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Maigret-of-the-Month lists

( Newest entries first )

Please reissue the Rupert Davies Maigret series... a petition to BBC Visitor Globe 11/9/09 – Click on the globe or press the "End" key on your keyboard to go to the bottom of the page and you'll see the new "RevloverMap" that records your location when you vist this page... Suggested by Przemek... who keeps us updated on new Maigrets appearing in Polish... Thanks Przemek! Maigret and Cognac 11/6/09 – Thanks to Murielle Gigandet, I heard about a book by Paul Mercier, "La botte secrète de Maigret: Le verre de Cognac". The book is about Maigret and the use of cognac while questioning people. I managed to get a copy thanks to the publisher who sent me one. It is a short book (92 pages), sponsored by the departement des Charentes, where Cognac is located. Regards Jérôme Bruno Crémer Maigret Coffret 5 11/6/09 – I checked this afternoon the coffret 5 ( volume 21 to 25) and it is in French with no English sub-titles from what I saw at the back of the box. Older coffrets like coffret 2 had the mention "english subtitles" on them. Regards Jérôme Bruno Crémer Maigret Coffret 5 11/6/09 – Maigret Coffret No.5 - There are English subtitles. All Cremer coffrets have English subtitles as had the two-disc releases up to number 21, the others (vol 22 - 27) do not have any subtitles. Mattias Siwemyr More on “Bruno Crémer Maigret Coffret 5... subtitles?” 11/5/09 – I went and searched Amazaon.co.uk. I could not find Coffret 5. 1-4 have subtitles; 5 may be available in France without subtitles but I do not think it is available elsewhere with subtitles. Maybe it will just be a matter of time. However, if anyone finds Coffret 5 with subtitles, I would think that to be major news for our Forum! And... regarding “What to Read that’s like Maigret.” My response is: nothing. There are other writers with plot similarities, and other writers who can create atmosphere, such as Dorothy Sayers with the Wimsey-Vane novels for post-Edwardian England, Conan-Doyle at his best for Victorian England, Daphne du Maurier or John Buchan for landscapes in Cornwall and Scotland ... but no one to my mind is like Simenon’s Maigret. His atmospheres are more internal than external, or perhaps it’s that the cityscape is noir-painting from the inside-out. To me, reading a Maigret is like being in a place, and that place is uniquely a Simenon matter. Stephen Cribari Re: What to read that's like Maigret? 11/1/09 – I can highly recommend Nicolas Freeling's Van der Valk novels. They (and possibly his Castang series although I haven't read any) are heavily influenced by Simenon. This debt is explicitly mentioned a few times when Van der Valk, himself is a Maigret fan, sometimes wonders what Maigret would have done in a given situation. The Dutch detective even visits the Maigret statue in Delfzijl in the last Van der Valk book written - Sand Castles. Van de Valk series Love in Amsterdam (1962), aka Death in Amsterdam Because of the Cats (1963) Gun Before Butter (1963), aka Question of Loyalty Double-Barrel (1964) Criminal Conversation (1965) The King of the Rainy Country (1966) Strike Out Where Not Applicable (1967) Tsing-Boum! (1969) The Lovely Ladies (1971), aka Over the High Side A Long Silence (1972), aka Aupres de ma Blonde The Widow (1979) (features Mrs Van der Valk only) One Damn Thing After Another(1981), aka Arlette (features Mrs Van der Valk only) Sand Castles (1989) Henri Castang series A Dressing of Diamonds (1974) What are the Bugles Blowing For? (1975), aka The Bugles Blowing Sabine (1976), aka Lake Isle The Night Lords (1978) Castang's City (1980) Wolfnight (1982) The Back of the North Wind (1983) No Part in Your Death (1984) Cold Iron (1986) Lady Macbeth (1988) Not as Far as Velma (1989) Those in Peril (1990) Flanders Sky (1992), aka The Pretty How Town You Who Know (1994) The Seacoast of Bohemia (1994) A Dwarf Kingdom (1996) Graeme Sutherland Re: Bruno Crémer Maigret Coffret 5... subtitles? 10/29/09 – Without speaking French, I guess that probably the Bruno Cremer Maigret DVD sold in France does not have English subtitles, but that sold in UK does. This may be good good news for M. Cooke who is wondering if Bruno Cremer Maigret series 5 has English subtitles. I found a set on British Amazon, which says that does have English subtitles. If you go to Amazon.co.uk and search Maigret, you get a choice of several editions sorted by star actor. Clicking Bruno Cremer brings a box with same picture as in M. Cookie's letter, and information in seller's section list English subtitles in DVD description. Cheers. Vladimir (Sorry - box image shown is for an earlier boxed set - ST) Two Articles from Le Figaro 10/27/09 – Le directeur général de la police nationale : Frédéric Péchenard : «Maigret, c'est moi !»   On Assouline's new "Simenon Dictionary": Simenon de A à Z Roddy Liege City Blog - Simenon Tower 10/27/09 – Liege City Blog - Simenon Tower Roddy

Bruno Crémer Maigret Coffret 5... subtitles? 10/25/09 – Could a French speaking contributor please find out whether the Bruno Crémer Maigret Coffret No 5 collection and volume 26 have been issued with English subtitles? I have Nos 1 to 4, which have them. However on these pages there has been a doubt raised about this. Information on this point would be invaluable and much appreciated. Regards M. Cooke

