Georges Simenon – författare

Maigret påträffar en död man mitt på Place de la Concorde. Samme man som tidigare sökt honom och sagt sig vara förföljd. Vem är mördaren? Vad är motivet? Det enda Maigret har att gå på är att han till varje pris måste få tag på en gul Citroën med Parisnummer, där de två sista siffrorna är 38. Vi får följa Maigret genom ett vårligt Paris på en andlöst spännande hetsjakt efter en kall och undanglidande mördare.

I Paris har fem kvinnor fallit offer för en brutal seriemördare. Vad är sambandet mellan de meningslösa överfallen i Montmartres gränder? Polisen har ingen ledtråd, allmänheten är otålig och tidningarna pressar på. Maigret tar hjälp av en framstående psykiater och bestämmer sig för att gillra en fälla. Medan mörkret faller över världsstaden efter ännu en brännhet sommardag, har Maigret inte annat att göra än att vänta.

Maigret har precis gått i pension och tillbringar sina dagar på landet i Meung-sur-Loire med att spela belote och tömma ett och annat glas calvados. Han är dock inte svårövertalad när en ung fransk-amerikan, sonen till en välbärgad affärsman, dyker upp och berättar att hans far är i fara och att han behöver Maigrets hjälp. Redan första dagen i New York försvinner den unge mannen och Maigret hamnar mitt i en gangsteruppgörelse. Men med hjälp av en före detta varietéartist som blivit sierska, en alkoholiserad journalist, en ambitiös överkonstapel samt hans gamle vän från FBI, Michael OBrien, lyckas Maigret till slut lösa mysteriet som har sina rötter i en tragisk historia långt tillbaka i tiden.

A brilliant new translation of one of Simenon's best loved masterpieces.'A certain furtive, almost shameful emotion ... disturbed him whenever he saw a train go by, a night train especially, its blinds drawn down on the mystery of its passengers'Kees Popinga is a respectable Dutch citizen and family man. Then he discovers that his boss has bankrupted the shipping firm he works for - and something snaps. Kees used to watch the trains go by to exciting destinations. Now, on some dark impulse, he boards one at random, and begins a new life of recklessness and violence. This chilling portrayal of a man who breaks from society and goes on the run asks who we are, and what we are capable of. 'Classic Simenon ... extraordinary in its evocative power' Independent'What emerges is the bare human animal' John Gray'Read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss' Sunday Times

'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

Georges Simenons älskade och vid det här laget klassiska kommissarie Maigret-böcker har varit svåra att få tag på men från och med i höst kommer tre titlar per säsong att ges ut av Atlantis. De första tre, »Maigret på semester«, »Maigret på nattklubb« och »Min vän Maigret«, räknas av många till de bästa och är alla i Gunnel Vallquists stilrena översättning. I »Min vän Maigret« beger sig kommissarie Maigret iväg till en liten medelhavsö. En man har blivit mördad, och fallet intresserar Maigret eftersom den döde hade talat om »min vän Maigret« strax innan han mördades. På ort och ställe kan Maigret konstatera att det strängt taget bara är bouillabaissen och det fylliga vinet som är som det ska vara. För sällan har en så liten ö rymt så många sällsamma existenser.

A dark, psychological tale of deadly obsession, in a masterful new translation'My dear Judge, I would like one man, just one, to understand me. And I really hope that man can be you.'In a small town in western France, Dr Charles Alavoine seems to lead the perfect life: his own medical practice, two beautiful children, a new wife and a doting mother. Yet as each quiet day of bourgeois conformity passes, Alavoine begins to feel a sharp sense of futility. Then, one rainy day in December, he meets a mysterious young woman on a station platform. Fascinated by her innocence and the scars of her past, Alavoine’s passion soon gives way to a dangerous obsession, ending in a terrible act that will forever change the course of his life.First published in 1947, Letter to My Judge is a masterful exploration of the darkest corners of the human soul, and a harrowing exorcism of Simenon’s phantoms.

»En av 1900-talets största författare.« The Guardian »Jag älskar Simenons romaner. Han får mig att tänka på Tjechov.« William Faulkner Kees Popingas liv har sett likadant ut så länge han kan minnas. Den vaga, mystiska känsla han får av att se tåg passera, särskilt nattåg, är det enda som avviker från rutinerna. Men plötsligt faller hans värld samman, när hans chef visar sig vara en bedragare, företaget konkursmässigt och Kees själv ruinerad. Han flyr sitt gamla liv med tåget till Amsterdam. Så småningom med ett annat tåg till Paris. Vid det laget, han vet det inte själv, är Kees mördare. Och den nederländska polisen är honom på spåren. Mannen som såg tågen gå förbi [1938] är en av Georges Simenons främsta romaner, här i svensk översättning av Elisabeth von Törne-Arfwedson och med ett nyskrivet förord av Lena Kåreland, litteraturforskare och professor emerita vid Uppsala universitet. GEORGES SIMENON [1903-1989], född 1903 i Liège, Belgien, död 1989 i Lausanne, Schweiz, var en närmast ofattbart produktiv författare, till cirka 300 romaner och 500 noveller. Allra mest känd är han som upphovsman till kriminalkommissarie Maigret, men han skrev också en rad romaner som med tiden kommit att räknas som klassiker. De mest hyllade och lästa är Mannen som såg tågen gå förbi och Snön var smutsig, som nu kommer i efterlängtade nyutgåvor. »Simenon har skrivit några av 1900-talets mest extraordinära mästerverk.« John Banville »En verkligt underbar författare. Klar, enkel, fullkomligt samstämmig med den värld han skapar.« The Observer »Den störste av dem alla, den mest genuina romanförfattare vi haft.« André Gide

