Bibliography  Reference  Forum  Plots  Texts  Simenon  Gallery  Shopping  Film  Links    

Maigret Forum

Please feel free to contribute to this Forum... Over fifteen years of earlier Forums can be read in the Archives, where you can find answers to many Maigret/Simenon questions. You can search the archives with the site search form at the top and bottom of this page. Forum Archives: 1997-98   1999   2000   2001   2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012   2013

Maigret-of-the-Month lists

( Newest entries first )

re: The Bowler Hat and Maigret 4/13/14 – I can offer some insight on the timing, but not cite the exact story. When Maigret retired to Meung-sur-Loire, he put his bowler in a hat box and adopted a felt hat. But also, somewhere along in there, his wife bought a straw hat for his country life. Of note, in “The Group at the Grand Café” (published in 1938, #38 in the series, and translated only by Steve), he put his bowler back on when he went out to look into the butcher’s death, giving the gathered crowd the hope “Commissaire Maigret” was back on the job. One can learn a lot about his hats in Murielle Wenger’s excellent “In Maigret's Clothes Closet” that appears in this forum in 2006. David Simmons www.davidpsimmons.com

The Bowler Hat and Maigret 4/10/14 – I have always wondered when Maigret swapped his chapeau melon (bowler hat) for a fedora (trilby). I am sure you would know... Michael Palmer

Maigret's World of Odors 3/30/14 – Maigret's world of odors by Murielle Wenger original French conclusion... odors of other places odors of the realm of rivers and the sea: the "warm smell of manure and leather" on the barge (Le charretier de la Providence) [PRO]; the smell inside the trawler Océan (Au rendez-vous des Terre-Neuvas) [REN], "a smell reminiscent of a barracks, a canteen and a fish market, all together"; the odor of the boat Saint-Michel (Le port des brumes) [POR], an "odor of tar and alcohol, of the kitchen and bedroom, but above all the indefinable odors of a boat"; the stable-boats which "smelled strongly of resin" (Maigret et le clochard) [CLO]. odors of other buildings: the building of the newspaper La Meuse in Liège (Le pendu de Saint-Pholien) [PHO], where the room reserved for the archives "smelled of wax, old paper, and official luxury"; the Moulins printing house, where "the smell of ink caught in your throat" (L'affaire Saint-Fiacre) [FIA]; the gendarmerie at L'Aiguillon (La maison du juge) [JUG], which "smelled of old leather, cabbage soup, and unwashed boys"; the smell of the Police station at Les Sables d'Olonne (Les vacances de Maigret) [VAC] "a good heavy smell, thick enough to cut with a knife, made of the leather of shoulder belts, the wool of uniforms, administrative paperwork, cold pipes, and finally the poor devils polishing their bottoms on the two wooden benches in the waiting room"; the Beaujon hospital (Félicie est là) [FEL], "full of dull smells"; the clinic at Les Sables d'Olonne (Les vacances de Maigret) [VAC], with the "sweet pharmaceutical odor"; "the smell of candles, of incense" in the church (L'affaire Saint-Fiacre) [FIA], and the "confessionnal... which smelled of musty old wood (Maigret à Vichy) [VIC]; the "odors of oregano and mild tobacco" of Mlle Olga's office (Les vacances de Maigret) [VAC]; the Criminal Records office, where "the air smelled of old paper, like in a public library"; the "strong odor of wine dregs" in the warehouses at Bercy (Maigret et le marchand de vin) [VIN]; the room in the archives of the newspaper Parisien libéré, which "smelled of old paper and printer's ink" (Maigret et l'homme tout seul) [SEU]. odors of the outside world: Antibes, "a sticky world of sun, frangrance of mimosa and sweet flowers", "the air smelled of melting asphalt" (Liberty Bar) [LIB]; Cannes: "everywhere the golden mimosas spreading a sweet scent which saturated the whole city" (Les caves du Majestic) [MAJ]; Porquerolles: "There were fragrances coming off the sun-heated water during the day, and others coming from the earth with the breeze. Weren't those eucalyptus trees on the square? Threre were probably other frangrant species on the island." (Mon ami Maigret) [AMI]; and then Paris: the quays on the Seine, where "the morning air smelled of water and tar" (L'écluse no 1) [ECL], "the smell of tar" which filled Paris on the hot summer days (Maigret et la Grande Perche) [GRA]; "dust, the smell of gasoline" (Maigret tend un piège) [PIE]; the smell of gasoline, which was "a part of spring announcing its arrival, like the smell of half-melted asphalt for summer" (Le voleur de Maigret) [VOL]; the mouths of the métro "smelling of bleach" (Maigret et son mort) [MOR], "the smell of laundry" in the métro stairway (La première enquête de Maigret) [PRE]; the "strong smell" of Les Halles (Le voleur de Maigret) [VOL]; and "the slightly sweet scent of the chestnut trees on the Boulevard Saint-Germain" (Le client le plus obstiné du monde) [obs]... 2. Odors of objects and things The odors we inhale in different places are of course given off by the people and things there, but it may be interesting to isolate some of these elements to draw some illustrative examples... Among the objects, consider Emma's box of seashells (Le chien jaune) [JAU], which "gave off an odor of old cardboard, dust, perfume and yellowed paper"; the "good smell of fresh wood" spread by the carved wooden toys at Grossot's (L'amie de Madame Maigret) [MME]; the smell of an old popular edition of Alexandre Dumas, reminding Maigret of "all the minor illnesses of his life" (Maigret et son mort) [MOR]. An odor that surrounds Maigret more or less permanently, you might say, is that of his pipe and tobacco. This smell of the pipe goes everywhere with him, invading such places as those he installs himself in to observe the scene of an investigation... "a strong pipe smell prevaded the room, despite the open window" (the hotel across froim the Citanguette, in La tête d'un homme) [TET]; "he thought he could distinguish a dark mass, thickset, like an enormous animal lying in wait... His nostrils discerned puffs of tobacco" (Leroy rejoining Maigret on the roof of the hotel, in Le chien jaune) [JAU]; "To escape from the rumbling outside, Maigret had closed the window... The pipe smell filled the room." (in his hotel room, in Le fou de Bergerac) [FOU]; "even the smell of tobacco was a professional odor... that of a pipe, extinguished the night before, relit in the middle of the night when awakened by an emergency" (Maigret at home, getting ready to leave for the scene of a crime, in Maigret et les braves gens) [BRA]. But it's also, of course, the dominant odor of his office... "There were dirty glasses all over the office, half-eaten sandwiches, and the smell of tobacco which stuck in your throat." (waiting during the night before Bronsky's arrest, in Maigret et son mort) [MOR]; "Glasses strewn around, cigarette butts, ashes, torn paper, and the air smelling of tobacco already stale." (the "disarray at the Quai des Orfèvres" at the beginning of Maigret tend un piège) [PIE].... the complete article: English translation Original French

