Who was Georges Simenon? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Georges Joseph Christian Simenon

Died At Age: 86

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Denyse Ouimet (m. 1950–1964), Régine Renchon (m. 1923–1950)

father: Désiré Simenon

mother: Henriette Simenon

siblings: Christian Simenon

children: Johnny Simenon, Marc Simenon, Marie-Jo Simenon, Pierre Simenon

Born Country: Belgium

Novelists Belgian Men

Height: 5'8" (173 cm), 5'8" Males

Died on: September 4, 1989

place of death: Lausanne, Switzerland

Notable Alumni: Collège Saint-Louis, Liège

Ancestry: Dutch Belgian, German Belgian

City: Liège, Belgium

More Facts

education: Collège Saint-Louis, Liège

awards: Edgar Award

Recommended For You

1

What are some of Georges Simenon's most famous works?

Some of Georges Simenon's most famous works include the "Maigret" series featuring detective Jules Maigret, as well as standalone novels like "The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By" and "Dirty Snow."
2

What inspired Georges Simenon to create the character of Jules Maigret?

Georges Simenon was inspired to create the character of Jules Maigret after a conversation with his friend, police inspector Joseph Jean Guillaume "Guillaume" Pélissier. Pélissier's methodical approach to police work and his personality influenced the development of Maigret.
3

How did Georges Simenon's writing style contribute to the success of his novels?

Georges Simenon's writing style, characterized by its concise and atmospheric prose, contributed to the success of his novels by creating a sense of realism and tension. His ability to portray complex characters and settings with economy resonated with readers.
4

What impact did Georges Simenon have on the development of detective fiction?

Georges Simenon had a significant impact on the development of detective fiction by introducing a more psychological and introspective approach to the genre. His focus on the human psyche and emotions set his works apart from traditional detective stories.
5

How did Georges Simenon's background and experiences influence his writing?

Georges Simenon's background growing up in Belgium and his experiences working as a journalist and traveling extensively influenced his writing by providing him with a diverse range of settings, characters, and themes to draw upon in his novels.

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Childhood & Early Life

Georges Simenon was born to Desire Simenon and Henriette on February 13, 1903. Owing to the superstition associated with the date, his birth date was registered as “12th February.” He was born in Liege, which is located in present-day Belgium. The story of his birth forms the basis for the beginning of his novel ‘Pedigree.’

In April 1905, his family moved to 3 Rue Pasteur in the Outremeuse neighborhood of Liege where his brother, Christian, was born in September 1906. His brother was his mother’s favorite child, and this caused the young Georges distress.

When he was three, he was put in the Saint-Julienne nursery school where he learned to read. In 1908, he started attending the Institut Saint-Andre which he attended till 1914. Later, he moved to College Saint-Louis after the end of the First World War.

In 1918, he stopped his education completely, attributing it to his father’s heart condition. He started taking up a number of short and odd jobs.

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Career

In January 1919, Georges Simenon took a job at the ‘Gazette de Liege’ which was a newspaper edited by Joseph Demarteau. He mostly used to cover unpopular human interest stories which gave him a chance to see the dark side of the world.

He mainly covered reports related to politics, crimes, police investigations, etc. His experience also taught him the art of editing quickly. During his stint there, he wrote nearly 150 articles under the pen name ‘G. Sim.’

He published his first novel ‘Au Pont des Arches’ in 1921 as G. Sim. The following year, he stopped writing for the ‘Gazette.’

In 1922, his father died, and Georges moved to Paris. He gained familiarity with the city’s hotels and bars, and also understood the lives of the working-class Parisians. He wrote under various pen names in Paris, which improved his financial situation tremendously.

In 1930, his famous character ‘Jules Maigret’ made his appearance for the first time in ‘Detective’ which was written upon the request of Joseph Kessel, a French journalist and novelist. The story was written while he was on a boat in the Netherlands.

Over the next few years, he spent his time extensively in traveling to various countries in Africa, eastern Europe, Turkey, and the Soviet Union. He sent reports regularly from his travels and continued his travels till 1935.

He wrote his next novel ‘Le Testament Donadieu’ when he was residing at La Richardiere, a mansion in Masilly. Similarly, at the beginning of 1938, he rented a villa in La Rochelle that was featured in his book ‘Le Suspect’.

He lived in Vendee at the time of the Second World War. During this period, he got entangled in a controversy as some scholars believed that he collaborated with Germans regularly, while another set of scholars thought that he was an apolitical and opportunistic man who never collaborated with the Germans. The situation became even worse when he went on to negotiate film rights for many of his books with German studios.

During the war, he came up with many books such as ‘Le Voyageur la Toussaint’ and ‘Le Cercle des Mahe’. He published the novel ‘La Veuve Couderc’ in 1945 which was published around the same time Albert Camus’ ‘The Stranger’ was published. Incidentally, both the books contained a similar theme and characters. However, Camus’ book gained more acclaim than Simenon’s book, much to his dismay.

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Family & Personal Life

During Georges Simenon’s early career, he used to visit a group of artists called “La Caque” where he met his future wife, Regine Renchon. They got married in March 1923 at Liege. They had a church wedding upon his mother’s insistence.

Even though he was married, he was involved in many affairs over the years, including the one with Josephine Baker, an American-born French entertainer.

In 1929, he had a boat built, called ‘Ostrogoth.’ He used to travel across the French canal system with his wife, cook, housekeeper Henriette Liberge, and their dog, Olaf, on this boat. Henriette got involved with Simenon romantically and remained a close friend of the family for many decades.

Death & Legacy

Georges Simenon had to undergo surgery for a brain tumor in 1984, which had a long-term impact on his health even though he was believed to have made a good recovery. He died in his sleep on 4th September 1989, in Lausanne.

He was honored with a commemorative coin which read ‘The Belgian 100 Years of Georges Simenon coin,’ which was minted in 2003. The coin also had his portrait. In the same year, 21 of his books were included in the collection ‘La Pleiade’.

Facts About Georges Simenon

Simenon was a prolific writer, penning over 400 novels and numerous short stories throughout his career.

Despite his reputation as a serious writer, Simenon had a playful side and enjoyed playing practical jokes on his friends and colleagues.

Simenon had a passion for travel and lived in various countries throughout his life, including France, Switzerland, Canada, and the United States.

In addition to his famous Inspector Maigret series, Simenon also wrote a number of standalone novels that explored a wide range of themes and genres.

Georges Simenon Biography

You wanted to know

What are some of Georges Simenon's most famous works?

What inspired Georges Simenon to create the character of Jules Maigret?

How did Georges Simenon's writing style contribute to the success of his novels?

What impact did Georges Simenon have on the development of detective fiction?

How did Georges Simenon's background and experiences influence his writing?