SIMENON SIMENON. TERESA SBURELIN: HIS DEVOTED COMPANION

Some observations about the last woman in Simenon’s life 

SIMENON SIMENON. TERESA SBURELIN : SA COMPAGNON DEVOUE 

Quelques observations sur la dernière femme dans la vie de Simenon 

SIMENON SIMENON, TERESA SBURELIN: LA SUA COMPAGNA FEDELE

Qualche osservazione sull'ultima donna dell vista di Simenon

In the preface to his biography Simenon, Pierre Assouline identifies four women who are prominent in four periods during Simenon’s lifetime―Henriette his mother, Tigy his first wife, Denise his second wife, and Teresa his companion. Three others do not make the list―Boule, his long-term cook, mistress, and friend, Josephine Baker, of whom Georges said, “I would have married,” and Mme Maigret. Notably, the last of his “mistress-maids,” Teresa was basically the only woman involved by then. 

Deep into his text, the biographer describes how, after Tigy and Denise, Teresa Sburelin took up the role of garde-fou for Georges. The origin of this compound noun is eerily suggestive. Garde derives from the verb garder, which means ‘to protect,’ and the noun fou, which means ‘madman.’ The literal and primary meaning of garde-fou is: “a wall or railing put up on the edge of a ditch, bridge, or platform to prevent falls.” Applied to a person figuratively, it refers to someone who prevents someone else from lapsing into an error or a fault. The best English translation might be safeguard, underscoring how Teresa was guarding Simenon against himself. 

In any case, Teresa started out in the Simenon household as a femme de chambre, initially a chambermaid, for Denise in 1961. Although (or because?) she was 23 years younger than he was, she quickly became the focus of his sexual attention, but as Michel Carly puts it, “little by little, she took over completely and became the novelist’s companion, attentive, indulgent, and mothering.” 

Assouline summarizes Simenon’s attraction this way: “after having known friendship with Tigy and then passion with Denise, he discovered tenderness with Teresa.” In fact, Simenon credited her with saving his life in 1964 while staying at a Swiss ski resort. He described how “that evening, seized by sudden despair, I decide to end it all. We are going along a steep rock face. I stop, I sway, I stammer something like: ‘I can’t stand it any longer.’ It’s not an idle threat. At that moment, I decided to end it all and Teresa caught hold of me in time with her fortunately strong arms….” 

In a 1981 interview, Simenon further categorized his relationship with Teresa this way: “Our union is complete and total, for there is tenderness, passion, and sexuality between us. We are a true couple: a male and a female. When I describe her as a ‘female,’ it’s a compliment on my part.” 

Despite their “true love, founded upon the integration of two beings,” Teresa’s life with Simenon was probably not as idyllic as Georges makes it sound. After all, his track record indicates he was a difficult man to live with. Take, for example, the regimentation Rudi Chelminski reported after an 1980 interview with the author: “every afternoon at five, they sit down in the studio over a cassette recorder while Georges begins another dictée — a rambling memoir. The writer has never been able to abandon storytelling, and the dictées have already been turned into 21 semi-autobiographical books, with no end in sight. ‘This is the hardest part of the day,’ sighs Teresa, for she is not allowed to speak after the recitation begins.” The italics are mine for emphasis…. 

David P Simmons 

SPECIAL MAGAZINE MAIGRET. MANGER AVEC MAIGRETChaque semaine, partagez un repas avec le commissaire

L'importance des repas et des boissons pour Maigret n'est plus à démontrer. Manger et boire font partie des phases de l'enquête menée par le commissaire, l'ancrent dans une réalité humaine, et tissent des liens supplémentaires entre l'auteur, le personnage et le lecteur. Cette nouvelle rubrique vous proposera chaque semaine de découvrir des mets, tels qu'on les trouve dans les romans de la saga maigretienne. Juste pour le plaisir de s'imaginer attablé avec Maigret, et partageant avec lui le bonheur de savourer un bon petit plat…

• Maigret a-t-il été un gourmet dès ses débuts ? 

