Georges Simenon (1903-1989) was born in Liège, Belgium. An intrepid traveler with a profound interest in people, Simenon strove on and off the page to understand - and not to judge - the human condition in all its shades. His books include the Inspector Maigret series and a richly varied body of wider work united by its evocative power, its economy of means, and its penetrating psychological insight. He is among the most widely read writers in the global canon. William Hobson is a writer and translator and a former contributing editor to Granta magazine. His translations from French and German include the Goncourt Prize winner The Battle by Patrick Rambaud, The Collector of Worlds by Iliya Troyanov, and Being Arab by Samir Kassir, which won the Index on Censorship's Freedom of Expression Award.