Georges Simenon
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| + | "He eschews all rhetorical effect – there is rarely more than one [[simile]] per book, and no [[metaphor]]s, let alone anything approaching a symbol. There is text, but no subtext; there is plot but no subplot." --[[Julian Barnes]], 2014 | ||
| + | <hr> | ||
| + | "[[Kitsch]]'s enormous profits are a source of temptation to the avant-garde itself, and its members have not always resisted this temptation. Ambitious writers and artists will modify their work under the pressure of kitsch, if they do not succumb to it entirely. And then those puzzling [[borderline]] cases appear, such as the popular novelist, [[Georges Simenon|Simenon]], in France, and [[John Steinbeck|Steinbeck]] in this country. The net result is always to the detriment of true culture in any case." --"[[Avant-garde and Kitsch]]", Clement Greenberg, 1939 | ||
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| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| + | '''Georges Joseph Christian Simenon''' (February 13, 1903 – September 4, 1989) was a [[Belgian writer]]. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective [[Jules Maigret|Maigret]] and his "[[romans durs]]" such as ''[[Les Fiançailles de M. Hire]]''. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Simenon's works== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed. | ||
| + | |||
| + | He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring [[Maigret|Commissaire Maigret]]. The first novel in the series, ''Pietr-le-Letton'', appeared in [[1931]]; the last one, ''Maigret et M. Charles'', was published in [[1972]]. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films. | ||
| + | |||
| + | During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (''Trois chambres à Manhattan'' ([[1946]]), ''Maigret à New York'' ([[1947]]), ''Maigret se fâche'' ([[1947]])). | ||
| + | |||
| + | Simenon also wrote a large number of "[[romans durs]]", such as ''La neige était sale'' ([[1948]]) or ''Le fils'' ([[1957]]), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular ''Je me souviens'' ([[1945]]), ''Pedigree'' ([[1948]]), ''Mémoires intimes'' ([[1981]]). | ||
| + | |||
| + | In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the [[Mystery Writers of America#Grand Master Award|Grand Master Award]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In 2005 he was nominated for the title of [[De Grootste Belg]] (The Greatest Belgian). In the [[Flanders|Flemish]] version he ended 77th place. In the [[Walloon]] version he ended 10th place. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Film adaptations== | ||
| + | Simenon's work has been widely adapted to cinema and television. He is credited on at least 171 productions. Notable films include: | ||
| + | *''Armchair Cinema: The Prison'' (Euston Films/Thames Television, 1974), adapted from 'La Prison' | ||
| + | *''Night at the Crossroads'' (''La Nuit du Carrefour'', France, 1932), written and directed by [[Jean Renoir]], starring [[Pierre Renoir]] as Maigret | ||
| + | *''Strangers in the House'' (''Les Inconnus dans la Maison'', France, 1942), written by [[Henri-Georges Clouzot]] | ||
| + | *''Panic'' (''Panique'', France, 1946), written and directed by [[Julien Duvivier]] | ||
| + | *''[[Le voyageur de la Toussaint]]'' (France, 1943) | ||
| + | * ''[[Dernier Refuge]]'' (1947) | ||
| + | *''The Man on the Eiffel Tower'' (US, 1950), directed by [[Burgess Meredith]], starring [[Charles Laughton]] as Maigret | ||
| + | *''La Marie du Port'' (France, 1950), directed by [[Marcel Carné]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By]]'' (UK, 1952), directed by Harold French | ||
| + | *''[[The Bottom of the Bottle]]'' (United States, 1956), directed by [[Henry Hathaway]] | ||
| + | *''Inspector Maigret'' (''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 | ||
| + | *''[[The Stowaway (1958 film)|The Stowaway]]'' (1958), directed by [[Lee Robinson (director)|Lee Robinson]] adapted from ''Le Passager Clandestin'' | ||
| + | *''Love Is My Profession'' (''En Cas de Malheur'', France, 1958), directed by [[Claude Autant-Lara]] | ||
| + | *''Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case'' (''Maigret et l'Affaire Saint-Fiacre'', France, 1959), written and directed by [[Jean Delannoy]], starring [[Jean Gabin]] as Maigret | ||
| + | * ''Passion of Slow Fire'', also released as ''The End of Belle'', adapted from Simenon's novel "La Mort de Belle" (see [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=A105667]) | ||
| + | *''L'Aîné des Ferchaux'' (France, 1963), written and directed by [[Jean-Pierre Melville]] | ||
| + | *''Cop-Out'' (UK, 1967), written and directed by [[Pierre Rouve]] | ||
| + | *''[[Le Chat (film)|Le Chat]]'', France, 1971), written and directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]] | ||
| + | *''The Widow Couderc'' (''La Veuve Couderc'', France, 1971), written and directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]] | ||