New Polish Maigrets 3/16/14 – After a few years in limbo, great news at last for Polish lovers of Maigret! C&T (Crime & Thriller) Publishers, located in my city, Toruń, after long negotiations, signed an agreement with Simenon's copyrights owner. During the next 6 years they will publish 30 Simenon books (including more than 20 Maigrets). For this year the plans are as follows: before summer:      --- Maigret's Failure and Maigret and the Killer in August      --- Maigret's Boyhood Friend, in late fall two more      --- (one will probably be Maigret Has Doubts) All info from Paweł Marszałek, owner of C&T. Przemek

On the new Penguin Maigrets... 2/25/14 – A blog from ArtsBeat... January 23, 2014, by Jennifer Schuessler: Penguin Announces a Makeover for Inspector Maigret Sherlock Holmes isn’t the only pipe-smoking classic detective getting a 21st-century reboot. Inspector Jules Maigret, the stolid Parisian gumshoe created by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon, is about to get his own brand makeover, thanks to a joint effort by Penguin Books and Penguin UK to release all 75 Maigret novels in new English versions by leading literary translators. The series, according to a statement from Penguin, aims to present the novels (some of which have not previously been translated into English) in a uniform, modernized edition that corrects earlier errors while providing “a consistent reading experience.” There will be eight releases this year... David Chute Read the rest of the article here "some of which have not previously been translated into English" ?!

