When I Was Old by Georges Simenon

myself.
Wednesday, 10 August 1960
    Last year, for the third or fourth time, we took up with Sven Nielsen (it had already been done with my other
two publishers, getting the three together one day in my apartment in the Georges V) the question of my complete works, illustrated perhaps, in a semi-deluxe edition, putting several titles in each volume, of course. Even so, because of the number of titles, this poses such complex problems, both technical and financial, that we put the project off until later. What was mainly lacking was a suitable person to see such a long project through.
    Commercially speaking, not more than two or three high-priced volumes could be published annually. At that rate it would take almost ten years and if, during those ten years, I kept writing at the same pace …
    In short, the project was postponed. However, I’ve received some beautiful dummies, big books with white pages in solid bindings. It’s tempted me, I’ve chosen the most beautiful, and I’ve begun to make notes in them from time to time.
    Now that I’ve begun this notebook, I’m going to see if there’s anything in those notes I’d like to copy here.
    I noticed immediately that here and there I wrote a word as caption to the day’s notes, like a dictionary, which I’m almost tempted to do here too. As here too, I’m mostly asking questions.
    So, on page 1 :
    ‘Is there a possibility of establishing (by intensive research on fossils) a numerical proportion between men (including hominoids and prehominoids) on the one hand and the different species of animals on the other in the successive periods of history and prehistory?
    (Cf. of the considerable number of fossils of mammoths
in Asia as compared to the number – alas – of human skeletons – though these are less fragile than those of the small mammals, which are very numerous.)
    ‘Number of men and of bison, for example, at the time of the discovery of America by Europeans.
    ‘Same for Africa (elephants, predators, antelopes).
    ‘Same for Australia.
    ‘Etc.
    ‘Rise, fall, or disappearance of different species.
    ‘Same for insects. (Probably impossible.)
    ‘Period of the organization of ants, bees, termites …
    ‘Increase or decrease of species?
    ‘
Rats:
does their rising curve (?) follow that of the human race?
    ‘Diseases of prehistoric animals.
    ‘Then of those that succeeded them.
    ‘Of prehominoids … hominoids …
    ‘Does the number of diseases follow that of the growth of populations and the life of societies?
    ‘Comparisons between:
    ‘Biological struggle against disease.
    ‘Intellectual struggle against disease.
    ‘Have mutations coincided with the periods of more or less radiation?
    ‘Is there a connection with the changes in the mineral kingdom?’
    End of this note. I looked for the answers in a good number of specialized books and reviews. There was only scattered information. Nowhere did I find a systematic
study of these questions. Perhaps I wasn’t thorough enough in my search?
    Second note (they aren’t dated):
    ‘Relationship insects–fermentation.
    ‘Is there a shrinking of the number of insects? Of the number of species?
    ‘If so, does this affect the number of birds?
    ‘Then on …’
    The relation of men to rats seems to me important. Parallel evolution? Coinciding numerical growth?
    Reason for the adaptability of the rat.
    Third note: ‘
Intelligence and Instinct
(all right, that’s my hobbyhorse and no doubt that is why all those who write about me question me when all I do is question myself).
    ‘Comparison between animals, hominoids, men, living in families or in small groups, and those living in large herds. Bison and lizard, for example. Primates and dog-faced baboons. Same for insects.
    ‘Is organization lessening or killing intelligence little by little, or individual instinct?
    ‘Experiment: what would become of highly organized insects, ants or bees, if one transplanted the individuals strictly indispensable