Georges Simenon: The Novelist’s Creative Writing, Children’s Imaginary Companions, and Multiple Personality

According to conventional psychiatric opinion, multiple personality should not be confused with children’s imaginary companions, for several reasons. First, imaginary companions are common. Second, most children who have them are normal. Third, multiple personality involves not only talking with alternate personalities, but switching into and becoming the alternate personality.

In this blog, I have addressed the first two alleged differences by showing that novelists commonly have normal multiple personality. But what about the third alleged difference: switching into and becoming the alternate identity?

What conventional psychiatric opinion forgets about children’s imaginary companions is that there are two kinds. The second kind is called “imaginary identities” (1), in which children impersonate animals or people. The child does so with a strength and persistence that distinguish this from ordinary role playing; for example, a child who insists that he is Superman, day after day for months (1).

That is what Georges Simenon did with his main character when he wrote a novel (but he had less stamina than a child):

“All the day I am one of my characters…it is in this character’s skin I have to be. And it’s almost unbearable after five or six days. That is one of the reasons my novels are so short; after eleven days I can’t—it’s impossible. I have to—it’s physical. I am too tired” (2).

1. Marjorie Taylor. Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them. New York, Oxford University Press, 1999.

2. Carvel Collins [interviewer]. “Georges Simenon: The Art of Fiction” (1955). In The Paris Review Interviews, Vol. III. New York, Picador, 2008.