| + | *''[[The Clockmaker]]'' (''L'Horloger de Saint-Paul'', France, 1974), written and directed by [[Bertrand Tavernier]] | ||
| + | *''The Hatter's Ghost'' (''Les Fantômes du Chapelier'', France, 1982), written and directed by [[Claude Chabrol]] | ||
| + | *''[[L'Étoile du Nord (film)|L'Étoile du Nord]]'' (France, 1982), written and directed by [[Pierre Granier-Deferre]] | ||
| + | *''Équateur'' (France, 1983), written and directed by [[Serge Gainsbourg]] | ||
| + | *''[[Monsieur Hire]]'' (France, 1989), written and directed by [[Patrice Leconte]] | ||
| + | *''Betty'' (France, 1992), written and directed by [[Claude Chabrol]] | ||
| + | *''[[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]] | ||
| + | === Romans étapes vers le Roman total === | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Passager du Polarlys]]'' (1930) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Folle d'Ittevill]]e'' (1931) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Relais d’Alsace]]'' (juillet [[1931]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Maison du canal (roman)|La Maison du canal]]'' (1933) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Fiançailles de M. Hire]]'' (1933) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Coup de lune]]'' (1933) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Haut Mal]]'' (1933) | ||
| + | * ''[[L'Homme de Londres (roman)|L'Homme de Londres]]'' (1934, réédité en [[1976]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Locataire (roman)|Le locataire]]'' (1934) | ||
| + | * ''[[L’Assassin]]'' ([[1935]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Pitards]]'' (1935) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Clients d'Avrenos]]'' (1935) | ||
| + | * ''[[Quartier nègre]]'' (1935)qu'il écrit rapidement | ||
| + | * ''[[Ceux de la Soif]]'' (1935) | ||
| + | * ''[[45° à l'ombre|45 ° à l’ombre]]'' ([[1936]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Demoiselles de Concarneau]]'' (1936) | ||
| + | * ''[[L'Évadé]]'' (1936) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Testament Donadieu]]'' ([[1937]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[L'Homme qui regardait passer les trains]]'' ([[1938]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Marie du port (roman)|La Marie du port]]'' (1938) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Bourgmestre de Furnes]]'' (1938) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Sœurs Lacroix]]'' (1938) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Trois Crimes de mes amis]]'' (1938) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Rescapés du Télémaque]]'' (1938) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Coup de vague]]'' (1939) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Inconnus dans la maison (roman)|Les Inconnus dans la maison]]'' (1940) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (roman)|La Vérité sur Bébé Donge]]'' (1940, publié en 1942) | ||
| + | * ''[[Malempin]]'' (1940) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Rapports du gendarme]]'' ([[1941]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Voyageur de la Toussaint (roman)|Le Voyageur de la Toussaint]]'' (1941) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Veuve Couderc (roman)|La Veuve Couderc]]'' (écrit à Nieul en mai [[1940]], publié en 1942) | ||
| + | * ''[[Pedigree (roman)|Pedigree]]'' (projet écrit de décembre à janvier [[1943]], remanié et publié en 1948) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Fils Cardinaud]]'' (1943) | ||
| + | * ''[[L'Aîné des Ferchaux (roman)|L’Aîné des Ferchaux]]'' (1943) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Révolte du canari]]'' ([[1944]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Deuil de Fonsine]]'' (janvier [[1945]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Madame Quatre et ses enfants]]'' (janvier 1945) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Cercle des Mahé]]'' (1945) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Maison des sept jeunes filles]]'' (1945) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Fuite de monsieur Monde]]'' (1945) | ||
| + | * ''[[Trois chambres à Manhattan (roman)|Trois chambres à Manhattan]]'' ([[1946]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Un certain monsieur Berquin]]'' (août 1946) | ||
| + | * ''[[L'Escale de Buenaventura]]'' (août 1946) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Petits Cochons sans queue]]'' (novembre 1946) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Petit Restaurant des Ternes]]'' (janvier [[1947]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Petit Tailleur et le Chapelier]]'' (mars 1947) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Clan des Ostendais]]'' (1947) | ||
| + | * ''[[Au bout du rouleau]]'' (1947) | ||
| + | * ''[[Lettre à mon juge]]'' (1947) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Destin des Malou]]'' (1947) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Jument perdue]]'' (1948) | ||
