Simenon, Georges, << seem NAWN, zhawrzh >> (1903-1989), a Belgian-born author, created the fictional detective Jules Maigret, an inspector with the Paris police. Simenon, who wrote in French, wrote about 80 novels and short-story collections that deal with Maigret.
In most Maigret stories, Simenon emphasized the motives behind a crime more than the crime itself. Instead of step-by-step detection of the criminal, Maigret solves crimes using patience and insight into human nature. Simenon also concentrated on creating realistic characters. He became noted for his vivid descriptions of the people, sights, and sounds of Paris and the small towns of France.
Georges Joseph Simenon was born on Feb. 13, 1903, in Liège, Belgium. He became a newspaper reporter at the age of 15 and published his first novel in 1921. Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett (1931) was the first Maigret story to be published. Simenon also wrote over 300 other novels and short stories, many of them psychological thrillers, under his own name and 18 other names. After retiring from writing fiction at the age of 70, he produced several volumes of memoirs. He died on Sept. 4, 1989.
