View source for Georges Simenon

{{short description|Belgian writer (1903–1989)}}
{{redirect|Simenon}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}{{Use British English|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox writer
| name             = Georges Simenon
| image            = Georges Simenon (1963) without hat by Erling Mandelmann.jpg
| caption          = Simenon in 1963
| birth_name       = Georges Joseph Christian Simenon
| pseudonym        = G. Sim, Monsieur Le Coq
| occupation       = Novelist
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|df=yes|1903|2|12|}} or {{Birth date|df=yes|1903|2|13|}}
| birth_place      = [[Liège]], [[Wallonia]], Belgium
| nationality      = Belgian
| death_date       = {{death date and age|df=yes|1989|9|4|1903|2|13}}
| death_place      = [[Lausanne]], [[Romandy]], Switzerland
| awards           = [[Académie royale de Belgique]] (1952)
| language         = French
| alma_mater       = Collège Saint-Louis, Liège
| years_active     = 1919–1981
}}
'''Georges Joseph Christian Simenon''' ({{IPA|fr|ʒɔʁʒ simnɔ̃|lang}}; 12/13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective [[Jules Maigret]]. One of the most prolific and successful authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 novels (including 192 under his own name), 21 volumes of memoirs and many short stories, selling over 500 million copies.

Apart from his detective fiction, he achieved critical acclaim for his literary novels, which he called ''romans durs'' (hard novels). Among his literary admirers were [[Max Jacob]], [[François Mauriac]] and [[André Gide]]. Gide wrote, “I consider Simenon a great novelist, perhaps the greatest, and the most genuine novelist that we have had in contemporary French literature.”<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Assouline |first=Pierre |date=2013 |title=VII. À la croisée d'une œuvre: Les écrivains face à Simenon |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=98844588&site=eds-live&scope=site |journal=Cahiers de l'Herne |language=fr |volume=102 |pages=221–225 |quote=« Je tiens Simenon pour un grand romancier : le plus grand peut-être et le plus vraiment romancier que nous ayons eu en littérature française aujourd’hui. »}}</ref>

Born and raised in [[Liège]], Belgium, Simenon lived for extended periods in France (1922–1945), the United States (1946–1955) and finally Switzerland (1957–1989). Much of his work is semi-autobiographical, inspired by his childhood and youth in Liège, extensive travels in Europe and the world, wartime experiences, troubled marriages, and numerous love affairs.

Critics such as [[John Banville]] have praised Simenon's novels for their psychological insights and vivid evocation of time and place. Among his most notable works are ''The Saint-Fiacre Affair'' (1932), ''Monsieur Hire's Engagement'' (1933), ''Act of Passion'' (1947), ''The Snow was Dirty'' (1948) and ''The Cat'' (1967).

==Early life and education==
[[File:Simenon-rue Leopold.jpg|thumb|left|upright|26 rue Léopold, Liège, the house where Simenon was born]]

Simenon was born at 26 Rue Léopold (Liège) (now number 24) to Désiré Simenon and Henriette Brüll. Désiré Simenon worked in an accounting office at an insurance company and had married Henriette in April 1902. Simenon was born either at 11.30 pm on Thursday 12 February 1903 (according to the birth certificate) or just after midnight on Friday 13th (the date possibly being falsified on the certificate due to superstition).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marnham |first=Patrick |title=[[The Man Who Wasn't Maigret|The Man who Wasn't Maigret, a portrait of Georges Simenon]] |publisher=Harvest Books |year=1994 |isbn=0156000598 |pages=10–11}}</ref>

The Simenon family was of [[Walloons|Walloon]] and [[Flemish people|Flemish]] ancestry, settling in the [[Limburg (Belgium)|Belgian Limburg]] in the seventeenth century.<ref name=":0">Marnham (1994). pp. 14, 311-13, 324</ref> His mother's family was of Flemish, Dutch and German descent. One of his mother's most notorious ancestors was [[Gabriel Brühl]], a criminal who preyed on Limburg from the 1720s until he was hanged in 1743.<ref name=":0" /> Later Simenon would use Brühl as one of his many pen names.<ref>{{Cite web |title=15 |url=https://translationreview.utdallas.edu/abr/ABR_19.1-2.2014.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801015456/https://translationreview.utdallas.edu/abr/ABR_19.1-2.2014.pdf |archive-date=1 August 2020 |access-date=17 March 2020 |website=UT Dallas}}</ref>

In April 1905, two years after Simenon's birth, the family moved to 3 rue Pasteur (now 25 rue Georges Simenon) in Liège's {{ill|Outremeuse|fr}} neighbourhood. Simenon's brother Christian was born in September 1906 and eventually became their mother's favourite child, which Simenon resented.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 30-31</ref> The young Simenon, however, idolised his father and later claimed to have partly modelled Maigret's temperament on him.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 29</ref>

At the age of three, Simenon learned to read at the Ecole Guardienne run by the Sisters of Notre Dame. Then, between 1908 and 1914, he attended the Institut Saint-André, run by the Christian Brothers.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 32</ref>

In 1911 the Simenons moved to 53 rue de la Loi, where they took in lodgers, many of them students from Eastern Europe, Jews and political refugees.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 34-35</ref> This gave the young Simenon an introduction to the wider world, which was later reflected his novels, notably ''Pedigree'' (published 1948) and ''Le Locataire'' (''The Lodger'') (1938).

Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Liège was occupied by the German army. Henriette took in German officers as lodgers, much to Désiré's disapproval. Simenon later said that the war years provided some of the happiest times of his life. They were also memorable for a child because "my father cheated, my mother cheated, everyone cheated."<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 39-43</ref>

In October 1914 Simenon began his studies at the Collège Saint-Louis, a [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] high school. After a year he switched to Collège St Servais, where he studied for three years. He excelled at French, but his marks in other subjects declined. He read widely in the Russian, French and English classics, frequently played truant, and turned to petty theft in order to buy pastries and other war-time luxuries.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 45-48</ref>

In 1917 the Simenon family moved to a former post-office building in the rue des Maraîchers.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 43</ref> Using his father's heart condition as a pretext, Simenon left school in June 1918 without taking his end-of-year exams.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 51-52</ref> After brief periods working in a pâtisserie and a bookshop, Simenon found himself unemployed when the war ended in November 1918. He witnessed scenes of violent retribution against residents of Liège accused of collaboration, which stayed with him for the rest of his life. He described these scenes in ''Pedigree'' and ''Les trois crimes de mes amis'' (My Friends' Three Crimes) (1938).<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 53-54, 212</ref>

