Even if distinctive compared to mystery novels of his time
(classic detection) the Commissaire Maigret series -the most
famous works by George Simenon- remains light readings. Even
by the writer's own standards and "planning".
He wrote also something like 40 to 50 "literary" novels
(amongst the 120 or so non-Maigret novels published after
1930), he called them "romans durs"
(though novels), as opposed to his popular lit works. Most of
these were psychological development of characters in crisis,
characters being borderline psychopaths, full of pessimism,
and his bests were really Noir novels of a kind (without
trying to join the genre and without bearing all the
characteristics of the genre).
IMO one of his top novels is: La Neige etait Sale (The Stain
on the Snow) and is really worth to check out. Others of
great interest: Trois Chambres a Manhattan (Three Beds in
Manhattan) Les Anneaux de Bicetre (The Rings of Bicetre aka
The Patient) Le Chat (The Cat). There is more of
course.
There are also a lot of these 120 novels having murder as
center plot.
Hope this helps.
E.Borgers Hard-Boiled Mysteries http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
--- David Bell <
belldj@muohio.edu> wrote:
> Gorman talks about Simenon in his interview.
Can
> anyone suggest some titles
> by Simenon? Is he worth checking out?
>
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