Georges Simenon
"His mouth open, he fell asleep, because a man always falls asleep in the end. One weeps, one shrieks, one rages, one despairs, and then one eats and sleeps as if nothing had happened."
Georges Simenon is one of the foremost writers of the 20th century, publishing approximately 400 novels during his lifetime – although only half of them were under his own name. Plus, he also wrote memoirs and short stories, adding to his extensive works and international literary reputation.
Simenon is most notable for his Inspector Maigret series, which follows a French police detective as he solves crimes. There are no fewer than 75 Maigret novels, a large number of short stories, and even film, television, and radio adaptations. These crime novels have been translated into more than 50 languages, and there is now a Maigret statue in the Netherlands.
Meet Georges Simenon
Georges Jospeh Christian Simenon was born in Belgium in 1903, and during his childhood, his family took in lodgers. Many of these lodgers were students from Eastern Europe, which introduced the young Georges to people from other places and cultures, which would later influence some of his novels.
During his high school years, Georges was a poor student. He skipped school, and was often caught stealing in order to enjoy small luxuries during the war. He would eventually leave school in 1918 before sitting his end of year exams, and soon took a job as a junior reporter for a local newspaper. He was quickly promoted to crime reporting, and studied a university course on forensic science to improve his knowledge.
It wasn’t long before crime reporting turned into crime writing, but it would take another five years before he started seriously selling his short stories for income. In 1930, he published his first Maigret novel, Pietr the Latvian, which was also the first fictional work Simenon wrote under his own name.
That launched a spate of Maigret novels, with Simenon completing almost 20 within the next two years. After these novels were published, Simenon turned his focus to other works, with the aim of winning a Novel Prize for Literature. It was during this time that he published works such as The Shadow Falls, and The Man who Watched the Trains Go By.
However, during the war, Simenon returned to the Maigret novels, publishing more of them alongside other novels and memoirs for the majority of his life. Many of his works have been adapted for film and television, and his legacy lives on with his many fans around the world.
What is Georges Simenon best known for?
He is best known for the Inspector Maigret series, a long-running set of crime novels and short stories about a French police detective that spawned numerous film, television and radio adaptations.
How many books did Simenon write and did he use other names?
He published roughly 400 novels in his lifetime, about half under his own name, plus numerous memoirs and short stories.
Where should I start reading Simenon?
A good place to start is the Maigret series; Pietr the Latvian is the first Maigret novel and a natural entry point. You can also try one of his standalone psychological novels for a different side of his work.
Do Simenon's books follow a strict reading order?
The Maigret novels are largely episodic, so you can read many of them out of publication order. Reading in publication order offers a sense of character development but is not required.
What genres and themes does Simenon write, and have his works been widely translated or adapted?
Simenon wrote primarily crime and detective fiction, often with strong psychological realism and atmospheric settings influenced by diverse cultures. His works have been translated into more than 50 languages and adapted extensively for film, television and radio.