Maigret, Simenon and France an Edgar nominee 2/16/14 – I am delighted to inform you that my book Maigret, Simenon and France (McFarland, ISBN 9780786470549), reviewed on this site by David Simmons on 3/11/13, has been nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for an ‘Edgar’ award in the criticism/biographical category to be presented in New York City on May 1. I would like to record my thanks to Stephen Trussel, Muriel Wenger and the other contributors to this site for the inspiration they give to authors working in the field of Simenon studies and Maigretphiles alike. Best wishes Bill Alder Congratulations, Bill!

Simenon TV preview... 2/11/14 – I got an invitation for the première! There were around 75 people attending. There was a short introduction to the movie, about five minutes, thanking the producers, among them Arte. And there was some champagne afterwards. I was able to exchange a few words with John Simenon about publications in other languages and the universal content of Simenon's books. John was very kind, he told me that he still has some book covers to scan for Murielle's web site. There should be a DVD of the movie, which is made up of archival films with Simenon, pictures, and extracts from movies based on his books, but the only voice you hear is Georges Simenon's, from movies or radio programs. This created a very strong impression/feeling about the film and its content... a very good choice in my opinion. Pierre Assouline speaking before the movie, Fabienne Servan-Schreiber from Cinétévé on the right John Simenon speaking Jérôme

Simenon TV preview... 2/4/14 – There will be a preview next week, Feb. 12th of the program "Le siècle de Simenon" in Paris. Omnibus is offering some free admissions... (click to enlarge) Jérôme

The First English Maigret... on radio! 1/29/14 – Thanks to Ian Beard for supplying this article about the first known English language Maigret radio production, aired by the BBC Home Service on Monday, December 9, 1957. The article was in Radio Times, "The Official Organ Of The BBC", issue 1778, for the week 8th-14th December 1957. More on Maigret on radio and audio at Maigret on the Radio... ST

Maigret English editions 1/28/14 – Thank you for your webpage, especially the listing of the English titles chronologically. I would like to ask, if you could send me the following Maigret books in English in any electronic format as these can not be purchased in any webshop: The Madman of Bergerac Maigret in Retirement A Summer Holiday / No Vacation for Maigret I suspect you have already digitized these also, because I have found numerous titles in digital format (html) and all these are pointing to your website... Please help me in this if possible. Thank you. Best regards, Richard Farkas Sorry, I have no digital editions of the Maigrets. However, I see that The Madman of Bergerac is available on Ebay and at Amazon. ST

The first Maigrets – dates of writing and publication 1/23/14 – Richard's question brings us once more to the problem of the confusion between the dates of writing and the dates of publication. As Steve said, while we know the dates of publication of the Fayard series well, we know less about when they were written. The problem arises with Pietr le Letton, since while it was written first (even if the exact date is not clear), it was published as the fifth in the series. Simenon then wrote Le charretier de la Providence and Monsieur Gallet décédé, then Le pendu de Saint-Pholien fourth. But it was Monsieur Gallet décédé and Le pendu de Saint-Pholien that were chosen to inaugurate the series, launched at the famous Anthropometric Ball. Thus the confusion, and the need for a publisher (in this case Penguin) to choose an order of publication. It seems that the choice was made to begin this new edition with the first Maigret wriiten, and then to continue in the original order of publication, rather than the order of the writing… Below, I show a table comparing the dates of writing with the dates of publication. This information is based on the latest research of Michel Carly for the edition Tout Maigret, published in 2007 by Omnibus. title date and place written published Pietr-le-Letton [LET] Sept. 1929, Delfzijl / Winter 1929-1930, Delfzijl and Stavoren / Spring 1930, Arpil or May, Morsang May 1931 Le charretier de La Providence [PRO]        Summer 1930, Morsang March 1931 Monsieur Gallet, décédé [GAL] Summer 1930, Morsang February 1931 Le pendu de Saint-Pholien [PHO] Fall 1930, Concarneau February 1931 La tête d’un homme [TET] September 1930 to/or February 1931, Paris September 1931 Le chien jaune [JAU] March 1931, Guigneville-sur-Essonne April 1931 La nuit du carrefour [NUI] April 1931, Guigneville-sur-Essonne June 1931 Un crime en Hollande [HOL] May 1931, Morsang July 1931 Au Rendez-Vous des Terre-Neuvas [REN] July 1931, Morsang August 1931 La danseuse du Gai-Moulin [GAI] September 1931, Ouistreham November 1931 La guinguette à deux sous [GUI] October 1931, Ouistreham December 1931 L’ombre chinoise [OMB] December 1931, Cap d'Antibes January 1932 L’affaire Saint-Fiacre [FIA] January 1932, Cap d'Antibes February 1932 Chez les Flamands [FLA] January 1932, Cap d'Antibes March 1932 Le port des brumes [POR] February 1932, Cap d'Antibes May 1932 Le fou de Bergerac [FOU] March 1932, La Rochelle April 1932 Liberty Bar [LIB] May 1932, Marsilly July 1932 L’écluse n° 1 [ECL] April 1933, Marsilly June 1933 Maigret [MAI] January 1934, Porquerolles March 1934 As we can see in the table, there are two other novels published in a different order from that of the writing: La tête d'un homme, written fifth and published ninth; Le port des brumes written before Le fou de Bergerac but published after it. It will be interesting to follow the next publications of Penguin to see which is their choice for the order of publication. Murielle [translation]