== Early career, 1919–1922 ==
In January 1919 the 15-year-old Simenon took a job as a junior reporter at the ''Gazette de Liège'', a right-wing Catholic newspaper edited by Joseph Demarteau.<ref name="Beckerp3782">Becker, Lucille Frackman. "Georges Simenon (1903-1989)." In: Amoia, Alba della Fazia and Bettina Liebowitz Knapp. ''Multicultural Writers from Antiquity to 1945: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook''. [[Greenwood Publishing Group]], 2002. {{ISBN|0313306877}}, 9780313306877. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xv6R5qiDEQC&pg=PA378 378] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610134731/https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xv6R5qiDEQC&pg=PA378|date=10 June 2016}}.</ref> Within a few months he was promoted to crime reporting, signing his articles "Georges Sim". By April he was given his own opinion and gossip column, which he signed "Monsieur Le Coq". He was also assigned interviews with leading international figures such as Hirohito, Crown Prince of Japan, and French war hero Marshal Foch. In 1920-21 he enrolled on a course in forensic science at the University of Liège in order to improve his knowledge of the latest police methods.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 56-65</ref>

In May 1920 Simenon began publishing short fiction in the ''Gazette''. In September he completed his first novel, ''Au Pont des Arches'', which he self-published in 1921.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 70-72</ref> He wrote two other novels while working at the ''Gazette'', but these were never published.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bresler |first=Fenton |title=The Mystery of Georges Simenon |publisher=Heineman/Quixote Press |year=1983 |isbn= |location=London |pages=32–33}}</ref>

In June 1919 Simenon had been introduced into a group of young artists and bohemians that called itself "''La Caque''" (herring barrel). The group met at night to drink, discuss art and philosophy, and experiment with drugs such as morphine and cocaine. In early 1922 one of the members of the group, Joseph Kleine, hanged himself at the doors of the St Pholien church of Liège after a night of excess with ''La Caque''. Simenon was one of the last people to see Kleine alive and was deeply affected by his suicide, later referring to the incident in ''Les trois crimes de mes amis'' and ''Le pendu de St Pholien'' (''The Hanged Man of Saint Pholien'') (1931).<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 78-79, 93-103</ref>

Through ''La Caque,'' Simenon met a young painter, Régine Renchon, and in early 1921 they began a relationship. They soon became engaged and agreed that Simenon should complete his year of compulsory military service before they married.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 83-85</ref>

Simenon's father died in November 1921, an event that Simenon called "the most important day in a man's life." Soon after, he began his military service. After a brief posting with the allied occupation forces in Germany, he was transferred to the cavalry barracks in Liège and was soon given permission to resume writing for the ''Gazette.''<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 89-92</ref>

When Simenon's military service ended in December 1922, he resigned from the ''Gazette'' and moved to Paris to establish a base for himself and his future wife, Régine, whom he preferred to call Tigy.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 84, 102-3</ref>

==France, 1922–1945==

=== Literary apprenticeship, 1922{{En dash}}1928 ===
Now in Paris, Simenon found a menial job with a far-right political group headed by the writer [[Binet-Valmer]]. In March 1923 he returned to Liège to marry Régine. Although neither Simenon nor Régine were religious, they were married in a Catholic church to please Simenon's mother, who was devout.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 108-09</ref>

The newly-weds moved to Paris where Régine tried to establish herself as a painter while Simenon resumed work for Binet-Valmer and sent articles to the ''Revue Sincère'' of Brussels for which he was the Paris correspondent. He also wrote short stories for popular magazines, but sales were sporadic.<ref>Manham (1994). pp. 109-10</ref>

In the summer of 1923, Simenon was engaged by the Marquis de Tracy as his private secretary, which obliged him to spend nine months of the year at the aristocrat's various rural properties. Régine soon moved to a village near the Marquis's principal estate at [[Paray-le-Frésil]], near [[Moulins, Allier|Moulins]].<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 110-11</ref>

While working for the Marquis, Simenon began submitting stories to ''[[Le Matin (France)|Le Matin]]'' whose literary editor was [[Colette]]. Colette advised him to make his work "less literary" which Simenon took to mean that he should use simple descriptions and a limited stock of common words. Simenon followed her advice and within a year became one of the paper's regular contributors.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 111-12</ref>

Now with a steady income from his writing, Simenon left the Marquis' employ in 1924 and returned to Paris where he and Régine found an apartment in the fashionable [[Place des Vosges]]. Simenon was writing and selling short stories at the rate of 80 typed pages a day, and now turned his hand to pulp novels. His first, ''Le roman d'une dactylo'' (The Story of a Typist) was quickly sold and two more appeared in 1924 under the pseudonyms "Jean du Perry" and "Georges Simm".<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 112-15</ref> From 1921 to 1934 he used a total of 17 pen names while writing 358 novels and short stories.<ref name="Beckerp3792">Becker, Lucille Frackman. "Georges Simenon (1903-1989)." In: Amoia, Alba della Fazia and Bettina Liebowitz Knapp. ''Multicultural Writers from Antiquity to 1945: A Bio-bibliographical Sourcebook''. [[Greenwood Publishing Group]], 2002. {{ISBN|0313306877}}, 9780313306877. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xv6R5qiDEQC&pg=PA379 379] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506101909/https://books.google.com/books?id=3Xv6R5qiDEQC&pg=PA379|date=6 May 2016}}.</ref>

In the summer of 1925, the Simenons took a holiday in Normandy where they met Henriette Liberge, the 18-year-old daughter of a fisherman. Régine offered her a job as their housekeeper in Paris and the young woman accepted. Simenon began calling her "Boule", and she was to become his lover and part of the Simenon household under that name for the next 39 years.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 117-19, 199</ref>

Simenon began an affair with [[Josephine Baker]] in 1926 or 1927, and became her part-time assistant and editor of ''Josephine Baker's Magazine''.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 122-24</ref> However, the Simenons were tiring of their hectic life in Paris, and in April 1928 they set out with Boule for a six-month tour of the rivers and canals of France in a small boat, the ''Ginette''. Without the distractions provided by Josephine Baker, Simenon's tally of published popular novels increased from 11 in 1927 to 44 in 1928.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 123-27</ref>

=== Birth and retirement of Maigret, 1929{{En dash}}1939 ===
In the spring of 1929, the Simenons and Boule set off for a tour of northern France, Belgium and Holland in a larger, custom-built boat, the ''Ostrogoth''. Simenon had begun contributing detective stories to a new magazine called ''Détective'' and continued to publish popular novels, mainly with the publishers Fayard.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 128-29</ref>[[File:Delfzijl Maigret 01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jules Maigret|Maigret]] statue in [[Delfzijl]], Netherlands]]During his northern tour, Simenon wrote three popular novels featuring a police inspector named Maigret, but only one, ''Train de nuit'' (Night Train) was accepted by Fayard. Simenon began working on the latter novel (or possibly its successor ''Pietr-le-Letton (Pietr the Latvian)'') in September 1929 when the ''Ostrogoth'' was undergoing repairs in the Dutch city of [[Delfzijl]].<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 130-32</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Carly |first=Michel |title=Tout Maigret |publisher=Omnibus |year=2007 |isbn=9782258073401 |volume=1 |location=Paris |pages=XIII-XVI |language=fr |chapter=Maigret, notre contemporain}}</ref>

On his return to Paris in April 1930, Simenon completed ''Pietr-le-Letton,'' the first novel in which inspector Maigret of the Paris mobile crime brigade was a fully developed character. The novel was serialised in Fayard's magazine ''Ric et Rac'' later that year, and was the first fictional work to appear under Simenon's real name.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 132-33.</ref><ref name=":1" />

