• Mobile version
  • Follow us on Wechat
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • App

A taste of Belgian author Georges Simenon’s life and works in Guangzhou

● He is one of the most productive and popular writers of the twentieth century, who published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, translated into dozens of languages;

● He is best known as the creator of the fictional Inspector Jules Maigret, a pipe-smoking French police detective;

● “When they come to me to ask, ‘What should I read of his?’ I reply, ‘Everything.’ ” — Andre Gide

● He is Belgian novelist Georges Simenon (1903-1989).

Mr. Laurent Demoulin introduces the life and works of Georges Simenon at the sharing session. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com] 

A series of activities about Georges Simenon are currently being held at Guangzhou Library, providing local people with a glimpse of the famous Belgian author’s life and works.

The event is organized in collaboration with Guangzhou Library, the Consulate General of Belgium in Guangzhou and Wallonie-Bruxelles International. It consists of a sharing session and an exhibition entitled “Simenon, auteur belge à multi-facettes”.

A sharing session was held at Guangzhou Library on the afternoon of May 13th, 2018. It was convened by Mr. Laurent Demoulin, a literature professor of University of Liège and the person in charge of Simenon’s Fund. At the session, Mr. Laurent Demoulin gave a detailed introduction to the life and works of Georges Simenon, one of the greatest contributors to the Belgian literary scene.

Guests pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony of the exhibition. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

After the sharing session, the opening ceremony of the exhibition “Simenon, auteur belge à multi-facettes” took place at the library too. The exhibition presents an introduction to Simenon’s life and works, poster copies of over 30 movies adapted from Simenon’s novels, and many of Simenon’s books which are available to borrow. The exhibition runs until June 8th, 2018.

At the opening ceremony, Luo Xiaohong, Deputy Curator of Guangzhou Library, pointed out that there are original French editions and Chinese translations of Georges Simenon’s novels in the library, and a Belgian book section has been set up in the Multicultural Library as well. She anticipates that library visitors will enjoy the French literature to come out of Belgium and take good advantage of the books in this section.

Mr. Joris Salden, the Consul General of Belgium in Guangzhou, said that Georges Simenon is one of the most iconic authors in Belgium, and he hopes readers in Guangzhou can learn more about Belgian literature through Georges Simenon’s works.

About the exhibition

Period: Until June 8, 2018

Admission: Free

Venue: 8th Floor North, Multiculture Library, Guangzhou Library

Nearby metro station: Zhujiang New Town, Line 3 or 5

(Author: Monica Liu; Editors: Simon Haywood, Olivia Yang) 


An award is presented to the winner of the writing competition of Georges Simenon’s detective novel. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]


The exhibition is open to the public for free at the Multiculture Library of Guangzhou Library. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]


Georges Simenon’s works are on display at the exhibition and many of them are available to borrow. [Photo provided to Newsgd.com]

Related News