I love these mystery novels - I've listened to several on Audible.
Have you seen the miniseries on BritBox, starring Rowan Atkinson (yes, Mr Bean!)? Came out in 2016. His portrayal of Maigret is sublime and superb, and the production value is top notch. Sad that only 4 stories were filmed.
I've not hit more than one or two of the Maigrets yet (a bunch of them in the Amazing Colossal To-Be-Read Pile, though). But I'll second Tara Cheesman's comment re the romans durs. They are dark wonderful gems. TC recommended Strangers in the House and The President -- also not to be missed are The Innocents, The Blue Room, The Train, The Hand (also translated as The Man on the Bench in the Barn), and Monsieur Monde Vanishes. I've yet to read one of his books I didn't like.
And if you read French and have a more forgiving budget than mine, you can score all of Simenon's work in paperback or Kindle. Search for 'tout Maigret' or 'tout Simenon.' The nice thing about these (again, if you read French) is their inclusion of novels that haven't been translated into English or if translated haven't been available for decades. Kinda makes me wish I'd learned French eons ago.
I enjoy the Maigret stories, but I love Simenon’s “romans durs ”. Strangers In the House is a classic (I’m sad there aren’t more stories featuring Hector Loursat, the reclusive, alcoholic lawyer). And The President is just one of those books you want to live in.
The Penguin editions, all of them, are currently remaindered. That means you can pick them up for $2-$4 each. When I was traveling, and not having Joel's scruples about booze, a gin and tonic (or two) and a Maigret novel got me from take off to touch down, dozens of times.
I've enjoyed several of the Maigret books, the cheap ones I can find on Kindle. Have you read any Ngaio Marsh? Her Inspector Alleyn novels are excellent. Interesting character studies in a wide variety of settings.
I am about to start a Simenon/Maigret binge in order to better understand setting for my own novel. I don't think you can get a better insight into 1930s Paris than through Simenon.
We tend to stereotype the French as being obsessed with love. They are also obsessed with its flipside: murder.
I was hooked by Bruno Cremer’s Maigret and began reading the novels and looking for other tv and film versions. As much as I like Rowan Atkinson I wasn’t as taken by his Maigret as by Cremer, Gambon, and others - still wondering if it was because he didn’t look sufficiently well fed.
Being francophone, I grew up on Simenon. My mother was a big fan. Maigret was my original definition of noir. Only later did I discover what Americans call noir.
If you want an insight into Simenon’s almost disdain for his creation I highly recommend ‘The Worlds of Bond & Maigret’ which is the transcription of a conversation when Fleming visited Simenon. First published in Harper’s Bazaar in 1964, it’s a quick read and available as an ebook.
I love these mystery novels - I've listened to several on Audible.
Have you seen the miniseries on BritBox, starring Rowan Atkinson (yes, Mr Bean!)? Came out in 2016. His portrayal of Maigret is sublime and superb, and the production value is top notch. Sad that only 4 stories were filmed.
The Rowan one is good, I like the older one with the guy who played Dumbledore, his name escapes me at the moment. Thanks for reading!
Believe that was Michael Gambon.
Yes!!!! Those 4 series with Rowen Atkinson were brilliant!
I've not hit more than one or two of the Maigrets yet (a bunch of them in the Amazing Colossal To-Be-Read Pile, though). But I'll second Tara Cheesman's comment re the romans durs. They are dark wonderful gems. TC recommended Strangers in the House and The President -- also not to be missed are The Innocents, The Blue Room, The Train, The Hand (also translated as The Man on the Bench in the Barn), and Monsieur Monde Vanishes. I've yet to read one of his books I didn't like.
If you read French, the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade has a lovely two-volume set of Simenon's novels:
https://www.la-pleiade.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Bibliotheque-de-la-Pleiade/Romans-I-II
And if you read French and have a more forgiving budget than mine, you can score all of Simenon's work in paperback or Kindle. Search for 'tout Maigret' or 'tout Simenon.' The nice thing about these (again, if you read French) is their inclusion of novels that haven't been translated into English or if translated haven't been available for decades. Kinda makes me wish I'd learned French eons ago.
I try to read at least one novel in French every year just to keep it from getting too rusty. These look great!
I enjoy the Maigret stories, but I love Simenon’s “romans durs ”. Strangers In the House is a classic (I’m sad there aren’t more stories featuring Hector Loursat, the reclusive, alcoholic lawyer). And The President is just one of those books you want to live in.
I plan to branch out to those at some point. As you know, "So many books, so little time."
The Penguin editions, all of them, are currently remaindered. That means you can pick them up for $2-$4 each. When I was traveling, and not having Joel's scruples about booze, a gin and tonic (or two) and a Maigret novel got me from take off to touch down, dozens of times.
:) That’s a steal!
I've enjoyed several of the Maigret books, the cheap ones I can find on Kindle. Have you read any Ngaio Marsh? Her Inspector Alleyn novels are excellent. Interesting character studies in a wide variety of settings.
I am about to start a Simenon/Maigret binge in order to better understand setting for my own novel. I don't think you can get a better insight into 1930s Paris than through Simenon.
We tend to stereotype the French as being obsessed with love. They are also obsessed with its flipside: murder.
I adore Maigret. Beautifully plotted little vignettes of stories.
Wonderful piece. Hadn't heard of Simenon. Eager to dive in!
I was hooked by Bruno Cremer’s Maigret and began reading the novels and looking for other tv and film versions. As much as I like Rowan Atkinson I wasn’t as taken by his Maigret as by Cremer, Gambon, and others - still wondering if it was because he didn’t look sufficiently well fed.
Simenon also wrote many books not involving Maigret, some of which have only recently had English translations available.
Thank you! I’v been searching for a new mystery series.
What an excellent review and call to action! Thank you.
Being francophone, I grew up on Simenon. My mother was a big fan. Maigret was my original definition of noir. Only later did I discover what Americans call noir.
If you want an insight into Simenon’s almost disdain for his creation I highly recommend ‘The Worlds of Bond & Maigret’ which is the transcription of a conversation when Fleming visited Simenon. First published in Harper’s Bazaar in 1964, it’s a quick read and available as an ebook.
The Cremer version is sublime. Particularly the earlier series.