Description
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 go their separate ways: Germaine finds a job as a cashier in a hotel, whilst Dupuche sinks into the ‘black quarter’, then moves to Colón with a young black woman, Véronique, and works as a labourer at the port. His alcoholism and this relationship lead to his rejection by the French community, whilst Germaine, who is being courted by others, wishes to divorce him.
Despite his friends’ attempts to persuade them to return 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 haematuria, leaving behind six children.
Press copy, with an inscription on the half-title page of this copy sent 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 discoloured.
Also included, by the same author:
- *Les Demoiselles de Concarneau*. Paris: Gallimard, [1936]. — In-12, paperback, modern slipcase and cover (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 to the cover.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
Claude Mozis Library – Black Africa and the African diaspora
Auction location
Auction time
10/21/2026 at 2:00 PM
Lot description modified on 10/12/2026 at 11:53 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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