The Pitards

After many years spent at sea, Captain Lannec finally manages to buy his own vessel, but not without the financial help of his in-laws, the Pitards. In return, his wife insists on accompanying him on the ship's first voyage and her presence on board makes him feel increasingly uneasy, especially after the threatening anonymous note he received before setting sail from Rouen.

First published in 1935, The Pitards was one of the first novels Simenon wrote when he shelved his famous Maigret series in order to strike out in a new direction and make a name for himself as a literary writer rather than a creator of genre fiction. This captivating evocation of life at sea revolves around the claustrophobia of class snobbery and the tense unravelling of relationships conducted at close quarters, powerful themes that Simenon would return to throughout his writing career.
One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century...Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by the brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.
Guardian

About Georges Simenon

Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. He is best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret novels and his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.
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