Maigret of the Month: L'ami d'enfance de Maigret (Maigret's Boyhood Friend) 10/22/09 – Two principal lines underlie this novel... one, the "portrait of a failure", the description of the character Florentin, and the other the evocation, in little touches, of Maigret's childhood memories. If we've had, in several preceding novels of the corpus, allusions to the Chief Inspector's childhood, here it's rather the years of his youth that are recalled... friendships at lycée and first loves. Léon Florentin is one of the gallery of "failures" across Simenon's works, and not only in the Maigrets. These men who cling to their illusions, who delude, but who, in the end, have done nothing with their lives. If we think about it, Maigret's childhood memories, except for some nostalgic mentions of light, colors, or odors, are almost never positive. Simenon is always confronting his character with images showing what's behind the scenes, which "dirty", in a way, the memories Maigret holds of his earliest years. The venerated Countess is no more than an old woman with gigolos; the aristocratic château has been bought by a vulgar butcher; and his childhood friends have, almost without exception, become contemptible beings... Fumal (ECH), Malik (FAC) or Florentin, none merit Maigret's consideration. Chabot (PEU) is hardly much better off — he too has aged poorly. Jorissen (REN) is colorless, and Bouchardon (FIA), a ceremonious fool without even the merit of recognizing Maigret! It's further indicative to note that not one of his schoolmates at lycée is mentioned in Maigret's Memoirs. Almost as if the Chief Inspector, in the end, was the only one to "succeed" in life... Maigret, in fact, spends his time trying to escape from these childhood memories, or at least from people he'd known back then, keeping only the slightly faded image of his father and a few colored patches, warm and tender of a mother too soon gone... And even this image of his father is not immune from attack... the Chief Inspector is hardly allowed to visit his grave (FIA) when the spineless Florentin is allowed to sully the memory of his venerated father. So even if the memories evoked in this novel are more focused on the lycée period, we find here that after the death of the Countess and the purchase of the château by Fumal, Florentin's words about Maigret's father, along with the slightly uncomfortable memory of the young girl at the Moulins bakery, make up the "final attack on Saint-Fiacre". In the last novels of the corpus, the allusions to Maigret's childhood will be no more than puffs - nostalgic but agreeable - as if the Chief Inspector - and his creator - had, in the soothing serenity of advancing age, settled accounts definitively with his childhood... Besides Florentin, two other characters occupy front stage in this novel, two women apparently different, but who in the end are similar in one point of their destiny... Josée, who has herself kept by men, offering them moments of intimacy in exchange; and the concierge, Mme Blanc, who exploits what she's seen for blackmail. If Josée personifies a certain softness, and Mme Blanc, hardness, it's true nonetheless that each in her own way profited from the situation to ensure their living. Putting material security above all, ignoring their feelings. They are both part of those women eager for gain whom we meet more than once in the corpus, and in Simenon's other works. Josée, who knows how to rely on men, reminds us of Hélène Lange (VIC) who also draws a profit from masculine naiveté. Mme Blanc is not satisfied to be a shrewish concierge, as so often met by Maigret, brooding over her misfortunes so she can blame the whole world, but goes further. Not content to suffer her fate, she revolts in her own way, taking advantage of the situation. And if Josée and Hélène Lange are stronger than the men, they nonetheless share the same destiny... to die a violent death — as if, in a way, they had to pay for their attempt at domination over the males. Mme Blanc, on the other hand, remains unpunished, as if her "offense" were less grave: she profited from men, certainly, but overtly. She did not employ pretense and hypocrisy, unlike Josée and Hélène Lange... original French Murielle Wenger

An Article and a Video on Simenon 10/19/09 – An article at Sudouest.com, « Simenon ne mentait pas » and a video from France 3, Liège rend hommage à Georges Simenon Roddy

Simenon et les Charentais 10/10/09 – "Georges Simenon a vécu moins de six ans à Marsilly et Nieul-sur-Mer, en Charente-Maritime. Jusqu'à la fin de sa vie, il restera attaché à cette région qui est évoquée dans trente-quatre romans et nouvelles. Par Paul Mercier, photos : Thierry Girard."   An article in L'Actualité Poitou-Charentes #53, Simenon et les Charentais. Jérôme

New Maigret in Polish 10/09/09 – Another new Maigret published in Poland - Maigret et Monsieur Charles Przemyslaw

London: Discussion about Simenon's Work 10/07/09 – When: October 13, 2009, 7:00 PM Where: London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, London, UK John Banville and John Gray discuss the work of Georges Simenon. Roddy

Simenon in Le Magazine Littéraire and Le Monde 10/01/09 – Here's an article on Simenon, by Anne Serre, Le nez de Simenon, from Le Magazine Littéraire... 10/3/09 – And another, from Le Monde, Un fils de Georges Simenon étudie l'idée d'une "Maison Simenon" à Liège, on the creation of a "Maison Simenon" in Liège. Roddy

Where are the "Faithful Four" in the Cremer Series? 10/01/09 – "(Why in) ... the Bruno Cremer series ... do the characters Lucas, Janvier, Lapointe, and Torrence ... occupy a very low profile...?" (9/25/09) This is probably more of a comment than a question from M. Cooke. Movies usually divert from books (which explains why I never met anyone who said a movie is better than a book). Amount of exposure, which is time an actor appears on screen, is subject to competitive demands from actors. 'Stars' get first consideration, of course. Some stars agree to share more of the the 'limelight, some want most of it for themselves. I never seen any other Maigret but the one with Michael Gambon, where I would say all actors are given exposure appropriate to importance of the characters they play. Regards, Vladimir

Simenon statue in Liège 10/01/09 – I went to an expo in Liege of the famous Belgian Painter Paul Delvaux. I was unsure of the exact location of the venue but ended up on a city bus that dropped me nearly at the door. It wasn't far from the Place St. Lambert so I walked back. I came upon the back of the city hall and turned into Square Maigret and got a big surprise. There was a new statue of Simenon there. Here are a few photos... Regards Joe Richards 13 février 2004 Cloture de « Wallonie 2003, Année Simenon au Pays de Liège » (Province, Ville et Université de Liè) Œuvre du sculpteur Roger LENERTZ et des « Carrières des Sprimont » sur un idée de « la Libre Belgique - Gazette de Liège » avec l'aimable autorisation de Monsieur John Simenon, avec le soutien de « l'Office de promotion du tourisme Wallonie Bruxelles », de la société « Georges Simenon Family Rights Ltd. », ainsi que des maisons d'éditions « Georges Simenon Ltd (a Chorion Company) » (GB), « Gallimard » (F), « Les Presses de la Cité » (F), « Tusquets Editores » (SP) and « Adelphi Edizioni » (I). February 13, 2004 The closing of "Wallonia 2003, Simenon Year in Liège Country" (Province, City and University of Liège) The work of sculptor Roger Lenertz and "Carrières des Sprimont" based on an idea from "La Libre Belgique - Gazette de Liège" with the kind authorization of Mr. John Simenon, with the support of "The Office of Tourism Promotion, Wallonia, Brussels", the society, "Georges Simenon Family Rights Ltd.", as well as the publishing houses "Georges Simenon Ltd (a Chorion Company)" (GB), "Gallimard" (F), "Les Presses de la Cité" (F), "Tusquets Editores"; (SP) and "Adelphi Edizioni" (I). (see also Joe's photo visit to the Maigret statue in Delfzijl, here)

Georges Simenon, romancier - video online 9/25/09 – Simenon interview online here. Roddy

The 14 Bruno Cremer Maigrets issued on volumes 21 - 27 9/25/09 – Volume Series Number 21 1 4   14 54 22 2 8   3 11 23 1 1   3 14 24 1 2   4 18 25 1 3   3 15 26 2 7   5 21 27 1 5   2 9 Volume 21 has been released with English subtitles (I have a copy). A collection No 5 (vol 21 - 25) is available, as are Vols 26 and 27. I dont know whether they have English subtitles or not. If anyone can confirm this important point I would be grateful for the information. On the subject of the Bruno Cremer series can somebody explain why the characters Lucas, Janvier, Lapointe, and Torrence, if they appear at all, occupy a very low profile, which is surprising as in the books and the English portrayals they have a high profile. Regards M. Cooke see discussion beginning 8/31/09

Simenon self-portrait up for auction 9/25/09 – This was up for sale at Bloomsbury Auctions last week: The listing: 138. Georges SIMENON (Belgian, 1903 - 1989) Self-portrait. ink on personal stationary, 1975 10 1/2 x 8 1/8 inches (270 x 210 mm) signed Britton, p. 203 est. $700 – $1000 (unsold) Murielle

Maigret of the Month: Maigret hésite (Maigret Hesitates) 9/25/09 – 1. A mini-analysis of the novel In this novel, we find Maigret in an uncommon situation, similar to that of Maigret has Scruples, where a crime is announced in advance and where the Chief Inspector must lead an a priori investigation, in other words, before the murder has been committed. Maigret is faced with the challenge of discovering a murderer before he acts, and we realize how difficult and delicate the situation can be for the policeman, who must, here more than ever, base everything on his intuition, rather than facts, since before the crime, there are no physical clues to use... Maigret, inserting himself into the life of a family with the task of discovering its secrets, naturally hesitates to name the future perpetrator (but how could he do otherwise?), and he cannot prevent the murder from taking place... In his feelings before the body of Mlle Vague, besides the fact that he felt for her a certain liking, isn't there perhaps some remorse for not having been able to act in time... If Simenon places his Chief Inspector in a situation both artificial and difficult, it's because it allows him to develop a favorite theme, always present in his work, Maigrets and non-Maigrets included: that of responsibility, symbolized here by Article 64, which appears as a leitmotif. Maigret – and Simenon – refuse to judge, to assign culpability: the Chief Inspector arrests Mme Parendon because he has discovered the truth. It's certainly she who is guilty, that is, who has committed the crime, but is she responsible for her actions? Is her "madness" an excuse, an explanation, a justification? I also like this novel because it is filled with allusions both to Maigret's memories and "sensations" (memories of youth and sensations of the manifestations of spring) and both the "method", or more exactly the manner in which Maigret leads an investigation, "immersion" into places, attempting to understand people's motivations, and his "ruminations" during the case... Finally, the characters who people this novel make a fascinating gallery, whether hardly more than sketches, like the Parendons' staff, a little more detailed, like Bambi and Gus (and we note that the latter's motives for writing the anonymous letters to Maigret remain, in spite of everything, less than clear...), or stronger and more complete, like Parendon, his wife, and Mlle Vague. All this results in a novel which cries out for cinematographic adaptation, which is perhaps the reason why the version with Bruno Crémer [Maigret chez les riches] is so splendid, in fact, the most successful episode of the series. The few modifications of the plot take nothing from its quality, and it's the setting for several memorable scenes, which encourage watching again... the meeting between Maigret and Parendon (masterfully interpreted by Michel Duchaussoy), or the scene where Ferdinand, the maître d', brings a plate of food to each of the family members, symbolically isolated in their rooms, as they are isolated in mutual incomprehension... 2. A story of a cat "Standing before the window, he drank his wine in little sips, vaguely regarding the courtyard, which he saw for the first time empty of cars, with just an orange cat, who stretched out in a patch of sun. Since Lamure had told him that there were no animals in the house, outside of a parrot, it must have been a neighborhood cat who had sought out a peaceful spot." (Ch. 6) There are few animals in the Maigrets. Some allusions to the chickens and rabbits that the Chief Inspector was reluctant to kill in his childhood, some dogs (among them a yellow one, above all...), one or two horses (often hitched to a hearse), the singing of the birds in spring, a shy squirrel and some fish. But if the world of the Chief Inspector has relatively few animals, the one most often cited is probably the cat. When Simenon introduces an animal in a description or a plot, it's never without a reason, no more than when he mentions a barge passing on the Seine, or a light from a streetlamp in the night... All these details serve to emphasize an "atmosphere", to introduce a nuance into the tempo of the action or into the feelings of the Chief Inspector with regard to his case... Thus, the orange cat which stretches himself out in the sun mentioned above, contrasts, in its peaceful image, with the heavy atmosphere of the Parendon house after the discovery of the murder. If you will, let's review several cats discovered in the corpus... In The Yellow Dog, Maigret and Leroy observe, in the silence of the night, the scene of Emma and Léon's reunion. Emma is about to leave for the abandoned house: "A shadow on the roughcast whitewashed wall which separates the garden from the empty house and the alleyway. ... Above, the man was still asleep, near his candle. A gooseberry bush creaked in the garden. A cat ran along a gutter." Everything here creates an image: Emma's shadow, the silhouette of the sleeping Léon, the only noise that of the creaking of a bush, like a light hiss, and the only witness to the scene, besides Maigret and Leroy who watch from afar, is the cat who runs away at Emmas steps... The novel The Bar on the Seine opens with an image of radiant summer, with the sun and happy passers-by. To emphasize the scene, and the contrast with the following text, here is what Maigret finds on arriving at the prison where Lenoir will learn that he will be executed: "When Maigret arrived at the back door of Santé Prison, the sentry, moved, was watching a little white cat playing with the dairy dog." What a contrast between the innocence of this little cat of guileless white (who moreover is playing with the dog of a dairy, which leads us to think of the whiteness of the milk products...), observed with tenderness by a character whose work consists of guarding a place where men are locked up... complete article original French Murielle Wenger

Maigret Forum on Vacation 9/7/09 – New Forum items won't appear until Sept. 24, when I return to my computer... Steve

Simenon article in Le Figaro 9/6/09 – There's a new (9/4) article about Simenon in Le Figaro, here: Il était une fois... Georges Simenon by Jean-Marc Parisis... In 1960, Georges Simenon presided over the Cannes Festival, where he encountered Jean Cocteau, whose "Le Testament d’Orphée" had just come out. (photo: Pat Morin/Le Figaro Magazine) Regards, Jérôme

Simenon contest 9/5/09 – There's a Simenon quiz contest here, where you can win a set of Tout Simenon, Maigret CDs, Assouline's new book... Regards, Jérôme

Autodictionnaire Simenon 9/5/09 – "Autodictionnaire Simenon" by P. Assouline is now available: "Le Mot de l'éditeur : 20e anniversaire de la mort de Simenon Georges Simenon est mort le 4 septembre 1989 à 3h30. Vingt ans après la dispersion de ses cendres, l'énigme de son oeuvre, l'une des lues et des plus commentées, demeure intacte. Jamais avare d'interviews, il passa pour l'un des écrivains les plus transparents en raison de sa disponibilité même. Et si ce flot de paroles avait fait écran ? En y cherchant les pépites pour les extraire du magma, et en les confrontant à d'autres, trouvées dans ses lettres ou dans des textes méconnus, Pierre Assouline livre les clés pour découvrir, pour comprendre, pour pénétrer l'univers de Simenon." "Word from the Publisher: 20th anniversary of the death of Simenon Georges Simenon died September 4, 1989 at 3:30 a.m. Twenty years after the scattering of his ashes, the enigma of his work, one of the most read and commented on, remains intact. Never stingy with interviews, he appeared to be one of the most transparent of writers because of this availability. And if the flow of words was just a screen? In searching there for the nuggets to be extracted from the muddle, and comparing them to others, found in his letters or in his lesser known texts, Pierre Assouline presents the keys to discover, to understand, to penetrate the universe of Simenon." more here Regards, Jérôme

Re: Bruno Cremer Maigret DVDs 9/5/09 – I recently purchased volumes 22-25 of the Bruno Cremer DVDs from Amazon.fr. I am sorry to report that they are not subtitled in English (or any other language). A challenge to me, I suppose, to improve my understanding of spoken French. An interesting note - many of these "missing" episodes have been televised (along with the other 42) in the USA on MHz Networks International Mystery series, with English subtitles - so they do exist. Too bad One-Plus-One chose not to include them on the new DVDs. Thanks for the wonderful site. Since I discovered Maigret in 2004, you and all the contributors have enhanced my understanding and enjoyment of the corpus tremendously. Special cheers to Murielle and Jérôme. ---Joe Covey

Europe remembers Simenon, the "athlete of the pen" 9/4/09 – "Two decades after the death of the Belgian writer Georges Simenon, the ‘athlete of the pen “remains one of the authors more verbose, more localized and more adapted to film and television. To remember this date, which falls today, several European cities have scheduled numerous events, including panel discussions, exhibitions and conferences, after the writer died in 1989 in Lausanne (Switzerland), at age 86. A total of 192 novels, 158 short stories, several autobiographical works and numerous articles and reports published-in addition to more than 200 works under pseudonyms …" From: iPrensa.es more here (original in Spanish. Link is via tinyurl.com so may not load...) Roddy

Re: Bruno Cremer Maigret DVDs 9/1/09 – En réponse au dernier forum, on peut dire que la maison d'édition Oneplusone a effectivement commencé la publication des DVD manquants. Quatre coffrets de 2 DVD chacun sont déjà sortis (volumes 22 à 25). Voir ce lien pour les détails. Par contre, je ne peux pas vous dire si ces DVD contiennent aussi une version sous-titrée en anglais comme les précédents épisodes édités, mais j'imagine que cela doit être le cas... Si on fait le compte, on a donc les 4 volumes de 10 DVD chacun, ce qui fait 40 épisodes, + les 12 manquants en cours de réédition (by the way, votre liste des titres est correcte !), et il y a eu 54 épisodes tournés. Où sont donc les 2 épisodes manquants, me direz-vous ? Eh bien ce sont les deux épisodes "Maigret et les plaisirs de la nuit" (4e épisode tourné pour la série, mais le premier à avoir été diffusé) et "Maigret et l'Etoile du Nord" (ultime épisode de la série), que l'on trouve réunis dans le volume no 21 édité par Oneplusone. In response to the question about the Bruno Cremer DVDs, the publishers One-plus-one have, in fact, begun publication of the missing DVDs. Four boxed sets of 2 DVDs each are already out (volumes 22-25). See this link for the details. On the other hand, I can't say whether these DVDs also contain the English subtitles like the preceding ones published, but I imagine so... Adding them up, we have the 4 volumes of 10 DVDs each, making 40 episodes, + the missing 12 currently being published (and by the way, your list of titles is correct!), and there were 54 episodes produced. So where are the 2 missing episodes, you ask? These are the two episodes "Maigret et les plaisirs de la nuit" (4th episode made for the series, but the first to have been released) and "Maigret et l'Etoile du Nord" (last episode of the series), found together in volune 21 published by One-plus-one. Regards, Murielle

Bruno Cremer Maigret DVDs 8/31/09 – I have the first four volumes of the Bruno Cremer Maigret series. It’s my understanding that they made 54 films, of which I would have 40. Is there a fifth, and sixth season available? In other words, are all 54 episodes (if that, indeed, is how many they filmed) available? Thanks very much, and by the way: what a wonderful website! Steve Cribari There's a Dutch edition which includes the missing 12... but no English subtitles. In the Forum on 12/07/08 Murielle wrote: With regard to the 12 missing episodes, see the forum on Jacques-Yves Depoix's site on the Bruno Crémer series, particularly the discussions N° 11143771 and N° 1852236123. [indicating various sources for the missing 12] I think this is the list of missing ones, with the numbers of the Dutch series (for example, here, and sometimes found on eBay), and the original French numbering (from Depoix). I've also found an edition with Greek subtitles: 1-1. Maigret et la grande perche 1-2. Maigret chez les Flamands 1-3. Maigret et la maison du juge 1-5. Maigret et le corps sans tête 2-7. Maigret et les caves du Majestic 2-8. Maigret se défend 2-9. Maigret et les témoins récalcitrants 2-11. La Patience de Maigret -14.Cécile est morte -15. Maigret se trompe 4-18. Les Vacances de Maigret -21. Maigret et la tête d'un homme (This list needs checking... I made it a while ago and haven't confirmed it recently) ST

Meung-sur-Loire 8/31/09 – I was in Orleans last week-end and I rode by bicyle to Meung-sur-Loire. Here are some pictures of the Loire, the view from Meung and the castle. Regards, Jérôme

Simenon Days at Lausanne 8/31/09 – "A series of events organized from Thursday September 3 to Saturday September 5, 2009, in collaboration with the Festival Simenon des Sables d'Olonne (France), to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the death in Lausanne of Georges Simenon, creator of the famous Commissaire Maigret and one of the greatest novelist of the twentieth century." Here are two links: Georges Simenon in the heart of Lausanne Lausanne se souvient de Simenon Murielle

New Maigrets in Polish 8/27/09 – Good news from Poland. After two years, two new Maigrets were published in July: Noc na rozdrożu (Night at the crossroads) and Maigret i sąd przysięgłych (Maigret in court). They were published by C&T Publishers, based in Torun, the city I live in. Przemyslaw

Re: What to read that's like Maigret? 8/27/09 – I came to Maigret after having read many series featuring a protagonist of his ilk to one degree or another. Seems he is indeed grandfather to many detectives combining elements of Maigret's psychological insightfulness and woebegone ways, his droll self regard and wry wit. Not surprisingly, most of them are European--we Americans sadly tending to favor action over understanding. Herewith, then, is a list of some of my favorites (with the help of the great website, 'Stop You're Killing Me'): 1) Louise Penny Featuring Armand Gamache, Chief Inspector of the Sûreté du Québec, in the village of Three Pines, in southern Quebec, Canada: Still Life (2005) [2006 New Blood Dagger, 2006 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel, 2007 Anthony Award for Best First Novel, 2007 Barry Award for Best First Novel] Dead Cold (2006) APA: A Fatal Grace (2007) [2007 Agatha Award for Best Novel] The Cruelest Month (2007) [2008 Agatha Award for Best Novel, Finalist 2009 Anthony Award for Best Mystery, Finalist 2009 Barry Award for Best Novel, Finalist 2008 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel, Finalist 2009 Macavity Award for Best Novel] The Murder Stone (2008) APA: A Rule Against Murder (2009) [Finalist 2009 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel] The Brutal Telling (due September 29, 2009) 2) Henning Mankell Featuring Kurt Wallander, an inspector in Ystad, Sweden (1): The Pyramid: And Four Other Kurt Wallander Mysteries (2) (1999) [2008] [includes novellas & SS] Faceless Killers (1991) [1997] The Dogs of Riga (1992) [2003] The White Lioness (1993) [1998] The Man Who Smiled (1994) [2005] Sidetracked (1995) [1999] [2001 Gold Dagger Award] The Fifth Woman (1996) [2000] One Step Behind (1997) [2002] Firewall (1998) [2002] 1. Books listed in series order 2. Includes a novel: The Pyramid; two novellas: Wallander’s First Case, The Death of the Photographer; and two short stories: The Man with the Mask, The Man on the Beach. Starts with the 21-year-old Wallander in 1969 in Malmö. 3) Fred Vargas Frédérique Audouin-Rouzeau [1957-] Featuring Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, commissioner of police (chief inspector), in Paris, France: The Chalk Circle Man (1990, 1996) [2009] [2009 International Dagger Award] Seeking Whom He May Devour (1999) [2004] [Finalist 2005 Gold Dagger Award] Have Mercy on Us All (2001) [2003] Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand (2004) [2007] [2007 International Dagger Award, Finalist 2008 Barry Award for Best Paperback] This Night’s Foul Work (2006) [2008] [Finalist 2008 International Dagger Award] 4) Janwillem van de Wetering [1931-2008] Featuring Henk Grijpstra, Rinus de Gier, and the Commisaris, police detectives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Outsider in Amsterdam(1975) Tumbleweed (1976) The Corpse on the Dike (1976) Death of a Hawker (1977) The Japanese Corpse (1977) The Blond Baboon (1978) The Maine Massacre (1979) The Mind-Murders (1981) The Streetbird (1983) The Rattle-Rat (1985) Hard Rain (1986) The Sergeant’s Cat and Other Stories [SS] (1987) Just a Corpse at Twilight (1994) [Finalist 1995 Anthony Award for Best Mystery] The Hollow-Eyed Angel (1996) Perfidious Parrot (1997) 5) Andrea Camilleri [1925-] Featuring Salvo Montalbano, a police inspector in Sicily, Italy: The Shape of Water (1994) [2002] The Terra-Cotta Dog (1996) [2002] The Snack Thief (1996) [2003] The Voice of the Violin (1997) [2003] The Excursion to Tindari (2000) [2005] [Finalist 2006 International Dagger Award] The Smell of the Night (2001) [2005] APA: The Scent of the Night [2005] Rounding the Mark (2003) [2006] The Patience of the Spider (2004) [2007] [Finalist 2008 International Dagger Award] The Paper Moon (2005) [2008] August Heat (2006) [2009] (date) Italian publication date [date] English translation date 6) Arnaldur Indriðason [1961-] Featuring Erlendur Sveinsson, a detective inspector, and his colleagues Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg, in Reykjavik, Iceland: Sons of Earth (1997) AKA: Sons of Dust Silent Kill (1998) Jar City (2000) [2004] APA: Tainted Blood [2005] Silence of the Grave (2001) [2005] [2005 Gold Dagger Award, Finalist 2006 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel] Voices (2002) [2006] The Draining Lake (2004) [2007] [Finalist 2009 Barry Award for Best Novel, Finalist 2009 Macavity Award for Best Novel] Arctic Chill (2005) [2008] [Finalist 2009 International Dagger Award] Hypothermia (2007) [due October 27, 2009] (date) Icelandic publication date [date] English translation date Note: Alphabetized under first name following traditional practice for Icelandic names, per Library of Congress Catalog. 7) Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö Per Wahlöö [1926-1975] Featuring Martin Beck, a police inspector in Stockholm, Sweden: Roseanna (1965) [1967] The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (1966) [1969] The Man on the Balcony (1967) [1968] The Laughing Policeman (1968) [1970] APA: An Investigation of Murder [1974] [movie tie-in] The Fire Engine That Disappeared (1969) [1970] Murder at the Savoy (1970) [1971] The Abominable Man (1971) [1972] The Locked Room (1972) [1973] Cop Killer (1974) [1975] The Terrorists (1975) [1976] 8) Karin Fossum [1954-] Featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer, working in a small mountain village in Norway: Eve’s Eye (1) (1995) Don’t Look Back (1996) [2002] He Who Fears the Wolf (1997) [2003] When the Devil Holds the Candle (1998) [2004] Calling Out for You (2000) [2006] AKA: Beloved Poona APA: The Indian Bride [2007] [Finalist 2005 Gold Dagger Award] Black Seconds (2002) [2007] The Murder of Harriet Krohn (2005) -- not translated into English yet The Water’s Edge (2007) [2009] Enjoy! Karen Mickleson

Re: Maigret Map of France? 8/26/09 – Suite à la question du dernier forum à propos d'une carte des enquêtes de Maigret en France, je vous fais parvenir ces quelques images. Elles proviennent d'un site sur Maigret qui existait il y a quelques années sur le net, mais qui a disparu. Je ne suis plus très sûre du nom de ce site, mais je crois que c'était 3615sim.net. J'imagine que l'on peut se permettre de diffuser à nouveau ces images... Cela ne donne pas une carte complète des déplacements de Maigret en France, mais c'est mieux que rien... In response to the Forum question about a map of Maigret's investigations in France, here are some images. They originate from a Maigret site which existed several years ago on the net [ca. 2005], but which has disappeared. I'm not completely sure of the name, but I think it was 3615sim.net [it was]. I imagine no one will be upset by the reposting of these images... It doesn't provide a complete map of Maigret's movements in France, but it's better than nothing... Best regards Murielle (Click to enlarge) 1. Maigret et les témoins récalcitrant (Ivry-sur-Seine) 2. L'Affaire Saint-Fiacre (Paray-le-Frésil ) Maigret à Vichy (Vichy) 3. Maigret chez les Flamands (Givet) 4. Le port des brumes (Ouistreham Riva-Bella) 5. Maigret à l'école (Saint-André-sur-Mer) 6. M. Gallet, décédé (Sancerre) 7. Le Fou de Bergerac (Bergerac) 8. Le Chien jaune (Concarneau) 9. Le Charretier de la Providence (Epernay) 10. Au Rendez-Vous des Terre-Neuvas (Fécamp) Maigret et la vielle dame (Etretat) 11. Maigret se fâche (Orsenne) 12. Félicie est là (Poissy) 13. Les Vacances de Maigret (Les Sables-d'Olonne) Maigret et l'inspecteur cadavre (Sainte-Hermine) La Maison du juge (Luçon) Maigret a peur (Fontenay-le-Comte) 14. La Nuit du carrefour (Arpajon) La Guinguette à deux sous (Morsang sur Seine) 15. Cécile est morte (Bourg-la-Reine)

What about Torrence? 8/26/09 – I turned to Maigret when I'd caught up on all the interesting American and European detective series I could find. Being an orderly sort, I decided to try to do what I always do with every other series: to read each 'book' in the order in which it was written by the author. So, I copied your list of the 75, plus the list of omnibus volumes and began to order the Penguin 1-14 series, checking off each on your list, only to discover that MANY of those included in *those* omnibus volumes were NOT on your list of 75. Meantime, losing patience, I'd found a copy of the first Hamish omnibus, and had read all but 'Maigret Goes to School'. Then I found the #1 'book' on your list -- Peitr Lett -- at my local library and read that, thinking it was the first he'd written. Only then did I read 'Maigret Goes to School', only to discover that Torrence was no longer dead (he'd been murdered in the Lett book). Some books show the date of that writing at the end of each 'book', whereas others do not. Now I'm hopelessly confused... Best wishes, and thanks for your work, Karen Mickleson

