Simenon, a Critical Biography [Hardcover]

Stanley G. Eskin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0899502814 | ISBN-13: 978-0899502816 | Publication Date: June 1987

The most comprehensive account of Georges Simenon's life and work in either English or French--from his youth and adolescence in Belgium, through his spirited beginnings as a writer of pulp fiction in the Paris of the 20s, his invention of Maigret in 1930, his turn to "straight" fiction in the 30s, and from the 40s on, his prolific output of detective and "straight" fiction. His obsession with women and his major friendships (Jean Renoir, Charlie Chaplin, Thornton Wilder, and others) are detailed. Also, critical evaluations of his fiction (including the largely ignored pulp fiction), Simenon's relationship to "popular" traditions, literature, detective fiction, "high" literature and the critics are offered. The photographs are rare and revealing (e.g., with Josephine Baker, cutting up in a bistro.)

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The best critical study of the author" --The New Yorker (October 10, 2011)

"successful in conveying to the reader the size and complexity of Simenon's oevure" --Choice

"definitive" --Reference & Research Book News. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Stanley G. Eskin has taught at Yale, Bennington, Berkeley, and elsewhere and has been a Fulbright lecturer in Mexico and Guatemala. He has a Ph.D. from Columbia and lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (June 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0899502814
• ISBN-13: 978-0899502816
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,881,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.