The first novel which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man. His firm muscles filled out his jacket and quickly pulled all his trousers out of shape.He had a way of imposing himself just by standing there. His assertive presence had often irked many of his own colleagues.In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he traces the true identity of Pietr the Latvian.This novel has been published in previous translations as The Case of Peter the Lett and Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett.'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century' Guardian

'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray Inspector Maigret is followed home one evening by a man who reveals his intention to kill his wife and her lover. Maigret intervenes and speaks to the man daily but when the calls suddenly stop Maigret finds a murder on his hands.'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 'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent

'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray 'He had realized that it was her eyes as much as her vivacity that made her look so young. They were of a blue that was paler than the September sky over the sea and still had an expression of surprise, of wonderment'When a charming elderly widow appeals to him for help, Inspector Maigret travels to a seaside village in Normandy - uncovering a lost fortune and some poisonous family politics.'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 'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville'You're a good soul, inspector, and when you're up against the second-rate criminals you get here in Paris, you're a crack policeman. But this business isn't for you. These guys play rough and they may hurt you. Just drop it! What concern is it of yours, anyway?'When Maigret learns that his hapless colleague Inspector Lognon is being menaced by some notorious American mobsters, he makes it his mission to bring them to justice - despite threatening warnings that he is out of his depth. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Inspector Maigret and the Killers.'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent

'His artistry is supreme' John Banville Maigret wouldn't have admitted that what intrigued him most was the victim's face. All he had seen of it so far was one profile. Was it the bruises that gave her that sullen air? She looked like a bad-tempered little girl. Her combed-back brown hair was very smooth but naturally wavy. The rain had diluted her make-up a little and, instead of making her older or uglier, it made her younger and more appealing.Maigret and his fellow inspector Lognon find themselves trying to out-manoeuver each other when they investigate the case of a mysterious young woman whose new life in Paris is tragically cut short.'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

'Remarkable' New York Times'No one is better than Simenon at showing how banal domestic conflict can lead to murderous catastrophe' Financial TimesAn acerbic tale of marital warfare and emotional estrangement, in a brilliant new translationIn the oppressive silence of the sitting room, the woman finally smoothed out the paper and, without putting on her glasses, read the two words her husband had written:The cat.Amidst the din of their Parisian neighbourhood, Émile and Marguerite live in total silence. After a hasty marriage in their sixties, their uneasy peace was shattered when Émile’s beloved cat mysteriously disappeared and was later found dead. Branding his wife the culprit, Émile’s retaliation against Marguerite’s cherished parrot sparked a silent battle of wills. Now they live parallel lives, communicating only through spiteful notes, mocking glances and mute accusations. As their suspicion and resentment mount, this bitter game of psychological warfare becomes a twisted necessity, binding them together in a relentless cycle of torment from which there can only be one escape.First published in 1967, The Cat is a masterful exploration of marital discord, loneliness and the absurdity of human relationships, painting a vivid portrait of two souls trapped in quiet desperation.

'Irresistible... read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss' The Sunday Times A trio of Simenon’s finest psychological novels from the 1960s, including: The Hand, Betty and The Blue RoomAmidst the fury of a relentless snowstorm, the loyalties of two friends are put to the ultimate test, with fatal consequences.In the shadows of 1960s Paris, a woman on the brink of despair is offered a chance at redemption. But as the haunting truth of her past begins to emerge, it threatens to consume her.In a secluded hotel, an adulterous affair spirals into a terrible nightmare that will transform the couple’s lives forever.This new edition brings together Georges Simenon’s most gripping psychological novels from the 1960s, capturing the raw essence of human frailty and resilience during a time of profound social upheaval, and revealing the chilling brilliance of Simenon’s romans durs.

'For personal reasons, or for reasons I don't know myself, I began feeling old, and I began keeping notebooks. I was nearing the age of sixty'Georges Simenon's autobiographical notebooks, in which he recorded his observations, experiences, anxieties and 'all the silly ideas that pass through my head', are one of the most candid self-portraits of a writer ever put to paper. Here, as the celebrated author ruthlessly examines his tortuous writing methods, his past, his fame, his intimate relationships and his fears of ageing, the result is an unsparing, often painfully revealing insight into a man trying both to find and to escape himself. 'As revealed in these notebooks, Simenon's is a shrewd, lucid mind ... the balance tips toward the real, the immediate, the mysteries of human complexity above all ... Utterly unpretentious' The New York Times

'The father of contemporary European detective fiction' