Did you know that there is a center at Drew that contains more than 500 books written by and about the late Georges Simenon, Belgian-born creator of the fictional character Inspector Maigret, and author of 84 Maigret detective mysteries and hundreds of other works?

Located in Drew's library, the Center is modeled after a similar Simenon Center in Liege, Belgium. It was established at Drew by Lucille Becker, Drew professor of French emerita and author of two books about Simenon, Georges Simenon and George Simenon Revisited.

Becker, and others, believe that the French author has not been properly recognized. The most widely published French writer of the twentieth century, the literary merits of his work have been often obscured by the sheer volume of his output: 190 books signed with 17 pseudonyms, 358 novels and short stories signed by the author with his real name, 25 autobiographical works, 30 series of articles published in the French press before and just after World War II, and a ballet scenario.

In her most recent book about Simenon, Georges Simenon Revisited, she devotes serious critical consideration to Simenon's "hard problem" novels that are characterized by an extraordinary blend of narrative skill and psychological insight, and credits him with transforming the detective novel genre.