The first Maigret novels were launched in book form by Fayard in February 1931 at the fancy dress ''bal anthropométrique'' which had a police and criminals theme. The launching party was widely reported and the novels received positive reviews. Simenon wrote 19 Maigret novels by the end of 1933, and the series eventually sold 500 million copies.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 133-34, 146-47</ref>

In April 1932, the Simenons and Boule moved to [[La Rochelle]] on the west coast of France. Soon after, they left for Africa where Simenon visited his brother, who was a colonial administrator in the Belgian Congo. Simenon also visited other African colonies and wrote a series of articles highly critical of colonialism. He drew on his African experience in novels such as ''[[Le Coup de lune]]'' (''Tropic Moon'') (1933) and ''45<sup>0</sup> à l'ombre'' (''Aboard the Aquitaine'') (1936).<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 149-53</ref>

In 1933, the Simenons visited Germany and Eastern Europe, and Simenon secured an interview with [[Leon Trotsky]] in exile in Turkey for ''[[Paris-soir|Paris-Soir]]''. On his return, he announced that he would write no more Maigret novels, and signed a contract with the prestigious publisher Gallimard for his new work.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 154-59</ref>

''Maigret'', written in June 1933, was intended to be the last of the series and ended with the detective in retirement. Simenon called the Maigret novels "semi-literary" and he wanted to establish himself as a serious writer. He stated his aim was to win the Nobel Prize for Literature by 1947.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 147-48</ref>

Simenon's notable novels of the 1930s, written after the temporary retirement of Maigret, include ''Le testament Donadieu'' (''The Shadow Falls'') (1937), ''L'homme qui regardait passer les trains'' (''The Man who Watched the Trains Go By'') (1938) and ''Le bourgmestre de Furnes'' (''The Burgomaster of Furnes'') (1939).<ref>Marnham (1994) pp. 165, 276</ref> [[André Gide]] and [[François Mauriac]] were among Simenon's greatest literary admirers at the time.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 173-74</ref>

In 1935, the Simenons undertook a world tour which included the Americas, the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, Australia and India.<ref>Bresler (1983). p. 102</ref> They then moved back to Paris, to the fashionable Neuilly district, where they lived a life of luxury that Simenon later described as "too sumptuous".<ref>Bresler (1983). pp. 112-15</ref>

They moved home to La Rochelle in 1938 because, as Simenon later explained, "I was sickened by the life I was leading." In April the following year Simenon's first child, Marc, was born.<ref name=":22">Marnham (1994). pp. 167-69, 183-84</ref>

=== Second World War, 1939{{En dash}}1945 ===
Simenon was in a café in La Rochelle when France declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939.<ref name=":22"/> In May 1940, Germany invaded Belgium, and La Rochelle became the reception centre for Belgian refugees. The Belgian government appointed Simenon Commissioner for Refugees, and he organised the reception, accommodation, and food and health needs for some 55,000 war refugees before the armistice of 22 June. By August, all Belgian refugees had been repatriated and Simenon resumed civilian life in his new home at [[Fontenay-le-Comte]] in the Vendée.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 184-189</ref>

Later in 1940, a local doctor examined Simenon and diagnosed a serious heart illness, advising him to cut back on his favourite pastimes of pipe smoking, excessive eating, alcohol, and sex. Simenon began working on his memoirs ''Je me souviens'' (I remember), intended as a letter to his son from a father who would soon be dead.  A second medical opinion was later sought, and Simenon was assured his heart was sound.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 192-95</ref>

Simenon returned to writing Maigret stories and novels, completing two in 1940 and three in 1941. He also wrote longer novels such as ''Pedigree,'' a fictionalised reworking of ''Je me souviens''. As a popular, non-Jewish author who avoided war themes and anti-German sentiments, Simenon had few problems in having his works published at a time of censorship and paper restrictions.<ref>Marnham (1994). p 199</ref>

Among his major works written during the war years are ''[[La Veuve Couderc|La veuve Couderc]]'' (''The Widow Couderc'') (1942), ''Le fuite de M. Monde (Monsieur Monde Vanishes'') (published 1945), and ''Pedigree'' (published 1948)''.''<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 202</ref> Simenon also conducted correspondence, most notably with André Gide. Gide considered ''La veuve Couderc'' superior to [[Albert Camus|Camus']] ''[[The Stranger (Camus novel)|The Stranger]]'' which was published around the same time and has a similar main character and themes.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 221</ref><ref name="Theroux2">{{cite book |last=Theroux |first=Paul |title=Figures in a Landscape: People & Places |date=2018 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Eamon Dolan |isbn=9780544870307 |location=New York |pages=95–106}}</ref>

During the war, Simenon sold the film rights to five of his novels to [[Continental Films]], which was funded by the German government and banned the participation of Jews. The Continental production of Simenon's ''Les inconnus dans la maison'' (''Strangers in the House'') had exaggerated anti-Semitic themes which are not in the novel. Resistance underground newspapers began attacking Continental Films and anyone who took their money.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 206-08</ref>

In 1942, the French ''[[Commissariat-General for Jewish Affairs|Commissariat-Géneral aux Questions Juives]]'' notified Simenon that they suspected him of being Jewish and gave him one month to prove he was not. Simenon was able to obtain the necessary certificates of birth and baptism through his mother, and soon after the Simenons moved to a more remote village in the Vendée.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 200-01</ref>

In 1944, Régine discovered Simenon's long-term affair with Boule, and Simenon also confessed to his numerous other affairs. The couple agreed to remain married for the sake of their child, but to give each other their sexual freedom.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 209-10</ref>

In November 1944, following the German retreat, Simenon, Marc and Boule moved to a hotel in the resort town of [[Les Sables-d'Olonne|Les Sables d'Olonne]], while Régine returned to their house near La Rochelle which had now been evacuated by the Germans. In January 1945, Simenon was placed under house arrest by the police and the [[French Forces of the Interior]] on suspicion of collaboration. After three months of investigations, he was cleared of all charges.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 214-16</ref>

Simenon went to Paris in May 1945 while Marc and Boule returned to their house near La Rochelle with Régine. Simenon, possibly out of concern that the [[French Communist Party]] might take over France, had decided to move to America. The rest of the family soon joined him in Paris and Simenon used his contacts to secure the required travel documents for America. Régine, however, refused to travel to America with Marc unless Boule stayed behind in France. Simenon reluctantly agreed to Régine's demand.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 218-20, 223-24</ref>

==United States and Canada, 1945–1955==
The Simenons arrived in New York in October 1945 and soon moved to Canada, where they set up home at [[Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson, Quebec]], north of Montreal.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 229-30</ref> In November, Simenon met Denyse Ouimet, a 25-year-old French-Canadian, with whom he started an affair and hired as his secretary. Denyse moved into the Simenon home in January 1946,<ref name=":02">Marnham (1994). pp. 229-233</ref> and several weeks later told Régine that she was his new lover.<ref>Bresler (1983). p. 163</ref> Simenon fictionalised his affair with Denyse in his novels ''Trois chambres à Manhattan'' (''Three Bedrooms in Manhattan'') (1947) and ''Lettre à mon juge'' (''Act of Passion'') (1947).<ref name=":02" />

