Simonin, Albert-Charles

▪ French writer

born April 18, 1905

died Feb. 15, 1980, Paris

      French writer who brilliantly exploited the language of the Parisian underworld in tough, fast-talking thrillers that rivaled those of the leading American practitioners in the genre.

      The authenticity of Simonin's work was guaranteed by his upbringing in La Chapelle district of Paris, where he left school at 12 years of age to do a variety of jobs, including stints as a chimney sweep, jeweler, and taxi driver. The last of these inspired Voilà Taxi (1935; “Taxi!”), his first book, written in the slang that was to become his hallmark.

      Simonin took up journalism and wrote popular fiction under various pseudonyms before achieving popular and critical success in 1953 with Touchez pas au grisbi! (“Don't Touch the Grisbi”), which gained the Prix des Deux-Magots and was filmed with Jean Gabin in the leading role. Its sequel, Le Cave se rebiffe (1954; “The Angry Cave”), was equally successful and was followed by a dictionary of Parisian argot, Le petit Simonin illustré par l'exemple (1957; “The Little Simonin Illustrated by Example”). He wrote film scripts and in 1977 published a first volume of autobiography, Confessions d'un enfant de la Chapelle (“Confessions of a Child of La Chapelle”), which won the Prix Saint-Simon.

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