Most people think the writer Georges Simenon was French, but he was born in Liège in 1903. He moved to Paris when he was 20, and set most of his books in France, so there is a reason for the confusion.
Simenon was born at 26 Rue Leopold in Liège on 13 February. But his mother Henriette was superstitious. She had his birth registered as 12 February, according to Georges, who told the story at the beginning of his autobiography, Pedigree.
The young Simenon spent his early years in the rainy industrial city on the edge of the Ardennes. He grew up in the Outremeuse district and left school at 16 to work as a journalist on a local newspaper. He went on to write hundreds of books, mostly crime fiction.
The writer’s son, John Simenon, is organising a new festival in Liège next month, from 8-11 March 2023, to celebrate Georges Simenon’s work. The festival ‘Le Printemps Simenon’ includes an exhibition, talks and a walk in Simenon’s Liège.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