The Simenons and Denyse drove to Florida in the summer of 1946, and then visited Cuba in order to arrange for permanent residence visas for the United States. It was in Florida that Simenon wrote ''Lettre à mon juge'', widely considered one of his major works.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 236-40</ref>

In June 1947, the Simenons moved to Arizona. Boule joined them there in 1948, after Régine dropped her objections to Simenon's desire to have a wife and two lovers in his household. Simenon continued to write quickly, working from 6 am to 9 am daily, and averaging 4,500 words a day. While in Arizona, Simenon wrote two Maigret novels and several ''romans durs'' (hard novels) including ''La neige était sale'' (''The Snow Was Dirty'') (1948), one of his major works.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 240-44</ref> The 1951 American paperback edition of this novel sold 2 million copies.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 251</ref>

Denyse became pregnant in early 1949, and Simenon asked Régine for a divorce. Denyse gave birth to Jean Dennis Chrétien Simenon (known as John) on 29 September.<ref>Bresler (1983). pp. 172-74</ref> Régine had moved to California with Marc and Boule, and Simenon, Denyse and the baby soon moved to [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|Carmel-by-the-Sea]] where they would be close to Marc. The divorce was granted in Nevada on 21 June 1950. Simenon married Denyse the following day.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 246-251</ref>

The newly-weds moved to [[Lakeville, Connecticut]]  and also rented a house in nearby Salmon Creek for Régine, Marc and Boule. In the five years he lived in Connecticut, Simenon wrote 13 Maigret novels and 14 ''romans durs'' including the major works ''La mort de Belle'' (''Belle'') (1952) and ''L'horloger d'Everton'' (''The Watchmaker of Everton'') (1954).<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 253</ref>

While living in Connecticut, Simenon's book sales increased to an estimated 3 million a year, and he was elected president of the [[Mystery Writers of America]]. Simenon and Denyse made two trips to Europe, in 1952 and 1954. On the 1952 trip, Simenon was admitted to the Royal Belgian Academy.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 255-56, 259-64</ref> In February 1953, Denyse gave birth to a daughter, Marie-Georges Simenon (known as Marie-Jo).<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 248</ref> By this time, Boule had moved in with Denyse and Simenon and had resumed her position as his lover.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 268</ref>

By 1955, Simenon had become disillusioned with America and concerned that Denyse, who wanted to live in Europe, was becoming more distant from him. In March, Simenon, Denyse and Boule left for a European holiday and were never to return to live in America.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 269-272</ref>

==Return to Europe, 1955–1989==
[[File:Georges Simenon (1963) by Erling Mandelmann.jpg|thumb|left|Simenon, 1963 by [[Erling Mandelmann]]]]

The Simenons took up residence in France at [[Mougins]], near Cannes, while Régine and Marc lived in a hotel nearby. Simenon wrote two Maigret novels and two ''romans durs'' during his first six months on the [[French Riviera]], but was still searching for a permanent home. In July 1957, the Simenons and Boule moved to the Château d'Echandens near Lausanne, Switzerland, and were to remain there for seven years.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 272-3, 281</ref>

In May 1959, Denyse gave birth to a son, Pierre, who soon became seriously ill but survived a difficult first year.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 290.</ref> In December 1961, Simenon and Denyse employed Teresa Sburelin, a young Italian woman, as a maid. Teresa soon became Simenon's lover and was to remain his companion for the rest of his life.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 282</ref>

Simenon continued to produce novels at a rate of three to five a year at Enchandens, including two of his most notable, ''Le président'' (''The Premier'') (1958) and ''Les anneaux de Bicêtre'' (''The Patient'') (1963).<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 281</ref>

However, the relationship between Denyse and Simenon was deteriorating. They were both drinking heavily<ref>Besler (1983). pp. 193-4, 199</ref> and Simenon admitted that he had hit her.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 293</ref> In June 1962 Denyse was persuaded to admit herself to a mental health clinic for several months.<ref>Manheim (1994). p. 291</ref> In 1961 the Simenons had decided to build a new house at Epalinges in the heights above Lausanne. The house was completed in December 1963, but Denyse lived there for only a few months before returning to the clinic.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 291-92</ref>

Denyse left Epalinges for the last time in April 1964. In November Simenon dismissed Boule, who went to live with Marc, who was now married with children.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 299</ref>

Although Simenon never divorced Denyse, he was now living with his companion, Teresa, and three of his children: John, Marie-Jo, and Pierre. He continued to work steadily, completing three to four books a year from 1965 to 1971, including the important works ''Le petit saint'' (The Little Saint) (1965) and ''Le chat'' (The Cat) (1967).<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 298, 302</ref>

In February 1973 Simenon announced that he was retiring from writing. A few months later he and Teresa moved into a small house in Lausanne. He produced no new fiction from that date, but he dictated 21 volumes of memoirs.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 306-07, 309</ref>

In May 1978 Simenon's daughter, Marie-Jo, killed herself in Paris at the age of 25. In his final volume of memoirs, ''Mémoires intimes'' (''Intimate memoirs'') (1981), he wrote, "One never recovers from the loss of a daughter one has cherished. It leaves a void that nothing can fill."<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 309</ref>

Simenon underwent a brain operation in 1984 but made a full recovery. From late 1988 he was confined to a wheelchair. He died on 4 September 1989, following a fall.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 320</ref>

==Works and critical reception==
Simenon's published works include 192 novels written under his own name,<ref name=":05">{{Cite book |last=Alavoine |first=Bernard |title=Georges Simenon, Parcours d'une œuvre |publisher=Encrage Édition |year=1998 |isbn=978-2-36058-943-2 |pages=94 |language=fr}}</ref> over 200 novels written under various pseudonyms, four autobiographies and 21 volumes of memoirs.<ref name=":03">Marnham (1994). pp. 2-3</ref> He also wrote a large quantity of short fiction. His novels had sold over 500 million copies by the time of his death, making him one of the highest selling novelists in history.<ref name=":03" /> In 2008, [[The Times]] named Simenon the second greatest crime writer of all time after [[Patricia Highsmith]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Forshaw|first1=Barry|title=The 50 Greatest Crime Writers, No 2: Georges Simenon|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3767261.ece|date=April 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706140904/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3767261.ece |archive-date=6 July 2008 }}</ref>

Simenon's fiction is often classified into his early pseudonymous popular novels, the last of which was written in 1933;<ref>Marnham (1994) p. 147</ref> his fiction featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jules Maigret (75 novels and 28 short stories);<ref name=":05" /> and his 117 literary novels which he called ''romans durs'' ("hard novels").<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 147, 329</ref>

=== Maigret novels ===
{{Main|Jules Maigret}}
The first Maigret novel published under Simenon's name was ''Pietr-le-Letton'' (''Pietr the Latvian'') which was serialised in 1930. The last Maigret novel was ''Maigret et M. Charles'' (''Maigret and Monsieur Charles'') published in 1972.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 131-2, 329</ref>

