''The Cat'' (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''Le Chat'') is a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by the Belgian writer

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

, released in 1967.

Overview

The novel was written, usually for Simenon, within a short period of two weeks between September and October 1966. It was published in France in 1967 by

Presses de la Cité Presses de la Cité is a French publishing company founded in 1943 by Sven Nielsen, the son and grandson of booksellers, who came to Paris in 1924. Before becoming a publisher, Nielsen specialised in exporting French books. In 1988, with its me ...

, after Simenon had already released around 200 other books. The work bears elements of

psychological fiction In literature, psychological fiction (also psychological realism) is a narrative genre that emphasizes interior characterization and motivation to explore the spiritual, emotional, and mental lives of the characters. The mode of narration examin ...

and

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

. It tells a story of an elderly married couple in their early 70s, who have been loathing each other for years for killing each other's pets. They have not been talking, their only form of communication being occasional notes on scraps of paper. However, they are soon to understand that they cannot live without each other. The storyline of ''The Cat'' is speculated to have originated from the author's difficult relationship with his mother. ''The Cat'' met with positive reception, receiving a favorable review from

Richard Boston Richard Boston (29 December 1938 – 22 December 2006) was an English journalist and author, a rigorous dissenter and a belligerent pacifist. An anarchist, toper, raconteur, marathon runner and practical joker, he described his pastimes as "so ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. The English version was released by

Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half-Scot half-American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''James'' the English form – which was ...

, translated by

Bernard Frechtman Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

Pierre Granier-Deferre Pierre Granier-Deferre (27 July 1927 – 16 November 2007) was a French film director and screenwriter His 1971 film ''Le Chat (film), Le Chat'' (The Cat) won the Silver Bear for Best Actor, Best Actor and Silver Bear for Best Actress, B ...

adapted the story into a film, which premiered in 1971 in France as ''

Le Chat ''Le Chat'' ( French for "the cat") was a Belgian daily comic strip, created by Philippe Geluck and published in the newspaper ''Le Soir'' from March 22, 1983, until March 23, 2013. During its run it quickly became one of the bestselling Franco ...

'', and starred

Jean Gabin Jean Gabin (; 17 May 190415 November 1976) was a French actor and singer. Considered a key figure in French cinema, he starred in several classic films including ''Pépé le Moko'' (1937), ''La grande illusion'' (1937), ''Le Quai des brumes'' ( ...

and

Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cat, The 1967 French novels Novels by Georges Simenon Black comedy books Belgian novels adapted into films Psychological novels Presses de la Cité books Novels about cats 1967 Belgian novels