MAIGRET ET LE CLOCHARD, A NOVEL BY GEORGES SIMENON (BOOK REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION)

In this post, I'll share a book review for Maigret and the Dosser (also translated as Maigret and the Bum / Maigret and the Tramp). Published in 1963, this novel's title gives away the plot- detective Julies Maigret takes on the mystery of an attempted murder of a bum. If you are looking for a short crime novel, look no further.  Maigret and the Dosser (Maigret et le Clochard) is  a detective novel by a prolific Belgian writer George Simenon. You know, calling Simenon prolific would be somewhat of an understatement (one needs to add an adverb before the prolific adjective). George Simenon was an extremely prolific writer who wrote around four hundred and fifty novels. Many of Simenon's best known works feature detective Maigret.  In fact, Simenon wrote seventy-five novels and twenty- eight short stories featuring Julies Maigret. As you might know, many classical crime writers wrote numerous novels with the same detective protagonist. It could be said that it is something of a tradition in the murder and mystery genre. 

The novel I'll review today is actually my first novel by this author. However, once I started reading I realized that I'm actually familiar with the character of Maigret because I've seen one episode of Maigret 2016 TV series featuring Rowan Atkinson. Moreover, it's possible that I've seen other adaptations as well. A short internet search revealed that there were numerous adaptations of Simenon's Maigret books.   I'm more a reader than anything else, but when I do watch TV, this is the kind of crime series and films I tend to enjoy- those featuring an intelligent detective. I read this novel in Croatian translation last Saturday night, so only two days ago.  It is still fresh in my mind.  This book proved to be exactly my cup of tea. I would recommend it to all lovers of classical crime novels. 

On a more personal note, we lost another family member yesterday- my sister-in-law's husband. He was a funny, intelligent and kind man, I shall remember him fondly. As for the outfit I'm wearing in these photographs (black turtleneck dress, DIY necklaces, flared leggings, belt), it's something I wore a few days ago. I opted for more sensible shoes (i.e. black boots) when I went outside. I didn't remember to take photographs of what I wore to the funeral this afternoon but it was similar to what I wore today (I wore a skater dress over these flared leggings and many more layers, including an additional pair of leggings and a blazer, for it was a cold day). 

U ovoj ću objavi podijeliti ogled knjige za Maigret i žrtva iz Siene. Objavljen 1963., naslov ovog romana naslućuje radnju– detektiv Julies Maigret preuzima slučaj pokušaja ubojstva beskućnika. Ako tražite kratki kriminalistički roman, ne tražite dalje. Maigret et le Clochard (u prijevodu Ivana Kušana Maigret i žrtva iz Siene) je detektivski roman plodnog belgijskog pisca Georgea Simenona. Znate, nazvati Simenona plodnim bilo bi pomalo podcjenjivanje (treba dodati prilog iznimno ispred pridjeva plodni). George Simenon bio je doista iznimno plodan pisac koji je napisao oko četiristo pedeset romana. Mnoga od njegovih najpoznatijih djela prikazuju detektiva Maigreta. Zapravo, Simenon je napisao sedamdeset pet romana i dvadeset osam kratkih priča o Juliesu Maigret. Kao što možda znate, mnogi pisci klasičnih krimića napisali su brojne romane s istim detektivom kao glavnim junakom. Moglo bi se reći da je to nešto kao tradicija u žanru krimića. 

Roman o kojem danas pišem zapravo je moj prvi roman ovog pisca. Međutim, kada sam počela čitati, shvatih da mi je lik Maigreta zapravo poznat jer sam gledala jednu epizodu TV serije Maigret (iz 2016.) u kojoj ga glumi Rowan Atkinson. Štoviše, moguće je da vidjeh i druge adaptacije. Kratka internetska pretraga otkrila je da postoje brojne adaptacije Simenonovih knjiga Maigreta. Više sam čitateljica nego bilo što drugo, ali kad gledam televiziju, uživam u ovakvim kriminalističkim serijama i filmovima - onima u kojima se pojavljuje inteligentni detektiv. Ovu sam knjigu pročitala u subotu navečer (tako da mi je još svježa u sjećanju) u prijevodu Ivana Kušana. Imamo ovo lijepo izdanje tvrdog uveza u svojoj kućnoj biblioteci pa mi je drago što sam ga konačno pročitala. Roman je baš po mome ukusu i preporučila bih ga svim ljubiteljiva klasičnih krimića. 

Što se privatnog života tiče, jučer smo izgubili još jednog člana obitelji, zavinog muža Bio je duhovit, inteligentan i ljubazan čovjek, takvog ću ga se i sjećati. Što se tiče djevne kombinacije koji nosim na ovim fotografijama (crna dolčevita haljina, ogrlice koje su moje kreacije, tajice zvonastog kroja, crni remen), to je zapravo nešto što sam nosila prije nekoliko dana. Odlučio sam se za razumnije cipele (tj. crne čizme) kad sam izašla van. Nisam se sjetila fotografirati ono što sam danas poslijepodne nosila na sprovodu, ali bilo je slično onome što sam nosila danas (odjenula sam široku haljinu preko ovih tajica i mnogo više slojeva, uključujući još jedne tajice i sako, jer je bio hladan dan). Poveznice za prijašnje objave s ovim odjevnim predmetima su u engleskom dijelu teksta. 