The early Maigret novels generally received positive reviews and were acknowledged as an attempt to raise the standard of the French crime novel. Several critics, however, made fun of the speed with which they were written. ''[[Le Canard enchaîné|Le Canard Enchaîné]]'' told its readers, "Monsieur Georges Simenon makes his living by killing someone every month and then discovering the murderer."<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 134, 158</ref>[[File:2003 Belgium 10 euro Georges Simenon back.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Belgium)#2003coinage|The 100 Years of Georges Simenon coin]]]]The Maigret stories are short and characterised by their simple writing style and a deliberately restricted vocabulary (which Simenon estimated was limited to 2000 words). Simenon stated that his Maigret novels were designed to be read by people of average education in a single sitting.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 141-2</ref><ref>Besler (1983). p. 2</ref>

[[Patrick Marnham]], [[Scott Bradfield]] and others state that the early Maigrets were innovative because the detective doesn't hunt for clues or use deduction to find the guilty party, but rather immerses himself in the life and environment of the victim and suspected criminal. In most cases, Maigret seeks to understand the criminal rather than judge him.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 132-3, 136.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bradfield |first=Scott |date=20 February 2015 |title=The case of Georges Simenon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/22/books/review/the-case-of-georges-simenon.html |access-date=5 February 2023 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>Besler (1983) p 79</ref>

Simenon stated that his Maigret stories often deal with more serious themes than those of his other novels.<ref>Besler p. 83-4</ref> Recurrent themes include political influence over the justice system, snobbery and class divisions, and the role of social background and pure chance in determining whether an individual becomes a criminal or a respected member of society.<ref>Marnham (1994) p. 135, 145-46</ref>

Marnham, Fenton Besler and others have pointed out that the plots of the Maigret novels are often implausible and internally inconsistent.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 135, 143</ref><ref>Besler (1983). pp. 78-79</ref> However critics have praised Simenon's ability to evoke concisely the atmosphere of a particular place and to provide insights into human psychology.<ref>Besler (1983) pp. 80-81</ref> Referring to ''The Saint-Fiacre Affair'', John Banville wrote, "The story is silly, as usual, but the evocation of the little town and its people makes such considerations irrelevant."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Banville |first=John |date=11 January 2020 |title=Maigret and the Master |pages=8 |work=Financial Times}}</ref>

=== ''Romans durs'' ("hard novels") ===
Simenon suspended his writing of Maigret stories in 1933 in order to concentrate on the literary novels he called ''romans durs''. In 1937 he stated that his aim was to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 147-8</ref>

Simenon defined the novel as, "a passion which completely possesses and enslaves the writer and permits him to exorcise his demons by giving them form and casting them out into the world."<ref name="Besler 1983. p. 7">Besler (1983). p. 7</ref> His novels were about "the naked man, the one who looks at himself in the mirror while shaving and has no illusions about himself."<ref name="Besler 1983. p. 7"/>

[[Michel Lemoine]] has elaborated on this, stating, "There is hardly a character in all the Simenon canon who does not ask, 'Who am I? What have I done with my life?"<ref>Besler (1983). 103</ref>[[File:Banc Georges Simenon, Liège.jpg|thumb|Bench and sculpture dedicated to Simenon in his home city of Liège]]Biographer Fenton Besler described the ''roman durs'' as "psychological thrillers...in which he explores the darkest corners of the human mind and, in tautly written prose, creates an atmosphere which is sinister and entirely his own."<ref>Besler (1983). pp. 1-2</ref> According to Besler, it doesn't matter whether Simenon's novels are set in France, Africa, Tahiti or America, the characters live the same traumas and despair, only "with their problems and anxieties accentuated by the local setting."<ref>Besler (1983). pp. 103-4</ref>

Biographer Patrick Marnham states that Simenon's earliest ''romans durs'' contain many of Simenon's typical themes: the street life of Paris, prostitution, the drudgery of domestic servants and shop assistants, police corruption and the hope of escape represented by railway stations. He compares Simenon's preoccupation with the "little people" with that of Balzac.<ref name=":3">Marnham (1994). pp. 173-4</ref> According to Marnham, there is also a strong autobiographical strain in his fiction, where events which Simenon had experienced were lightly fictionalised and then taken to a social, criminal or psychological extreme.<ref>Marnham (1994). pp. 174-7</ref>

Simenon's ''romans durs'' soon gained a high reputation among other writers, with Max Jacob, François Mauriac and André Gide among his admirers.<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 173-4</ref> Nevertheless, the academic and critical reception of his novels in France and the United States was mixed, which [[Ralph Ingersoll (PM publisher)|Ralph Ingersoll]], [[Brendan Gill]] and [https://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/bandy/sigaux-collection.php Gilbert Sigaux] have attributed to suspicion about their popularity and the speed with which they were written.<ref>Besler (1983). p. 181</ref>

Simenon's most acclaimed novels include ''Monsieur Hire's Engagement'' (1933),<ref name=":4">{{cite web |title=The Simenon Year - Le Soir magazine - 2003 |url=http://www.trussel.com/maig/ls03-pleiade-e.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173148/http://www.trussel.com/maig/ls03-pleiade-e.htm |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=23 June 2015 |work=trussel.com}}</ref> ''The Man who Watched the Trains Go By'' (1938),<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 165</ref>  ''Monsieur Monde Vanishes (1945),<ref>Besler (1983). p. 222</ref> Act of Passion (1947),<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 237</ref>'' ''The Snow was Dirty'' (1948),<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 244</ref>  ''Red Lights'' (1953),<ref>Marnham (1994). p.p. 265-6</ref> and ''The Little Saint'' (1967).<ref name=":4" />

== Honours and legacy ==

* President of the Mystery Writers of America (1952)<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 256</ref>
* Member of Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium (1952)<ref>Marnham (1994). p. 264</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Acadamé Royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique |title=Nouvelle Biographie Nationale |publisher=Acadamé Royale de Belgique |year=1997 |volume=4 |location=Brussels |pages=354–9 |language=fr}}</ref>
* Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1955)<ref name=":5" />
* Honorary Member of American Academy of Arts and Letters (1971)<ref>{{Cite web |date=1971 |title=Member search "Georges Simenon" |url=https://artsandletters.org/?s=Simenon |access-date=7 February 2023 |website=American Academy of Arts and Letters}}</ref>

In 2003, the collection [[Bibliothèque de la Pléiade|La Pléiade]] published 21 of Simenon's novels in two volumes. The novels were selected by Professor [[Jacques Dubois (Walloon Professor)|Jacques Dubois]], President of the Centre for Georges Simenon Studies at the [[Université de Liège]], and his assistant Benoît Denis, both experts on Simenon.<ref name=":4"/> A third volume of eight novels and two autobiographical works was published in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009 |title=Georges Simenon, Pedigree et autres romans |url=https://www.la-pleiade.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Bibliotheque-de-la-Pleiade/Pedigree-et-autres-romans |access-date=8 February 2023 |website=La Pléiade |language=fr}}</ref>

