“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré
An intimate inside look at the mind of Georges Simenon, immortalized here in his journals
In the 1960s, Simenon bought three leather-bound journals, planning to leave a record of his life and career for his sons. He was 57 years old, a best-selling author, and happily married for many years, and in these journals he began to reflect on the complexities of aging, relationships, and the life of a writer. When I Was Old, a collection of these writings, is an essential read for any fan of this prolific literary voice.
Praise for Georges Simenon:
“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian
“These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post
“The matchless French crime novelist.” —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
“Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People
“I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner
“An astute observer of human nature, writing in a spare and vivid style.” —Amor Towles
“I never read contemporary fiction–with one exception: the works of Simenon.” —T.S. Eliot
“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré
“One of the most important writers of our century.” —Gabriel García Márquez
“A favorite writer of mine.” —Sigrid Nunez
“A great writer of detail, of atmosphere.” —Leïla Slimani
“Feels incredibly modern…A great writer.” —Ian Rankin
“The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide
“Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London)
“Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray
“A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark
“A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.” —Peter Ackroyd
“Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville
"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ―Times (London)
"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ―Margaret Atwood
"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ―Financial Times
"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn." ―Stig Abell, The Sunday Times (London)
“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré
An intimate inside look at the mind of Georges Simenon, immortalized here in his journals
In the 1960s, Simenon bought three leather-bound journals, planning to leave a record of his life and career for his sons. He was 57 years old, a best-selling author, and happily married for many years, and in these journals he began to reflect on the complexities of aging, relationships, and the life of a writer. When I Was Old, a collection of these writings, is an essential read for any fan of this prolific literary voice.
Praise
Praise for Georges Simenon:
“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —The Guardian
“These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —The Washington Post
“The matchless French crime novelist.” —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker
“Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —People
“I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner
“An astute observer of human nature, writing in a spare and vivid style.” —Amor Towles
“I never read contemporary fiction–with one exception: the works of Simenon.” —T.S. Eliot
“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré
“One of the most important writers of our century.” —Gabriel García Márquez
“A favorite writer of mine.” —Sigrid Nunez
“A great writer of detail, of atmosphere.” —Leïla Slimani
“Feels incredibly modern…A great writer.” —Ian Rankin
“The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide
“Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —The Observer (London)
“Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray
“A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark
“A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.” —Peter Ackroyd
“Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville
"Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor" ―Times (London)
"Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts." ―Margaret Atwood
"One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere." ―Financial Times
"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn." ―Stig Abell, The Sunday Times (London)
