Simenon, Georges

Simenon, Georges ( 1903 – 89 ),
Belgian-French popular novelist. One of the most prolific of modern writers, he launched his celebrated detective Maigret in 1931 . The sympathy and range of his observation of French life, his sensitivity to local atmosphere, his insight into human motives, and the naturalness and accuracy of his use of the French language have earned him a respect rarely accorded to writers in the genre of detective fiction.