And besides, housekeepers in Paris were outrageously expensive. The household was organized so that Tigy insulated Simenon from the buffets of ordinary life while working full time as his secretary, typist and general factotum. As ''the Simenon organization'' expanded, Tigy was soon joined by Henriette Liberge, called Boule. Originally hired for a year, she spent the rest of her life working for ''my pretty little gentleman,'' both in his bed and in his office. Assouline calls her the most important witness to every stage of Simenon's life and takes care to explain how their relationship transcended the usual extramarital affair.
Assouline comments dryly.
He submitted his novels to German censors, and his films were made in active collaboration with Vichy officials. He became enormously wealthy. When the war ended and his behavior came under scrutiny, Simenon suddenly felt the urge to move his entourage to the United States. In New York he met Denyse Ouimet, a young French Canadian from a good Ottawa family. He was 42, she 25, and they began an intensely physical affair.