| + | * ''[[La neige était sale (roman)|La neige était sale]]'' ([[1948]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Cas Maletras]]'' (1948) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Fantômes du chapelier (roman)|Les Fantômes du chapelier]]'' (1949) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Temps d’Anaïs]]'' ([[1950]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Volets verts]]'' (1950) | ||
| + | * ''[[Un nouveau dans la ville]]'' (1950) | ||
| + | * ''[[Sept petites croix dans un carnet]]'' (septembre 1950) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Mort de Belle (roman)|La Mort de Belle]]'' (écrit en décembre [[1951]], publié en 1952) | ||
| + | * ''[[Antoine et Julie]]'' ([[1952]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Feux rouges (roman)|Feux rouges]]'' (1953) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Grand Lot]]'' ([[1953]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[L'Horloger d'Everton]]'' (1954) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Grand Bob]]'' ([[1954]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Châle de Marie Dudon]]'' (1954) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Bateau d'Émile (roman)|Le Bateau d'Émile]]'' (1954) | ||
| + | * ''[[En cas de malheur (roman)|En cas de malheur]]'' (1956) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Fils (roman)|Le Fils]]'' (1957) | ||
| + | * ''[[Antoine (roman)|Antoine]]'' (1957) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Frères Rico]]'' (1957) | ||
| + | * ''[[Strip-tease (roman)|Strip-tease]]'' (1957) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Président (roman)|Le Président]]'' (1957) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Passage de la ligne]]'' ([[1958]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Dimanche (roman)|Dimanche]]'' (1958) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Vieille (roman)|La Vieille]]'' ([[1959]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Betty (roman)|Betty]]'' ([[1960]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Noces de Poitiers]]'' (1960) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Autres (roman)|Les Autres]]'' (1961) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Train (roman)|Le Train]]'' ([[1961]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Anneaux de Bicêtre (roman)|Les Anneaux de Bicêtre]]'' (écrit en octobre [[1962]], publié en 1963) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Petit Saint]]'' ([[1964]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Chambre bleue (roman)|La Chambre Bleue]]'' (1964) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Train de Venise]]'' ([[1965]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[La Mort d’Auguste]]'' ([[1966]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Riche Homme]]'' ([[1970]]) | ||
| + | * ''[[Le Petit Homme d'Arkhangelsk]]'' (1956) | ||
| + | * ''[[Novembre (roman)|Novembre]]'' (1969) | ||
| + | * ''[[La cage de verre]]'' (1971) | ||
| + | * ''[[Les Innocents (roman)|Les Innocents]]'' (1972) | ||
| + | |||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
| + | [[Category:Canon]] | ||
Revision as of 09:18, 13 November 2018
|
"He eschews all rhetorical effect – there is rarely more than one simile per book, and no metaphors, let alone anything approaching a symbol. There is text, but no subtext; there is plot but no subplot." --Julian Barnes, 2014 "Kitsch's enormous profits are a source of temptation to the avant-garde itself, and its members have not always resisted this temptation. Ambitious writers and artists will modify their work under the pressure of kitsch, if they do not succumb to it entirely. And then those puzzling borderline cases appear, such as the popular novelist, Simenon, in France, and Steinbeck in this country. The net result is always to the detriment of true culture in any case." --"Avant-garde and Kitsch", Clement Greenberg, 1939 |
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Related e |
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Featured: |
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (February 13, 1903 – September 4, 1989) was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret and his "romans durs" such as Les Fiançailles de M. Hire.
Simenon's works
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "romans durs", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
Film adaptations
Simenon's work has been widely adapted to cinema and television. He is credited on at least 171 productions. Notable films include:
- Armchair Cinema: The Prison (Euston Films/Thames Television, 1974), adapted from 'La Prison'
- Night at the Crossroads (La Nuit du Carrefour, France, 1932), written and directed by Jean Renoir, starring Pierre Renoir as Maigret
- Strangers in the House (Les Inconnus dans la Maison, France, 1942), written by Henri-Georges Clouzot
- Panic (Panique, France, 1946), written and directed by Julien Duvivier
