SIMENON (Georges). - Lot 200

SIMENON (Georges). Quartier nègre. Paris: Librairie Gallimard, [1935]. — In-12, 188 x 117: 251 pp., (2 ff.), printed cover. Paperback, with modern slipcase and dust jacket (T. Treille). First edition. In this novel, Simenon tells the story of Joseph Dupuche and his young wife Germaine. They arrive in Panama, where they discover that the company that hired Joseph has gone bankrupt. Left penniless, the couple splits up: Germaine finds a job as a cashier at a hotel, while Dupuche sinks into the “Black quarter,” then moves to Colón with a young Black woman, Véronique, and works as a laborer at the port. His alcoholism and this relationship lead to his rejection by the French community, while Germaine, who is being courted by others, wants a divorce. Despite his friends’ attempts to bring them back to France, Dupuche stays. Only the birth of his son with Véronique brings him a brief moment of joy, which is quickly drowned out by drunkenness. Ten years later, he dies of acute hematuria, leaving behind six children. Press release copy, annotated on the half-title page of this letter addressed to the actress and singer Davia, whose real name was Henriette Marie Ravenel (1898–1996): To Madame Davia // as a token of // admiration and // the deepest // sympathy // Georges Simenon // 1936 Pages have browned. Also included, by the same author: - *Les Demoiselles de Concarneau*. Paris: Gallimard, [1936]. — In-12, paperback, modern slipcase and dust jacket (T. Treille). First edition. Press copy, featuring an autograph dedication by the author on the half-title page, addressed to “Madame Davia.” Spine warped. A few small tears on the cover.