Publication Order of the Maigrets 1/20/14 – Great website - thanks for all your work. I'm planning to read all these new Penguin translations, having read and enjoyed several Simenon books in the last few years though avoiding Maigret as I couldn't find a good edition of the first novel. It may seem silly and even kind of arbitrary but I am dead keen to read them in the order in which they were originally published, which is where I discover a problem: I thought I could trust Penguin to get it right but the order they've done them contradicts your chronological list (they have M. Gallet second, while you have it third) - any idea why this might be? It's confusing since the first few were all published in 1931 but surely there must be some definitive information? Hope you can help. Regards, Richard Gillanders The dates the Maigrets were published are generally known. Exactly when and where the Maigrets were written us not as clear... The list in the bibliography is chronological by date of writing, based primarily on Jean Forest's Les Archives Maigret (U. Montréal 1994). Dates and locations of the writing are included in the bibliography {in curly brackets}. Information on where and when the works were written is from the Tout Simenon edition, based on the research of Pierre Deligny and Claude Menguy. Most of the original manuscripts of the Fayard and Gallimard edtions have disappeared, and the few which remain often don't indicate the place or date. In many cases these have been reconstructed by Simenon or his aides, and compared with biographical material, but there are still gaps and errors. The traditionally accepted places and dates are given, and, [within square brackets], corrections made by the two bibliographers. ST

re: Simenon translations 1/13/14 – After juxtaposing John H. Dirckx’s translation with the original French (see below), I have to say, “Chapeau bas ! Hats off!” to him. La présence de Maigret au Majestic avait fatalement quelque chose d' hostile. There was something jarring about Maigret’s appearance at the Hotel Majestic. Il formait en quelque sorte un bloc que l'atmosphère se refusait à assimiler. In that setting he seemed a positively alien presence. Non pas qu'il ressemblât aux policiers que la caricature a popularisés. Il ne portait ni moustaches, ni souliers à fortes semelles. It wasn’t as if he bore any resemblance to the stock comic figure of the bewhiskered copper in thick-soled shoes. Ses vêtements étaient de laine assez fine, de bonne coupe. His smartly tailored suit was of decent quality worsted. Enfin il se rasait chaque matin et ses mains étaient soignées. He was clean-shaven and his nails were neatly trimmed. Mais la charpente était plébéienne. Il était énorme et osseux. huge and bony. But his sturdy, rough-hewn build suggested a member of the working class. Des muscles durs se dessinaient sous le veston, déformaient vite ses pantalons les plus neufs. Brawny muscles bulged inside his coat sleeves. A brand new pair of trousers lost their shape before he had worn them a week. Il avait surtout une façon bien à lui de se camper quelque part qui n'était pas sans avoir déplu à maints de ses collègues eux-mêmes. And then there was that way he had of just putting down roots, so to speak, wherever he happened to be, which rubbed some of his colleagues the wrong way. —David Simmons

75 novels? 1/7/14 – Your excellent site does not include La femme rousse in your novel list? Isn’t this a Simenon novel? Thanks for your comment. Norm Mikalac La femme rousse, along with La Maison de l'inquiétude, La jeune fille aux perles, and Train de nuit are all Maigret novels written by Simenon, but they were not written under his real name, signed either Christian Brulls, or Georges Sim. They are sometimes called the "precursors of Maigret," and they are listed here, at The Other Maigrets. ST