Maigret Map of France? 8/25/09 – I was reading a couple of Maigret books during my holiday in France this summer. Wonderful!! I was wondering if there exists a map of France with the crime scenes and the different investigation travels he made.... Sincerely, Herman Van Doorn The Netherlands No map yet... but here's a list ST

More for Simenon on Radio France Culture 8/19/09 – Here's another blog, Spend the summer with Georges Simenon, also about the Simenon podcasts... Roddy

Simenon on Radio France Culture 8/16/09 – Here is an article [in French] from the French newspaper, "La croix" about a broadcast on radio channel France Culture next week every morning from 9 AM to 10 AM, every day on a different city or country in which Simenon had lived... commemorating the 20th anniversary of Simenon's death. lundi 17 août 2009 : Liège mardi 18 août 2009 : Paris mercredi 19 août 2009 : la France jeudi 20 août 2009 : l’Amérique vendredi 21 août 2009 : la Suisse The list of programs is here. There is special web page inside the France Culture web site here. The 5 programs will be available as audio files on the France Culture web site so anyone will be able to listen to them any time after their broadcast. (and perhaps make a copy...? I don't know if that is feasible). 8/17/09 - The official podcast of the programs are here. For today, we have Simenon / Archives du 17-08-2009 - durée : 52mn Simenon / Documentaires du 17-08-2009 - durée : 1h 29mn Simenon / Débats du 17-08-2009 - durée : 58mn that makes it simpler to get the files (in mp3 format directly) Regards Jérôme

Chief Superintendent Maigret... a blog 8/16/09 – I just received a link to an enjoyable blog by "Tom Sheepandgoats" introducing Simenon and Maigret, which begins... My all time favorite author says he's slept with 10,000 women in the course of his life. You gotta admit, that's a lot. From my virtuous vantage point, one wonders if it is even possible. Actually, he didn't say it himself, but it was some reporter who knew his habits made the calculation, and he said 'yeah....that sounds about right.' The author is Geoges Simenon (1903-1989), largely unknown in the U.S, but one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, and familiar everywhere else. Most of his novels are so sordid - should one be surprised? - you almost can't read them. I haven't gotten through many, and my motivation to do so quickly wanes. His own mother complained “"Why don't you ever write a book about nice people and good Catholics, instead of all these criminals?'" Indeed, I might not know of this author at all were it not for one remarkable fact: his most famous character, Chief Superintendent Maigret, protagonist of over 100 books and short stories – all murder mysteries - is as upright as his creator is decadent. One almost imagines the author inventing him as a sort of therapy, as if pining like a Michael Jackson of yesteryear for a normality that was never his. (not that he ever expressed any regret over the 10,000) The impossibly cozy home scenes of Chief Superintendent Maigret and Mdm. Maigret play almost as novelettes within novels – typifying that old-fashioned safe harbor that a person longs for after slogging it out in the rough-and-tumble world. Was marriage ever so tranquil, its participants so companionable? Don’t expect any racy sex scenes here nor even strong emotion, just pure domestic pleasantry. After solving a tough case, there is no better pastime for Maigret than to stroll arm in arm with his wife to the movies. You wouldn’t expect a series of murder stories would be joyful, but joy, good humor, and a sheer love of life, permeate the Maigret series.... The full blog is here. At the end of the blog Tom wonders why the item he sent in to this Forum wasn't published. I'd like to reassure Tom and everyone else that contributions to the Forum are open to anyone - there are no "members" - and they're almost always published. The reason his item didn't appear was that it apparently got lost in cyberspace... I never received it... but I hope he'll resubmit it. ST

Le Client le plus obstiné du monde 8/14/09 – In Le Client le plus obstiné du monde ("The Most Obstinate Customer in the World") the main character is offered a choice of reading material, Le Temps, Le Figaro and Les Débats. Can anyone tell me if Les Débats refers to the Journal des Débats or to some other publication? I ask the question because though the Journal des Débats was founded in 1789, it disappeared in 1944 - and Simenon dated this story "Ste-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson (Québec), Canada, May 2, 1946" Niall O'Neill Since none of the Maigrets are set during WWII, we can safely assume that the story takes place in pre-WWII Paris, and thus that it was the Journal des Débats, still in publication. (In fact the war is hardly ever mentioned throughout the corpus - for Forum mentions of Maigret and WWII see these search results) ST

