The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Yellow Dog with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon, one of the first novels featuring his celebrated detective Jules Maigret. The story is set in the small seaside town of Concarneau, which is left shaken when a local man is shot dead by a mystery assailant hiding in a deserted house. Fear sweeps through the town, which soon falls victim to a wave of further crimes, until the brilliant sleuth Maigret steps in to untangle the complicated web of relationships binding the locals together and identify the culprit. Georges Simenon was a prolific author, with hundreds of novels and short stories to his name, and is best-known for creating the character of Maigret. Many of his works have been successfully adapted for television and the cinema, and he remains one of the most famous Belgian authors of all time.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Jun 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9782808010405

Book preview

Belgian writer

Born in Liège (Belgium) in 1903.

Died in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 1989.

Notable works:

The Strange Case of Peter the Lett (1931), novel

The Yellow Dog (1931), novel

Pedigree (1948), novel

The prolific Belgian writer Georges Simenon began his career as a journalist before going on to write over 190 novels and numerous short stories, which were published either under his own name or under a pseudonym.

When he was starting out as a writer, the French author Colette (1873-1954) advised him to focus on creating simple stories rather than trying to write great literature. Simenon took her words to heart and used a straightforward, unadorned style to describe the society of his time and depict the lives of ordinary people, as well as the dark underbelly of politics and criminality.

Simenon travelled widely, was insatiably curious and wrote at an incredible rate: he could complete an entire novel by working continuously for 11 days. In 2003, the prestigious Bibliothèque de la Pléiade published a two-volume collection of his works, clearly indicating his importance in the world of French-language literature.

One of the earliest Maigret novels

Genre: detective novel

Reference edition: Simenon, G. (2006) The Yellow Dog. Trans. Asher, L. New York: Penguin.

1st edition: 1931

Themes: investigation, suspense, murder, revenge, fear, smuggling

The Yellow Dog was published in 1931 and is one of the earliest works centring on Superintendent Maigret, who first appeared in a novel published earlier that year. In this novel,