Maigret films 1/5/14 – Are these wonderful films still available? I see certain ones but not the complete list... Thank you James Oliver

as a gift 1/5/14 – I guess Sam wanted to say 'as a gift'. But the meaning of last sentence totally escapes me: "It was too early to use one of the new translations so we went with 'The Yellow Dog' which was a fairly new translation" ??? Vladimir I think I can answer for Sam... 1) The online Merriam-Webster has "to gift: to present (someone) with a gift", although it sounds more UK than US to me... 2) The new series of Penguin Maigrets are all new translations. None of these was available yet at the time of the presentation, so the "proof copy" of The Yellow Dog used one of the more recent, but previously published, translations. ST

re: Penguin proof copy? 1/3/2014 – In answer to the Forum question in November... We presented the Maigret project at our sales conference last February and had this proof published to gift to Penguin employees. It was too early to use one of the new translations so we went with 'The Yellow Dog' which was a fairly new translation. Sam Penguin Books, Ltd.

Happy New Year! 1/1/14 – Jérôme

TOP

Maigret of the Month - 2012 month title January Vente à la bougie - Sale by Auction (1939) February La pipe de Maigret - Maigret's Pipe (1945) March Maigret et l'inspecteur malgracieux - Maigret and the Surly Inspector (1946) April Le témoignage de l'enfant de chœur - The Evidence of the Altar-Boy (1946) May Le client le plus obstiné du monde - The Most Obstinate Man in the World (1946) June On ne tue pas les pauvres types - Death of a Nobody (1946) July Menaces de mort - Death Threats (1942) August Train de nuit - Night Train (1930) September La jeune fille aux perles - The Girl with the Pearls (1932) October La femme rousse - The Redhead (1933) November La maison de l'inquiétude) - The House of Anxiety (1930)

TOP

Maigret of the Month - 2011 month title January Une erreur de Maigret - Maigret's Mistake (1936) February L'Amoureux de Madame Maigret - Madame Maigret's Admirer (1939) March La vieille dame de Bayeux - The Old Lady of Bayeux (1939) April L'Auberge aux noyés - The Drowned Men's Inn (1938) May Stan le tueus - Stan the Killer (1938) June L'Étoile du Nord - At the Étoile du Nord. (1938) July Tempête sur la Manche - Storm in the Channel (1938) August Mademoiselle Berthe et son amant - Mademoiselle Berthe and her Lover (1938) September Le Notaire du Châteauneuf - The Three Daughters of the Lawyer (1938) October L'improbable Monsieur Owen - The Unlikely M. Owen (1938) November Ceux du Grand Café - The Group at the Grand Café. (1938) December L'Homme dans la rue - The Man in the Street (1939)

TOP

Maigret of the Month - 2010 month title January La Folle de Maigret - Maigret and the Madwoman (1970) February Maigret et l'homme tout seul - Maigret and the Loner (1971) March Maigret et l'indicateur - Maigret and the Informer (1971) April Maigret et Monsieur Charles - Maigret and Monsieur Charles (1972) May La Péniche aux deux pendus - Two Bodies on a Barge (1944) June L'Affaire du Boulevard Beaumarchais - The Mysterious Affair in the Boulevard Beaumarchais (1944) July La Fenêtre ouverte - The Open Window (1944) August Monsieur Lundi - Mr. Monday (1944) September Jeumont, 51 minutes d'arrêt - Jeumont, 51 Minutes' Stop! (1944) October Peine de mort - Death Penalty (1944) November Les Larmes de bougie - Death of a Woodlande (1944) December Rue Pigalle - In the Rue Pigalle (1944)

TOP

Maigret of the Month - 2009 month title January Maigret et le clochard - Maigret and the Bum (1963) February La Colère de Maigret - Maigret Loses His Temper (1963) March Maigret et le fantôme - Maigret and the Ghost (1963) April Maigret se défend - Maigret on the Defensive (1964) May La Patience de Maigret - Maigret Bides His Time (1965) June Maigret et l'affaire Nahour - Maigret and the Nahour Case (1966) July Le Voleur de Maigret - Maigret's Pickpocket (1967) August Maigret à Vichy - Maigret in Vichy (1968) September Maigret hésite - Maigret Hesitates (1968) October L'Ami d'enfance de Maigret - Maigret's Boyhood Friend (1968) November Maigret et le tueur - Maigret and the Killer (1969) December Maigret et le marchand de vin - Maigret and the Wine Merchant (1970)