== Selected works ==
{{Main|Georges Simenon bibliography}}

The following works were selected for inclusion in the ''Pléiade'' editions of the works of Georges Simenon. The French title and year of first publication in France is given first, followed by the titles of major English translations published in book form. Unless otherwise specified, the sources for the French title and publication date are Bernard Alavoine,<ref name=":06">{{Cite book |last=Alavoine |first=Bernard |title=Georges Simenon, Parcours d'une œuvre |publisher=Encrage Édition |year=1998 |isbn=978-2-36058-943-2 |language=fr}}</ref> Trudee Young,<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Young |first=Trudee |title=Georges Simenon, a checklist of his "Maigret" and other mystery novels and short stories in French and in English translations |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |year=1976 |isbn=0810809648 |location=Metuchen, NJ}}</ref> ''Tout Simenon''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Simenon |first=Georges |title=Tout Simenon (27 volumes) |publisher=Press de la Cité/Omnibus |year=1988–1993 |language=fr}}</ref> and ''Tout Maigret.''<ref name=":32">{{Cite book |last=Simenon |first=Georges |title=Tout Maigret (10 volumes) |publisher=Omnibus |year=2003–2007 |isbn=9782258073401 |editor-last= |editor-first= |location=Paris}}</ref> The sources for the titles of English translations are Trudee Young,<ref name=":12" />  Barry Forshaw,<ref name=":43">{{Cite book |last=Forshaw |first=Barry |title=Simenon, The Man, The Books, The Films, A 21st Century Guide |publisher=Oldcastle Books |year=2022 |isbn=978-0857304162 |location=UK}}</ref> Patrick Marnham<ref>Marnham, Patrick (1994). pp. 326-334</ref> and Penguin UK.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Georges Simenon |url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/9482/georges-simenon |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=Penguin UK}}</ref>

* ''Le Charretier de la 'Providence'<nowiki/>'' (1931) (''[[The Crime at Lock 14]]''; ''Maigret Meets a Milord''; ''Lock 14''; ''The Carter of 'La Providence''')
* ''L'Affaire Saint-Fiacre'' (1932) (''The Saint-Fiacre Affair''; ''[[Maigret Goes Home]]'')
* ''[[Les Fiançailles de M. Hire]]'' (1933) (''The Engagement''; ''Monsieur Hire's Engagement'')
* ''Le Coup de lune'' (1933) (''[[Tropic Moon]]'')
* ''La Maison du canal'' (1933) (''The House by the Canal'')
* ''Les Gens d'en face'' (1933) (''The Window Over the Way''; ''The People Opposite'')
* ''Les Trois crimes de mes amis'' (1938) (The Three Crimes of my Friends, untranslated)
* ''L'Homme qui regardait passer les trains'' (1938) (''[[The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By (novel)|The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By]]'')
* ''[[Le Bourgmestre de Furnes]]'' (1939) (''The Bourgomaster of Furnes'')
* ''Les Inconnus dans la maison'' (1940) (''[[The Strangers in the House]]'')
* ''Malempin'' (1940) (''The Family Lie'')
* ''[[La Veuve Couderc]]'' (1942) (''Ticket of Leave''; ''The Widow''; ''The Widow Couderc'')
* ''La Vérité sur Bébé Donge'' (1942) (''The Trial of Bébé Donge''; ''I Take this Woman'')
* ''Je me souviens'' (1945) (I Remember, untranslated)
* ''Lettre à mon juge'' (1947) (''[[Act of Passion]]'')
* ''La Neige était sale'' (1948) (''The Snow Was Black''; ''The Stain on the Snow''; ''Dirty Snow''; ''The Snow was Dirty'')
* ''[[Pedigree (novel)|Pedigree]]'' (1948) (''Pedigree'')
* ''Les Mémoires de Maigret'' (1951) (''[[Maigret's Memoirs]]'')
* ''La Mort de Belle'' (1952) (''Belle'')
* ''Maigret et l'homme du banc'' (1953) (''[[Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard]]''; ''Maigret and the Man on the Bench'')
* ''L'Horloger d'Everton'' (1954) (''[[The Watchmaker of Everton]]'')
* ''Les Complices'' (1956) (''The Accomplices'')
* ''Le Président'' (1958) (''The Premier'')
* ''Le Train'' (1961) (''The Train'')
* ''Les Autres'' (1962) (''The Others''; ''The House On Quai Notre Dame'')
* ''Maigret et les braves gens'' (1962) (''Maigret and the Black Sheep''; ''Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse'')
* ''Les Anneaux de Bicêtre'' (1963) (''The Patient''; ''The Bells of Bicêtre'')
* ''La Chambre bleue'' (1964) (''The Blue Room'')
* ''Le Petit Saint'' (1965) (''The Little Saint'')
* ''Le Chat'' (1967) (''[[The Cat (novel)|The Cat]]'')
* ''Lettre à ma mère'' (1974) (''Letter to My Mother'')

