Maigret Travels


Book Description

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville Eyes half-closed, head tilted against the back of his seat, he seemed not to be thinking, as the plane flew over a thick carpet of bright clouds. In reality, he was making an effort to bring names and shadowy figures to life, names and figures that even this morning had been as unknown to him as the inhabitants of another planet. The attempted suicide of a countess and the death of a billionaire in the same luxury Paris hotel send Maigret to the Riviera and then to Switzerland, as he searches for the truth amid the glittering world of the super-rich. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret and the Millionaires. 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian




Maigret and the Lazy Burglar


Book Description

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville 'Sullenly, he got dressed. Why, whenever he was woken on a winter night like this, did the coffee have a particular taste? The smell of the apartment was different...his pipe, too, had a different taste.' Set against a high-profile hunt for the latest criminal gang to hit Paris, Maigret is determined to track down the murderer of a quiet crook for whom he cannot help feeling affection and respect. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret and the Idle Burglar. 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories' Guardian




Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse


Book Description

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville 'Why all of a sudden did this shock him? He was annoyed with himself for being shocked. He felt as if he had been sucked into the bourgeois, almost edifying, atmosphere that surrounded those epeople, 'good people' so everyone kept telling him.' A retired manufacturer has been shot dead by his own pistol, last seen alive by his son-in-law. In this seemingly motiveless murder, Inspector Maigret must rely on his famous intuition to discover the truth. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Maigret and the Black Sheep. 'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century ' Guardian




Maigret Enjoys Himself


Book Description

“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré Convinced that he needs a vacation, Maigret resolves to take two weeks off—but when a scandalous murder makes headlines, he can’t help but get involved Maigret is given two weeks off work and decides to spend them in Paris with Madame Maigret, enjoying himself and avoiding police headquarters entirely. But when an interesting case arises in his absence with Inspector Janvier taking the lead, Maigret can’t resist his investigative urges. Through anonymous notes to Janvier, calls to newspaper reporters, and some creative independent sleuthing, Maigret Enjoys Himself finds our hero wrapped up in yet another murder—this time, off the clock.




The Penguin Modern Classics Book


Book Description

The essential guide to twentieth-century literature around the world For six decades the Penguin Modern Classics series has been an era-defining, ever-evolving series of books, encompassing works by modernist pioneers, avant-garde iconoclasts, radical visionaries and timeless storytellers. This reader's companion showcases every title published in the series so far, with more than 1,800 books and 600 authors, from Achebe and Adonis to Zamyatin and Zweig. It is the essential guide to twentieth-century literature around the world, and the companion volume to The Penguin Classics Book. Bursting with lively descriptions, surprising reading lists, key literary movements and over two thousand cover images, The Penguin Modern Classics Book is an invitation to dive in and explore the greatest literature of the last hundred years.




Maigret, Simenon and France


Book Description

Georges Simenon (1903-1989) was a phenomenally successful author of crime fiction. His 75 Maigret novels and 28 Maigret short stories were published between 1931 and 1972 to great international acclaim (he is the only non-anglophone crime writer to have achieved such renown). His Maigret stories are regarded by many as having established a new direction in crime fiction, emphasizing social and psychological portraiture rather than focussing on a puzzle to be solved or on "action." This book examines the importance of social class and social change in the Maigret stories, giving a particular emphasis to the early formative novels and the development of plot, characterization and setting. The author seeks to establish the extent to which Simenon's portrait of French society is historically accurate and the nature of the influence of the author's own class position and ideology on his fiction.




Investigating Simenon


Book Description

For nearly a century, the work of Belgian crime writer and psychological novelist Georges Simenon, creator of Chief Inspector Maigret, has captivated readers worldwide. This investigation situates Simenon's work in its historical context and interprets it as a reaction to shifting gender relations in Western society. Simenon's compelling narratives capture the anxieties of men whose patriarchal position was under threat in an era of insurgent feminist movements. These concerns are also evident in Simenon's pervasive preoccupation with sexuality, as well as his political stance that stems from his petit-bourgeois upbringing. This groundbreaking study includes interwoven commentary on all 191 novels Simenon published under his own name, including several that have never been translated into English, as well as a number of short stories and several pseudonymous works.







Famous Movie Detectives II


Book Description

A sequel to the 1979 offering investigates such celluloid gumshoes as Mike Hammer, Miss Jane Marple, Philip Marlowe, Perry Mason, The Shadow, Sherlock Holmes, and The Whistler, as well as those with brief careers, including Kitty O'Day, Tony Rome, and Lord Peter Whimsey. Reveals the characters, the actors, the films, and the literary works that set off the whole chain of events. Includes dozens of movie stills and corrections to the base volume. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR




Sequels


Book Description

A guide to series fiction lists popular series, identifies novels by character, and offers guidance on the order in which to read unnumbered series.