- Le voyageur de la Toussaint (France, 1943)
- Dernier Refuge (1947)
- The Man on the Eiffel Tower (US, 1950), directed by Burgess Meredith, starring Charles Laughton as Maigret
- La Marie du Port (France, 1950), directed by Marcel Carné
- The Man Who Watched the Trains Go By (UK, 1952), directed by Harold French
- The Bottom of the Bottle (United States, 1956), directed by Henry Hathaway
- Inspector Maigret (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
- The Stowaway (1958), directed by Lee Robinson adapted from Le Passager Clandestin
- Love Is My Profession (En Cas de Malheur, France, 1958), directed by Claude Autant-Lara
- Maigret and the St. Fiacre Case (Maigret et l'Affaire Saint-Fiacre, France, 1959), written and directed by Jean Delannoy, starring Jean Gabin as Maigret
- Passion of Slow Fire, also released as The End of Belle, adapted from Simenon's novel "La Mort de Belle" (see [1])
- L'Aîné des Ferchaux (France, 1963), written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cop-Out (UK, 1967), written and directed by Pierre Rouve
- Le Chat, France, 1971), written and directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre
- The Widow Couderc (La Veuve Couderc, France, 1971), written and directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre
- The Clockmaker (L'Horloger de Saint-Paul, France, 1974), written and directed by Bertrand Tavernier
- The Hatter's Ghost (Les Fantômes du Chapelier, France, 1982), written and directed by Claude Chabrol
- L'Étoile du Nord (France, 1982), written and directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre
- Équateur (France, 1983), written and directed by Serge Gainsbourg
- Monsieur Hire (France, 1989), written and directed by Patrice Leconte
- Betty (France, 1992), written and directed by Claude Chabrol
- La Maison du canal (France and Belgium, 2003), directed by Alain Berliner
- Red Lights (France, 2004), directed by Cédric Kahn
- The Man from London (Hungary, 2007), written and directed by Béla Tarr
Romans étapes vers le Roman total
- Le Passager du Polarlys (1930)
- La Folle d'Itteville (1931)
- Le Relais d’Alsace (juillet 1931)
- La Maison du canal (1933)
- Les Fiançailles de M. Hire (1933)
- Le Coup de lune (1933)
- Le Haut Mal (1933)
- L'Homme de Londres (1934, réédité en 1976)
- Le locataire (1934)
- L’Assassin (1935)
- Les Pitards (1935)
- Les Clients d'Avrenos (1935)
- Quartier nègre (1935)qu'il écrit rapidement
- Ceux de la Soif (1935)
- 45 ° à l’ombre (1936)
- Les Demoiselles de Concarneau (1936)
- L'Évadé (1936)
- Le Testament Donadieu (1937)
- L'Homme qui regardait passer les trains (1938)
- La Marie du port (1938)
- Le Bourgmestre de Furnes (1938)
- Les Sœurs Lacroix (1938)
- Les Trois Crimes de mes amis (1938)
- Les Rescapés du Télémaque (1938)
- Le Coup de vague (1939)
- Les Inconnus dans la maison (1940)
- La Vérité sur Bébé Donge (1940, publié en 1942)
- Malempin (1940)
- Les Rapports du gendarme (1941)
- Le Voyageur de la Toussaint (1941)
- La Veuve Couderc (écrit à Nieul en mai 1940, publié en 1942)
- Pedigree (projet écrit de décembre à janvier 1943, remanié et publié en 1948)
- Le Fils Cardinaud (1943)
- L’Aîné des Ferchaux (1943)
- La Révolte du canari (1944)
- Le Deuil de Fonsine (janvier 1945)
- Madame Quatre et ses enfants (janvier 1945)
- Le Cercle des Mahé (1945)
- La Maison des sept jeunes filles (1945)
- La Fuite de monsieur Monde (1945)
- Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946)
- Un certain monsieur Berquin (août 1946)
- L'Escale de Buenaventura (août 1946)
- Les Petits Cochons sans queue (novembre 1946)
- Le Petit Restaurant des Ternes (janvier 1947)
- Le Petit Tailleur et le Chapelier (mars 1947)
- Le Clan des Ostendais (1947)
- Au bout du rouleau (1947)
- Lettre à mon juge (1947)
- Le Destin des Malou (1947)
- La Jument perdue (1948)
- La neige était sale (1948)
- Le Cas Maletras (1948)
- Les Fantômes du chapelier (1949)
- Le Temps d’Anaïs (1950)
- Les Volets verts (1950)
- Un nouveau dans la ville (1950)
- Sept petites croix dans un carnet (septembre 1950)
- La Mort de Belle (écrit en décembre 1951, publié en 1952)
- Antoine et Julie (1952)
- Feux rouges (1953)
- Le Grand Lot (1953)
- L'Horloger d'Everton (1954)
- Le Grand Bob (1954)
- Le Châle de Marie Dudon (1954)
- Le Bateau d'Émile (1954)
- En cas de malheur (1956)
- Le Fils (1957)
- Antoine (1957)
- Les Frères Rico (1957)
- Strip-tease (1957)
- Le Président (1957)
- Le Passage de la ligne (1958)
- Dimanche (1958)
- La Vieille (1959)
- Betty (1960)
- Les Noces de Poitiers (1960)
- Les Autres (1961)
- Le Train (1961)
- Les Anneaux de Bicêtre (écrit en octobre 1962, publié en 1963)
- Le Petit Saint (1964)
- La Chambre Bleue (1964)
- Le Train de Venise (1965)
- La Mort d’Auguste (1966)
- Le Riche Homme (1970)
- Le Petit Homme d'Arkhangelsk (1956)
- Novembre (1969)
- La cage de verre (1971)
- Les Innocents (1972)
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Georges Simenon" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
