Loiret
Loiret (; ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of north-central France. It takes its name from the river Loiret, which is contained wholly within the department. In 2019, Loiret had a population of 680,434.
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in north-central
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
Georges Simenon's 1957 novel "The Premier", focusing on the character of a retired French Prime Minister, gives the background of the protagonist's loyal driver-valet: "Emile was born at Ingrannes, in the depths of the Forest of Orleans, in a family whose men had been gamekeepers, father to son, for longer than anyone could remember. He and his brothers had been brought up together with the dogs. But he made one think of a poacher rather than a gamekeeper. After being discharged from military service he had been accepted as a driver in the Ouai d'Orsai through the influence of his local ''Squire''. "