Maigret of the Month - 2008 month title January Maigret tend un piège - Maigret sets a trap (1955) February Un échec de Maigret - Maigret's Failure (1956) March Maigret s'amuse - Maigret's Little Joke (1957) April Maigret voyage - Maigret and the Millionaires (1958) May Les Scrupules de Maigret - Maigret Has Scruples (1958) June Maigret et les témoins récalcitrants - Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses (1959) July Une confidence de Maigret - Maigret Has Doubts (1959) August Maigret aux assises - Maigret in Court (1960) September Maigret et les vieillards - Maigret in Society (1960) October Maigret et le voleur paresseux - Maigret and the Lazy Burglar (1961) November Maigret et les braves gens - Maigret and the Black Sheep (1962) December Maigret et le client du samedi - Maigret and the Saturday Caller (1962)

Maigret of the Month - 2007 month title January Maigret au "Picratt's" - Maigret in Montmartre (1951) February Maigret en meublé - Maigret Takes a Room (1951) March Maigret et la grande perche - Maigret and the Burglar's Wife (1951) April Maigret, Lognon et les gangsters - Maigret and the Gangsters (1952) May Le Revolver de Maigret - Maigret's Revolver (1952) June Maigret et l'homme du banc - The Man on the Boulevard (1953) July Maigret a peur - Maigret Afraid (1953) August Maigret se trompe - Maigret's Mistake (1953) September Maigret à l'école - Maigret Goes to School (1954) October Maigret et la jeune morte - Maigret and the Young Girl (1954) November Maigret chez le ministre - Maigret and the Calame Report (1954) December Maigret et le corps sans tête - Maigret and the Headless Corpse (1955)

Maigret of the Month - 2006 month title January L'Inspecteur Cadavre - Maigret's Rival (1944) February Maigret se fâche - Maigret in Retirement (1947) March Maigret à New York - Maigret in New York (1947) April Les Vacances de Maigret - No Vacation for Maigret (1948) May Maigret et son mort - Maigret's Special Murder (1948) June La première enquête de Maigret, 1913 - Maigret's First Case (1949) July Mon ami Maigret - My Friend Maigret (1949) August Maigret chez le coroner - Maigret at the Coroner's (1949) September Maigret et la vieille dame - Maigret and the Old Lady (1950) October L'Amie de Mme Maigret - Madame Maigret's Own Case (1950) November Les Mémoires de Maigret - Maigret's Memoirs (1951) December Un Noël de Maigret - Maigret's Christmas (1951)

Maigret of the Month - 2005 month title January L'affaire Saint-Fiacre - Maigret Goes Home (1932) February Chez les Flamands - The Flemish Shop (1932) March Le port des brumes - Death of a Harbormaster (1932) April Le fou de Bergerac - The Madman of Bergerac (1932) May Liberty Bar - Liberty Bar, Maigret on the Riviera (1932) June L'écluse n° 1 - The Lock at Charenton (1933) July Maigret - Maigret Returns (1934) August Les Caves du Majestic - Maigret and the Hotel Majestic (1942) September La Maison du juge - Maigret in Exile (1942) October Cécile est morte - Maigret and the Spinster (1942) November Signé Picpus - Maigret and the Fortuneteller (1944) December Félicie est là - Maigret and the Toy Village (1944)

Maigret of the Month - 2004 month title January Le chien jaune - The Yellow Dog February M. Gallet décédé - Maigret Stonewalled March La nuit du carrefour - Maigret at the Crossroads April Le charretier de la Providence - Maigret Meets a Milord May La tête d'un homme - A Battle of Nerves June Un crime en Hollande - Maigret in Holland July Pietr-le-Letton - Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett August Le pendu de Saint-Pholien - Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets September Au rendez-vous des Terre-Neuvas - The Sailor's Rendezvous October La danseuse du Gai-Moulin - Maigret at the Gai-Moulin November La guinguette à deux sous - Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine December L'ombre chinoise - Maigret Mystified