Georges Simenon

Georges Simenon was a Belgian writer who created the fictional detective Jules Maigret. He was one of the most prolific and successful authors of the twentieth century, publishing around four hundred novels, of which one hundred and ninety-two appeared under his own name, along with volumes of memoirs and many other pieces. The Maigret books made his name. His books sold over five hundred million copies, and apart from his detective fiction he achieved critical acclaim for literary novels that he called romans durs, or hard novels. Among his admirers was Andre Gide. He was born and raised in Liege, Belgium.