==Film adaptations==
Simenon's work has been widely adapted to cinema and television. He is credited on at least 171 productions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799442/|title=Georges Simenon|work=IMDb|access-date=23 June 2015|archive-date=10 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150810193731/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799442/|url-status=live}}</ref> Notable films include:
*''[[Night at the Crossroads]]'' (''La nuit du carrefour'', France, 1932), written and directed by [[Jean Renoir]], starring [[Pierre Renoir]] as Maigret<!--18 April 1932-->
*''[[The Yellow Dog (1932 film)|The Yellow Dog]]'' (''Le chien jaune'', France, 1932), directed by [[Jean Tarride]], starring [[Abel Tarride]] as Maigret<!--29 June 1932-->
*''[[A Man's Neck (film)|A Man's Neck]]'' (France, 1933), directed by [[Julien Duvivier]], starring [[Harry Baur]] as Maigret<!--18 February 1933-->
*''La Maison des sept jeunes filles'' (France, 1942), directed by [[Albert Valentin]]<!--6 February 1942-->
*''[[Annette and the Blonde Woman]]'' (''Annette et la dame blonde'', France, 1942), adapted by [[Henri Decoin]], directed by [[Jean Dréville]]<!--16 March 1942-->
*''[[The Strangers in the House (film)|The Strangers in the House]]'' (''Les inconnus dans la maison'', France, 1942), adapted by [[Henri-Georges Clouzot]] & [[Henri Decoin]], directed by [[Henri Decoin]]<!--16 May 1942-->
*''Monsieur La Souris'' (France, 1942), directed by [[Georges Lacombe (director)|Georges Lacombe]]<!--14 October 1942-->
*''Picpus'' (France, 1943), directed by [[Richard Pottier]], starring [[Albert Préjean]] as Maigret<!--12 February 1943-->
*''[[Strange Inheritance (film)|Strange Inheritance]]'' (''Le voyageur de la Toussaint'', France, 1943), adapted from ''[[Strange Inheritance (novel)|Strange Inheritance]]'', directed by [[Louis Daquin]]<!--8 April 1943-->
*''[[The Man from London (1943 film)|The Man from London]]'' (''L'Homme de Londres'', France, 1943), directed by [[Henri Decoin]]<!--20 October 1943-->
*''[[Cecile Is Dead]]'' (''Cécile est morte'', France 1944), adapted by [[Jean-Paul Le Chanois]] & [[Michel Duran]], directed by [[Maurice Tourneur]], starring [[Albert Préjean]] as Maigret<!--8 March 1944-->
*''[[Majestic Hotel Cellars]]'' (''Les caves du Majestic'', France, 1945), directed by [[Richard Pottier]], starring [[Albert Préjean]] as Maigret<!--11 August 1945-->
*''[[Panic (1946 film)|Panic]]'' (''Panique'', France, 1946), adapted from ''[[Les Fiançailles de M. Hire|Les fiançailles de M. Hire]]'', directed by [[Julien Duvivier]]<!--15 January 1947-->
*''[[Temptation Harbour]]'' (UK, 1947), adapted from ''L'homme de Londres'' (''Newhaven-Dieppe''), directed by [[Lance Comfort]]<!--27 February 1947-->
*''[[Last Refuge]]'' (''Dernier Refuge'', France, 1947), adapted from ''Le locataire'', directed by Marc Maurette<!--27 August 1947-->
*''[[The Man on the Eiffel Tower]]'' (1949), adapted from ''[[A Battle of Nerves|La tête d'un homme]]'', directed by [[Burgess Meredith]], starring [[Charles Laughton]] as Maigret<!--12 December 1949-->
*''[[Marie of the Port (film)|Marie of the Port]]'' (''La Marie du port'', France, 1950), directed by [[Marcel Carné]]<!--25 February 1950-->
*''[[Midnight Episode]]'' (UK, 1950), adapted from ''Monsieur La Souris'', directed by [[Gordon Parry (film director)|Gordon Parry]]<!--31 December 1950-->
*''[[La Vérité sur Bébé Donge]]'' (France, 1952), directed by [[Henri Decoin]]<!--13 February 1952-->
*''{{Ill|Brelan d'as|fr|3=Brelan d'as (film, 1952)}}'' (France, 1952), [[anthology film]], directed by [[Henri Verneuil]], starring [[Michel Simon]] as Maigret<!--12 September 1952-->
*''[[Forbidden Fruit (1952 film)|Forbidden Fruit]]'' (''Le Fruit défendu'', France, 1952), directed by [[Henri Verneuil]]<!--24 September 1952-->
*''[[The Man Who Watched Trains Go By]]'' (UK, 1952), adapted from ''[[The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By (novel)|L'Homme qui regardait passer les trains]]'', directed by [[Harold French]]<!--December 1952-->
*''La neige était sale'' (France, 1953), directed by [[Luis Saslavsky]]<!--26 March 1953-->
*''Maigret dirige l'enquête'' (France, 1956), adapted from ''Cécile est morte'', directed by Stany Cordier, starring [[Maurice Manson]] as Maigret<!--25 January 1956-->
*''[[A Life in the Balance]]'' (1955), adapted from ''Sept petites croix dans un carnet'', directed by [[Harry Horner]] and [[Rafael Portillo]]<!--1 July 1955-->
*''[[The Bottom of the Bottle]]'' (1956), adapted from ''[[The Bottom of the Bottle (novel)|Le fond de la bouteille]]'', directed by [[Henry Hathaway]]<!--1 February 1956-->
*''Le Sang à la tête'' (France, 1956), adapted from ''Le Fils Cardinaud'', directed by [[Gilles Grangier]] and starring [[Jean Gabin]]<!--10 August 1956-->
*''[[The Brothers Rico]]'' (1957), directed by [[Phil Karlson]]
*''[[Maigret Sets a Trap (film)|Maigret Sets a Trap]]'' (''Maigret tend un piège'', France, 1958), written and directed by [[Jean Delannoy]], starring [[Jean Gabin]] as Maigret, [[Edgar Award]] for Best Foreign Film from the [[Mystery Writers of America]] in 1959<!--29 January 1958-->
*''[[The Stowaway (1958 film)|The Stowaway]]'' (Australia, 1958), adapted from ''Le passager clandestin'', directed by [[Lee Robinson (director)|Lee Robinson]] and [[Ralph Habib]]<!--22 March 1958--><ref name="stow">{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|access-date=22 June 2025|date=22 June 2025|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/the-films-of-lee-robinson-and-chips-rafferty-part-5-the-stowaway/|title=The films of Lee Robinson and Chips Rafferty Part 5: The Stowaway}}</ref>
*''[[In Case of Adversity]]'' (''En cas de malheur'', France, 1958), directed by [[Claude Autant-Lara]]<!--17 September 1958-->
*''Maigret et l'affaire Saint-Fiacre'' (France, 1959), written and directed by [[Jean Delannoy]], starring [[Jean Gabin]] as Maigret<!--2 September 1959-->
*''[[Le Baron de l'écluse]]'' (France, 1960), directed by [[Jean Delannoy]] and starring [[Jean Gabin]]<!--13 April 1960-->
*''[[Maigret (1960 TV series)|Maigret]]'' (UK, TV series, 51 episodes, 1960–1963), starring [[Rupert Davies]] as Maigret<!--since 31 October 1960-->
*''[[The President (1961 film)|The President]]'' (''Le Président'', France, 1961), directed by [[Henri Verneuil]] and starring [[Jean Gabin]]<!--1 March 1961-->
*''[[Passion of Slow Fire|The Passion of Slow Fire]]'' (''La mort de Belle'', France, 1961), directed by [[Édouard Molinaro]]<!--3 March 1961-->
*''[[Emile's Boat]]'' (''Le bateau d'Émile'', France, 1962), directed by [[Denys de La Patellière]]<!--3 March 1962-->
*''Maigret voit rouge'' (France, 1963), adapted from ''Maigret, Lognon et les gangsters'', directed by [[Gilles Grangier]], starring [[Jean Gabin]] as Maigret<!--18 September 1963-->
*''[[Magnet of Doom]]'' (''L'aîné des Ferchaux'', France, 1963), directed by [[Jean-Pierre Melville]]<!--25 September 1963 (Italy)-->
*''[[Le inchieste del commissario Maigret]]'' (Italy, TV series, 16 episodes, 1964–1972), starring [[Gino Cervi]] as Maigret<!--since 27 December 1964-->
*''[[Three Rooms in Manhattan]]'' (''Trois chambres à Manhattan'', France, 1965), directed by [[Marcel Carné]]<!--10 November 1965-->
*''{{Ill|Maigret und sein größter Fall|de}}'' (West Germany, 1966), adapted from ''[[Maigret at the Gai-Moulin|La Danseuse du Gai-Moulin]]'', directed by [[Alfred Weidenmann]], starring [[Heinz Rühmann]] as Maigret<!--24 November 1966-->
*''[[Maigret a Pigalle]]'' (Italy, 1966), adapted from ''[[Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper|Maigret au "Picratt's"]]'', directed by [[Mario Landi]], starring [[Gino Cervi]] as Maigret<!--30 December 1966-->
*''[[Thirteen Against Fate]]'' (British TV series, 1966), thought lost, now all recovered
*''[[Stranger in the House (1967 film)|Stranger in the House]]'' (UK, 1967), adapted from ''[[The Strangers in the House|Les inconnus dans la maison]]'', directed by Pierre Rouve<!--23 May 1967-->
*''Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret'' (France, TV series, 88 episodes, 1967–1990), starring [[Jean Richard (actor)|Jean Richard]] as Maigret<!--since 14 October 1967 -->
*''[[Le Chat (film)|Le chat]]'' (France, 1971), directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]]<!--24 April 1971-->
*''[[The Widow Couderc]]'' (''La veuve Couderc'', France, 1971), directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]]<!--13 October 1971-->
*''[[The Train (1973 film)|The Train]]'' (''Le train'', France, 1971), directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]]<!--31 October 1973-->
*''[[The Clockmaker]]'' (''L'horloger de Saint-Paul'', France, 1974), directed by [[Bertrand Tavernier]]<!--16 January 1974-->
*''Armchair Cinema: The Prison'' (Euston Films/Thames Television, 1974), adapted from "La prison"<!--28 May 1974-->
*''{{Ill|The Murderer (1979 film)|de|3=Der Mörder (1979)|lt=The Murderer}}'' (West Germany, 1979), directed by [[Ottokar Runze]]
*''[[L'Étoile du Nord (film)|L'Étoile du Nord]]'' (France, 1982), directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]]<!--31 March 1982-->
*''[[The Hatter's Ghost]]'' (''Les Fantômes du Chapelier'', France, 1982), written and directed by [[Claude Chabrol]]<!--25 May 1982-->
*''Équateur'' (France, 1983), written and directed by [[Serge Gainsbourg]]
*''[[Maigret (1988 film)|Maigret]]'' (1988) appeared on ITV casting [[Richard Harris]] in the lead role.
*''[[Monsieur Hire]]'' (France, 1989), written and directed by [[Patrice Leconte]]
*''Seven Days After Murder'' (Azerbaijan & Russia, 1991), written by [[Rustam Ibragimbekov]], directed by [[Rasim Ojagov]]
*''[[Maigret (1991 TV series)|Maigret]]'' (France, TV series, 54 episodes, 1991–2005), starring [[Bruno Cremer]] as Maigret<!--since 1 December 1991-->
* [[Granada Television]] produced an adaptation of ''Maigret'' for ITV in 1992 and 1993 in which [[Michael Gambon]] starred as Maigret; there were 12 adaptations in the two series.
*''[[Betty (film)|Betty]]'' (France, 1992), written and directed by [[Claude Chabrol]]
*''[[El pasajero clandestino]]'' (Spain, 1995), adapted from ''Le passager clandestin'', directed by [[Agustí Villaronga]]
*''[[La Maison du canal]]'' (France and Belgium, 2003), directed by [[Alain Berliner]]
*''[[Red Lights (2004 film)|Red Lights]]'' (France, 2004), directed by [[Cédric Kahn]]
*''[[The Man from London]]'' (Hungary, 2007), written and directed by [[Béla Tarr]]
*''[[The Blue Room (2014 film)|The Blue Room]]'' (France, 2014), written and directed by [[Mathieu Amalric]]
*''La boule Noire'' (France, 2014), directed by Denis Malleval
*''[[Maigret (2016 TV series)|Maigret]]'' (UK, TV series, 4 episodes, 2016-2017), starring [[Rowan Atkinson]] as Maigret
*''[[Maigret (2022 film)|Maigret]]'' (France, 2022), directed by [[Patrice Leconte]] and featuring [[Gérard Depardieu|Gérard Dépardieu]] as Maigret
*''[[Maigret (2025 TV series) |Maigret]]'' (UK, TV series, since 2025 in US), starring [[Benjamin Wainwright (actor)|Benjamin Wainwright]] as Maigret