MAIGRET AND THE BUM/ MAIGRET ET LE CHOCHARD, A NOVEL BY GEORGES SIMENON 4/5

The novels opens with commissaire Maigret arriving at the crime scene, that is near river Seine river. The novel is, naturally, set in Paris. Maigret is reminded of his past as he walks along the banks of Seine river. Indeed, comissaire will need his past experiences to understand this case. I'm not sure what exactly is Maigret's age in this novel, but he is a mature man. 

 If wikipedia is to be trusted, this book is the sixtieth novel in Maigret series. At any rate, Maigret is an experienced commissaire de police in this book. The writing style is quite simple but descriptive, exactly what you would expect from a classical crime novel. The moods and the emotions of the protagonist as showed, but the emphasis remains on the case. With time, however, the novel grows a bit philosophical. The plot is well written and paced. The narrative is linear but there is talk and investigation into the tramp's past.  The dialogues are well written and natural sounding. As I said, the narrative starts with Maigret's visiting the crime scene of an attempted murder.

Once Maigret arrives on the scene of crime, he speaks with a Belgian mariner who retrieved the bum out of the river. Right away, something doesn't seem quite right to Maigret. He proceeds to study the case, looking for other eye-witnesses and interviewing homeless people in the area. Maigret seems to be fascinated by this case- who would want to harm a bum (tramp)? 

One of the things I liked about this novel is how it showed bums (tramps or whatever is the right world,  the translations vary) in a very humane way. The homeless are described as pacifist sort of people, the kind that keeps to themselves but honour friendship within their community. When Maigret interviews other homeless people who live in the vicinity, he does it with tact and respect.  Maigret's past life and police experience has taught him to respect the homeless.  You know, a late cousin of mine (who was an acclaimed painter in France), wrote a poem about the Parisian homeless that I found quite touching. 

Roman počinje s dolaskom Maigreta na mjesto zločina to jest na obale rijeke Seine. Radnja romana, naravno, smještena je u Pariz. Maigret se podsjeća na svoju prošlost dok hoda obalom rijeke Seine. Doista, comissaireu će trebati svoja prošla iskustva da bi razumio ovaj slučaj. Nisam siguran koliko je točno Maigretu godina u ovom romanu, ali on je već zreo čovjek.

 Ako je vjerovati wikipediji, ova knjiga je šezdeseti roman u Maigretovom nizu. U svakom slučaju, Maigret je u ovoj knjizi iskusni policijski komesar. Stil pisanja je prilično jednostavan, ali deskriptivan, upravo ono što biste očekivali od klasičnog kriminalističkog romana. Raspoloženja i emocije protagonista prikazani su, ali naglasak ostaje na samom slučaju. S vremenom, međutim, roman postaje pomalo filozofski. Radnja je dobro napisana i tempo je prikladan. Narativna struktura djela je linearna, ali priča ide u prošlost kada se istražuje prošlost skitnice. Dijalozi su dobro napisani i prirodno zvuče. Kao što rekoh, priča počinje Maigretovim posjetom mjestu zločina pokušaja ubojstva.

Nakon što Maigret stigne na mjesto zločina, razgovara s belgijskim mornarom koji je izvukao skitnicu iz rijeke. Maigretu se odmah nešto ne čini u redu. On nastavlja proučavati slučaj, tražeći druge svjedoke i intervjuirajući beskućnike u tom području. Čini se da je Maigret fasciniran ovim slučajem – tko bi želio nauditi skitnici (beskućniku)?

Jedna od stvari koja mi se svidjela u ovom romanu je kako prikazuje klošare (skitnice ili što bi već bila prava riječ, prijevodi se razlikuju) na vrlo human način. Beskućnici su opisani kao pacifistički ljudi, oni koji se drže za sebe, ali poštuju prijateljstvo unutar svoje zajednice. Kada Maigret ispituje druge beskućnike koji žive u blizini, čini to s taktom i poštovanjem. Maigretov prošli život i policijsko iskustvo naučili su ga poštovati beskućnike. Znate, jedna moja pokojna rodica (koji je bila priznata slikarica  u Parizu) napisala  je pjesmu o pariškim beskućnicima koju smatrah prilično dirljivom i prisjetih je se dok čitah ovaj roman.

When it comes to crime novels, I definitely prefer those focusing on the psychological analysis of its characters. This book gave me exactly that.  Generally speaking, I like crime novels that feature recurring detective characters. I suppose one could call it detective fiction (that is a subgenre of mystery and crime genre). I warmed up to Maigret as the protagonist immediately. In fact, I cannot wait to read more books featuring this French detective. There is this melancholy quality to Maigret that attracts me as a reader. One feels that Maigret is a very kind human being, capable of solving complex mysteries in his quiet and non imposing way. My kind of protagonist when it comes to crime fiction. Spare me the bloody details and  gore, the exaggerated violence and extremes of any kind and give me a detective that is a decent human being  trying to understand the complexity of human behaviour.  When it comes to writing, I'll take the complexities of human soul  and psychological analysis of characters over just about anything. 

