Research Information System
JOURNAL OF TURKISH STUDIES, no.17, pp.87-97, 2022 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
: Inspector Maigret, the
protagonist of Georges Simenon’s Maigret series, which was published from the
early 1930s until the 1970s when the author stopped writing, represents a
typical French petty bourgeois. While creating Inspector Maigret, Simenon
benefited from many cultural elements including eating and drinking habits as
the French society has a unique food culture. The analysis of the Maigret
series in the order of its publication reveals that the protagonist is a living
character, i.e. that the reader personally witnesses his youth, adulthood and
old age periods, which is also reflected in his eating and drinking habits.
Simenon not only presents to the reader an example of French bourgeois society
through Inspector Maigret but also acts as an ambassador introducing the eating
and drinking traditions of different countries. Maigret is an employee of the
Paris Police Department who had the opportunity to work in different parts of
Europe and even in the United States of America. Simenon also heavily benefited
from the culture of eating and drinking in order to compare different cultures.
Thus, Maigret series are abound with many different dishes ranging from
sandwiches eaten on foot to elaborate dinner tables. This is an indication that
the protagonist actually eats the most delicious food allowed by the
conditions, no matter where he is. We believe that Simenon’s Maigret series
should not be described as mere crime novels and Inspector Maigret is beyond
being a simple police officer. What renders Simenon’s novels unique and
delicious is this exquisite protagonist fashioned with the eating and drinking
culture which is an inseparable component of the French lifestyle.