Les maigretphiles connaissent les plats mythiques qu'aime Maigret, blanquette et autre fricandeau à l'oseille. Mais sait-on qu'en réalité, ce n'est qu'assez tard dans la saga que le commissaire est devenu un gourmet ? Les menus détaillés, les plats mijotés par Mme Maigret, ou dégustés à la Brasserie Dauphine, apparaissent principalement dans les romans de la période des Presses de la Cité; auparavant, Maigret s'est surtout nourri de sandwiches, et ce n'est que çà et là qu'on trouve, dans les romans Fayard et Gallimard, la mention d'un repas un peu plus conséquent. Non qu'on ne voit jamais le commissaire à table, mais le plus souvent, Simenon se contente d'écrire que Maigret est en train de manger, sans préciser la nature de ce qu'il ingurgite. La semaine prochaine, nous commencerons à voir par le détail les premiers menus de Maigret

SPECIAL MAGAZINE MAIGRET. MANGIARE CON MAIGRET  

Ogni settimana, condividete un pranzo con il commissario

Non bisogna certo dimostrare l’importanza del mangiare e del bere per Maigret. Cibo e bevande fanno parte delle fasi dell’inchieste del commissario, legandole con la realtà quotidiana, tessendo legami ulteriori tra l’autore, il personaggio e il lettore. 

Questa nuova rubrica vi proporrà ogni settimana di andare a scoprire dei pasti, come si trovano nei romanzi della serie maigrettiana. Giusto per il piacere di immaginarsi a tavola insieme a Maigret, dividendo con lui il piacere di assaporare un buon piatto...

• Maigret è stato un buongustaio fin dagli esordi? 

I maigrettofili conoscono i mitici piatti che Maigret ama, come blanquette e fricandeau all'acetosa. Ma in realtà si sa che è soltanto più in là nella serie che il commmissario diventa un buongustaio? I menu dettagliati, i piatti preparati da M.me Maigret, o gustati alla Brasserie Dauphine, si presentano soprattutto nei romanzi del periodo Presses de la Cité. Prima Maigret mangia sopratutto dei sandwich e soltanto qua e la si trova citata, nei romanzi Fayard e Gallimard, la descrizione di pasti un po’ più consistenti. Non che non si veda mai il commissario a tavola, ma più spesso Simenon si accontenta di descrivere Maigret mentre mangia, senza specificare che cosa sta gustando. La settimana prossima, inizieremo a scoprire in dettaglio i primi menu di Maigret. 

SPECIAL MAGAZINE MAIGRET. EATING WITH MAIGRET 

Every week share a meal with the chief inspector 

The importance of meals and drinks for Maigret is no longer to be demonstrated. Eating and drinkingor him in a human reality, and weave additional links between the author, the character and the reader. 

This new column will propose you every week to discover meals, such as they can be found in the novels of the maigretian saga. Just for the fun of imagining yourself sitting at a table with Maigret, and sharing with him the happiness of savouring a tasty dish…

• Was Maigret a gourmet since his beginnings? 

Maigret fans are aware of the mythical dishes that Maigret likes, blanquette and fricandeau among others. Yet do they know that, in fact, it's rather late in the saga that the chief inspector has become a gourmet? Detailed menus, dishes simmered by Mme Maigret, or tasted at the Brasserie Dauphine, mainly appear in the novels of the Presses de la Cité period; previously Maigret mostly fed on sandwiches, and it's only here and there that we can find, in the Fayard and Gallimard novels, references to more substantial meals. It's not that we can’t see the chief inspector at the table, but most often Simenon simply writes that Maigret is eating, without specifying what exactly he is swallowing. Next week we'll begin to see in detail Maigret's first meals.

(by Simenon Simenon)  

Demain special "MAGAZINE MAIGRET"  avec un post en trois langues

Domani  speciale "MAGAZINE MAIGRET" con un post in tre lingue

Tomorrow  special "MAGAZINE MAIGRET" with a post in three languages