Another thing I liked is that Maigret's wife plays a role in this novel. She becomes a part of the investigation, telephoning her sister and getting vital information about the victim. As Maigret learns more about the bum's past with the help of his wife, he starts to connect the dots. In the meantime, Maigret learns that doctors believe that the bum has a good change of making a full recovery. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean the investigation will come to and end as it is not clear when or if the bum will collaborate with the detective.  As the novel continues, Maigret makes more discoveries, but he also finds himself before a new challenge. I won't reveal what that it to avoid spoilers, but the plot is (as I said) well constructed. 

So, we'll skip the spoilers. What else is there to say? There's a moral dilemma in this book. Maigret, at one point, has to decide whether he will interfere or not. I think Maigret really tries to do what he feels is best for the homeless man. It seems that Maigret wants to respect the homeless man's wishes and lifestyle, even when it goes against strict police rules.  I thought that was really cool, the way you (as a reader) could feel silent respect between these two- the detective and the clochard. Moreover, the way minor characters were added was wonderful. The writer really managed to bring many of the side characters to life with as few words as possible. In addition, it is obvious that Simenon paid great attention to details. This is one of those stories where everything adds up. Finally, I really liked the ending of this novel. I already mentioned that the book got a bit philosophical towards the end. I quite enjoyed that. To conclude, it is an excellent crime novel. 

Kad je riječ o kriminalističkim romanima, definitivno preferiram one koji se fokusiraju na psihološku analizu likova. Ova knjiga mi je pružila upravo to. Općenito govoreći, volim krimiće u kojima se ponavljaju isti likovi glavnog detektiva. Pretpostavljam da bi se to moglo nazvati detektivskom fikcijom (to je podžanr žanra misterija i krimića). Odmah mi se svidio Maigreta kao glavni lik. Zapravo,  jedva čekam pročitati još knjiga s ovim francuskim detektivom. U Maigretu postoji ta neka melankolična osobina koja me privlači kao čitatelja. Kao čitatelju, čini se da je Maigret vrlo drago i pristojno ljudsko biće, sposobno riješiti složene misterije na svoj tihi i nenametljivi način. Moj tip glavnog lika/protagonista kada je u pitanju krimić. Poštedi me krvavih detalja i krvi, pretjeranog nasilja i ekstrema bilo koje vrste i daj mi detektiva koji je pristojno ljudsko biće koje pokušava razumjeti složenost ljudskog ponašanja. Kad je riječ o pisanju, složenost ljudske duše i psihološku analizu likova cijenim više od svega.

Još jedna stvar koja mi se svidjela je što Maigretova žena igra ulogu u ovom romanu. Ona postaje dio istrage, telefonira svojoj sestri i dobiva važne informacije o žrtvi. Dok Maigret uz pomoć svoje žene saznaje više o prošlosti propalice, počinje povezivati ​​priču. U međuvremenu, Maigret saznaje da liječnici vjeruju da klošar (koji je bio žrtva napada) ima pristojne šanse za potpuni oporavak. Ipak, to ne znači da će istraga i završiti jer nije jasno kada će i hoće li klošar surađivati ​​s detektivom. Kako se roman nastavlja, Maigret dolazi do novih otkrića, ali se također nalazi pred novim izazovom. Neću otkrivati ​​što je to da ne bi došlo do odavanja priče unaprijed, ali radnja je (kao što sam rekoh) dobro konstruirana.

Dakle, preskočit ćemo spojlere. Što se još ima za reći? U ovoj knjizi postoji moralna dilema. Maigret u jednom trenutku mora odlučiti hoće li se miješati ili ne. Mislim da Maigret stvarno pokušava učiniti ono što smatra da je najbolje za beskućnika. Čini se da Maigret želi poštivati ​​želje i stil života beskućnika, čak i kada je to protivno strogim policijskim pravilima. Meni je to bilo stvarno odlično, taj način na koji (kao čitatelj) možete osjećati tiho poštovanje između njih dvoje - detektiva i skitnice. Štoviše, način na koji su dodani sporedni likovi bio je izvrstan. Pisac je doista uspio sa što manje riječi oživjeti brojne sporedne likove. Pisac je misio na sve, u detaljima se vidi povezanost. Ovo je jedna od onih proča u kojima se sve slaže. Konačno, sam kraj ovog romana mi se jako svidio. Već sam spomenuo da je knjiga pred kraj postala pomalo filozofska. Prilično sam uživala u tome. Zaljučak je - ovdje se radi o odličnom romanu. 

Thank you for stopping by this digital place to call my own.

  Hvala što ste svratili na moj blog, moj digitalni kutak.