Simenon: A Biography

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