Georges Simenon (1903-1989) began work as a reporter for a local newspaper at the age of sixteen, and at nineteen he moved to Paris to embark on a career as a novelist. He went on to write seventy-five Maigret novels and twenty-eight Maigret short stories.
Norman Rush's stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and Best American Short Stories. His first novel, Mating, was the recipient of the National Book Award.