and an index.

Raymond, John. Simenon in Court. New York: Harcourt Brace and World, 1968. An overview of Simenon’s fiction, as valuable as Becker’s introductory study.

Simenon, Georges. “The Art of Fiction IX: Georges Simenon.” Interview by Carvel Collins. The Paris Review 9 (Summer, 1993): 71-90. A comprehensive interview with the author about his career and his fictional methods.