The New Black Mask (No 6)

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Simenon (he long ago reached the level of eminence that renders honorifics superfluous) was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903, and writes in French. His most famous creation, Inspector Maigret, first appeared in 1931; but the many Maigret stories account for a relatively small portion of the bountiful Simenon canon. His work is superbly readable because — among other qualities — of its economy and pace. He has pared his prose to its essentials. Beyond readability, he provides accurate observation of behavior: what his characters do is what they are.

Simenon agreed to answer questions for New Black Mask in writing, explaining: “I am in the habit of writing ‘short.’ But I am incapable of long dissertations.”

NBM: Certain critics insist that every great novelist has his own narrative “voice,” and that this voice provides the defining quality of his prose. If you agree with this claim, please describe your prose voice. Is it consistent or does it vary with the different types of your novels?

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