Simenon: A Biography (Hardcover)

by Pierre Assouline (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Belgian-born author, whose many novels include the mega-selling Inspector Maigret books, doesn't come across as a terribly nice man in this coolly detached biography by French editor Assouline. Simenon (1903-89) womanized flagrantly, promoted himself unabashedly, and, late in life, penned a series of controversial memoirs that unsparingly delineated his tortuous relations with his parents, wives, and children. He was also a dedicated writer as committed to growing artistically as to piling up royalties, and his complex personality--perceptively analyzed by Assouline--makes for engrossing reading.

From Library Journal
French editor and author Assouline, who has written a number of biographies (e.g., on the life of Parisian art gallery owner D.H. Kahnweiler, An Artful Life, Fromm Internat., 1991), probes in his latest the life and work of Georges Simenon, best known in the United States as the author of the Inspector Maigret mysteries. In fact, he wrote over 400 novels, in addition to uncounted newspaper articles and stories. He wrote quickly and disliked rewriting, which accounts, in part, for his prodigious output. For this biography, Assouline has amassed a wealth of information on his life, which rivaled his fiction for adventure and amazement (for example, he had a love affair with Josephine Baker, traveled about the European continent in his houseboat, and filmed an Inspector Maigret story with Jean Renoir). Mystery readers, especially fans of Maigret, will find this biography riveting, and all readers will find much to fascinate them in the life of Simenon. Recommended for public libraries.?Denise Johnson, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 447 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1st US edition (June 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679402853
• ISBN-13: 978-0679402855
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #925,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable writer., September 12, 2006

By	James Davison (Nashville, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Simenon: A Biography (Hardcover)

Every once and a while, a treasure awaits among the dusty remaindered volumes that sit neglected outside bookstores. Who could imagine that $2.99 could yield so many hours of pleasure? This excellent book follows the remarkable life of one the 20th century's most prodigious writers, Georges Simenon -- author of almost 400 novels. His office was a "factory" -- where he would often produce a novel within two weeks. One day for thinking and taking notes. Then he would obsessively sharpen a box of pencils, fill up a series of pipes (so as to waste no time) and sit down each day and write one chapter -- spending one final day for corrections and proofreading. But what is most remarkable about Simonon was a jewel-like qualities of each book, filled with brooding atmosphere, perfect characterizations, and authentic dialogues that were impossible to imitate. Simenon is often remembered for his detective stories featuring Jules Maigret, but his many other excellent books show a scope of range and topic that made the Belgian writer one of the most widely translated authors of the French language. Even more interesting than his books was Simenon himself -- a tireless self-promoter who once signed a contract (never executed) to write a two-week novel in a glass box on the Champs Elysees -- each page handed to a messenger so that it could be instantly translated into newsprint for his hungry audience. He almost married the legendary black dancer from America, Josephine Baker -- was close friends with Henry Miller, Coulette and Charlie Chaplain -- and boasted that he had made love to thousands of women. He traveled widely but his neighbors were often horrified to find their own private lives incorporated into the novels that churned out of his relentless typewriter. It was inevitable that he would suffer personal torment to generate such a vast body of work, but no matter -- it was worth it. If you have any doubts, take a few hours to read what was arguably his finest book -- "The Little Saint." -- JD