Maigret of the Month: Maigret à Vichy (Maigret in Vichy, Maigret Takes the Waters) 8/10/09 – 1. Simenon – and Maigret – in Vichy A novel a little different from the rest of the corpus, set in an atmosphere bathed in the special light of Vichy, which has "a certain vibration, a certain gentleness", as Maigret said to the journalists who'd come to interview him. But this gentleness nonetheless hides the most sordid affair of blackmail, in the guise of dignity and morality... The novel is also special because Simenon wrote it immediately after his stay in the town of Vichy, of which the author has his own memories. The case is rather rare... usually, Simenon prefers to "decant" his impressions before serving them up again in a novel. We can recall the case of the earliest Maigrets from Presses de la Cité, when the Chief Inspector returned to the Quai des Orfèvres (MOR, for example), where Simenon had never described the streets of Paris as well as after his long stay in the United States... It was in the summer of 1967 that the Simenon family spent their vacation in Vichy... "Why Vichy? ... While I was staying in Paris, I'd been attracted, on the Grand Boulevards, by a shop window displaying a model of the new Vichy, with its parks and above all its broad lake on the Allier where you can do all the aquatic sports, including sailing and water-skiing. ... I'd lived quite a while in Allier when I was secretary to the Marquis of Tracy, not far from Moulins. The culinary resources of the region are famous, from Charolais beef to lamb and poultry, not to mention the no less savory goat cheese." (in "Mémoires intimes") Poor Maigret, condemned by his author to a diet and the cure, couldn't partake of these delicious products of the area! On the other hand, Simenon bequeathed to his Chief Inspector other impressions and memories of his stay in Vichy... "Teresa and I did a lot of walking. We've always walked a lot... we've never covered as many miles, arm in arm, as in Vichy, where we soon learned all the nooks and crannies. ... We walked ... the paths of the various parks, we stopped in front of springs of mineral water, of which we didn't drink a single drop. ... At the end of town, alongside the river, another park, another spring, and, by every path, lawn bowlers, almost all retired, before which we'd stop for a while. ... Night fell. The streetlamps in the park are lit, their light shining on the foliage. An orchestra plays on the bandstand, music "of the good old days" with dozens of men and women around them, seated on ornate little iron chairs like those formerly on the Avenue du Bois. ... Teresa and I walked around the bandstand and I was intrigued by certain faces, of one woman in particular, quite thin, very pale, whom we encountered every evening in the same place. Wasn't there a sort of dramatic expression in her eyes? "What do you think she's thinking about? What kind of life must she lead?" Her dress, while modest, is always in very good taste. I could imagine her in a district of stylish little houses where, in the evening, the shades are lowered, the streets are empty and silent. We play at making up stories, as we sometimes do for a man or woman passing by, or one of the bowlers." (ibid.) After visiting friends and acquaintances (for example, Sven Nielsen: "We wound up walking in the park, Sven and I, exchanging confidences." (ibid.) and "some lucky encounters..., Tino Rossi... A Montmartre singer I'd known in Paris... A Chief Inspector of the Police Prefecture become an important personage... Courtine, the gastronome " (ibid.)), the return to Epalinges... "In September... I remain permeated with our life at Vichy.... I write, with my memories still warm, "Maigret in Vichy", in which the enigmatic woman of the bandstand becomes the heroine." (ibid.") 2. Everything must have a beginning... I very much like the opening of this novel, in the form of this question addressed by Mme Maigret to her husband, "Do you know them?". Simenon has the art of beginning his novels in an "unconventional" way. The introductory sentence doesn't have to inevitably be like, "There was once...", or a minute Balzacian description of an interior, to insert us into the plot. To illustrate this, a few introductory sentences from novels in the corpus, with which I invite you, fellow Maigretphiles, to play a little recognition game: can you say which novel opens with each of these sentences? "A slight scratching at the door; the sound of an object set on the floor; a furtive voice... "It's 5:30! The first bell of the mass is about to ring...." "Three minutes to five. A white bulb lights up on the immense map of Paris which covers a side of the wall." "The chicken was on the stove, with a fine red carrot, a large onion and the scent of parsley whose stalks jutted out." "The little old man with a goatee once more stepped out of the shade of the warehouse, walking backwards, looking left and right, with a gesture of both hands as if to pull towards him the heavy truck whose maneuver he directed." "When a bell somewhere sounded twice, the prisoner was sitting on his bed, his two large gnarled hands grasping his bended knees. " "The pipe that Maigret had lit on his doorstep, Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, was already tastier than on other mornings." "If you look down through the water separating you from the fish, you see them staying still for a long while, without cause, and then, with a movement of their fins, they move further off to do nothing more than to wait once again." "Hey! You!" Maigret turned around, like at school, to see who was being talked to. "Yes, you, over there...." "Maigret yawned, pushed the papers towards the edge of the desk. "Sign this, boys, and you can go to sleep." "The sky had just started to lighten when Jules, the eldest of the Naud brothers, appeared on the bridge of the barge, first his head, then his shoulders, then his great gangling body." "There was a moment, between the Quai des Orfèvres and the Pont Marie, when Maigret stopped for a second, so briefly that Lapointe, who walked at his side, didn't notice." "Maigret played in a ray of March sun, the day still slightly chilly." complete article original French Murielle Wenger

Re: What to read that's like Maigret? 8/09/09 –There is no-one like Maigret really; however, I suggest trying Magdalen Nabb, whose Marshall Guarnaccia has something of Maigret about him. Interestingly, Simenon praised her writing. Cheers D.J. Greenfield (Don first recommended the Marshall Guarnaccia books in this Forum about five and a half years ago. I mentioned this one, which I enjoyed, and for which Simenon wrote the introduction, here in March. The Forum archives can be searched using the search forms at the bottom of this page and the home page... which is how I located these two references to Nabb.) Magdalen Nabb [1947-2007] Maresciallo Guarnaccia series Death of an Englishman, 1981 Death of a Dutchman, 1982 Death in Springtime, 1983 Death in Autumn, 1985 The Marshal and the Murderer, 1987 The Marshal and the Madwoman, 1988 The Marshal's Own Case, 1990 The Marshal Makes His Report, 1991 The Marshal at the Villa Torrini, 1993 The Monster of Florence, 1996 Property of Blood, 1999 Some Bitter Taste, 2002 The Innocent, 2005 Vita Nuova, 2008 ST

Simenon/Maigret on Dutch Stamp 8/07/09 – A Dutch stamp issued June 16, 2009 for Delfzijl, includes an image which appears to be Simenon as Maigret... Simenon's profile in Maigret's bowler. Delfzijl is often referred to as "the birthplace of Maigret", and was the setting for "Maigret in Holland" (Un crime en Hollande). More details, mini-sheets, etc., at Detective Fiction on Stamps. ST

What to read that's like Maigret? 8/05/09 –Suggestions please! I have read all of the Maigret books in English at least 3 times each over the last 3 years. For a respite before I go back to them again, can anyone suggest other mysteries in the same vein [in English please]. Thanks Harry Hinson

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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