Georges Simenon

Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, on February 13, 1903. After studying with the Jesuits, he became an apprentice pastry chef in 1919, then a bookstore clerk, and finally, at the age of sixteen, a journalist for the "Gazette de Liège." His first novel, published under the pseudonym George Sim, titled "On the Bridge of Arts," was released in 1921, after which Simenon left Liège for Paris. He married painter Régine Renchon in Paris in 1923, where he wrote stories and serialized novels across various literary genres. In 1924, he published his first "popular" novel, "The Novel of a Typist," under a pseudonym. By 1930, he had published short stories and novels with several publishers. In 1931, his famous character, Inspector Maigret, began his investigations. Simenon wrote his books, traveled, sent reports, and left "Fayard" publishers to join "Gallimard," where he met André Gide. During the war, he was responsible for Belgian refugees in La Rochelle and lived in Vendée. In 1945, he emigrated to the United States. After his divorce, he returned to Europe. The publication of his complete works (72 volumes) began in 1967. In 1972, he decided to stop writing. He then devoted himself to his twenty-two "Dictations" and later composed the extensive memoirs "Memoires intimes" (1981). Georges Simenon died in Lausanne in 1989. Many of his novels have been adapted for film and television.