==Stage adaptations==
*''The Red Barn'', written by [[David Hare (playwright)|David Hare]] and based on the novel ''La Main'' (English title ''[[The Man on the Bench in the Barn]]''). Directed by [[Robert Icke]] at the [[Royal National Theatre|Lyttelton Theatre]], London, in October 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tripney|first1=Natasha|title=The Red Barn review at National Theatre, London|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2016/the-red-barn-review-at-the-lyttelton-national-theatre/|work=The Stage|date=17 October 2016|access-date=16 November 2016|archive-date=17 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117065728/https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2016/the-red-barn-review-at-the-lyttelton-national-theatre/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Carter, David. ''The Pocket Essential Georges Simenon''. [[The Pocket Essentials]], 2003.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Wenger, Murielle, and Stephen Trussel, ''Maigret's World: A Reader's Companion to Simenon's Famous Detective'' (McFarland, 2017).

===Biographies===
*{{cite book|last1=Bresler|first1=Fenton|title=The Mystery of Georges Simenon: A Biography|date=1987|publisher=Stein & Day|location=New York|isbn=0812862414}}
*{{cite book|last1=Assouline|first1=Pierre|title=Simenon: A Biography|date=1992|publisher=Knopf|location=New York|isbn=0679402853|url=https://archive.org/details/simenonbiography00asso}}
*{{cite book |last1=Marnham |first1=Patrick |title=[[The Man Who Wasn't Maigret|The Man who wasn't Maigret, A Portrait of Georges Simenon]] |publisher=Harvest/Harcourt Brace & Company |location=New York |year=1994 |isbn=0156000598}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{cite journal| url=http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/5020/the-art-of-fiction-no-9-georges-simenon| journal= The Paris Review| title= Georges Simenon, The Art of Fiction No. 9| author= Carvel Collins| date=Summer 1955 | volume= Summer 1955| issue= 9}}
*[http://web.philo.ulg.ac.be/cegs/ Centre d'études Georges Simenon et Fonds Simenon de l'Université de Liège ]
* {{Books and Writers |id=simenon |name=Georges Simenon}}
*[http://www.trussel.com/f_maig.htm Simenon's Inspector Maigret] - Includes complete bibliography and English translation checklist
*[http://www.nybooks.com/books/authors/georges-simenon/ Simenon at ''New York Review of Books'']
*[http://www.petersfraserdunlop.com/estates/georges-simenon Simenon's Estate at Peters Fraser & Dunlop]
*[http://www.toutsimenon.com/oeuvre/tout-simenon.html Simenon - All Works (french)]
*[http://www.georgessimenon.co.uk Georges Simenon UK - official author website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306101308/https://georgessimenon.co.uk/ |date=6 March 2021 }}
*{{Internet Archive author |sname=Georges Simenon}}

{{Georges Simenon}}
{{Maigret}}
{{Cannes Film Festival jury presidents}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simenon, Georges}}
[[Category:Georges Simenon| ]]
[[Category:1903 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Liège]]
[[Category:Writers of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction]]
[[Category:Belgian mystery writers]]
[[Category:French-language Belgian writers]]
[[Category:Edgar Award winners]]
[[Category:Belgian crime fiction writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Belgian novelists]]
[[Category:Belgian male novelists]]
[[Category:Psychological fiction writers]]
[[Category:Belgian people of Dutch descent]]
[[Category:Belgian people of German descent]]
[[Category:People from Lakeville, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Members of the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique]]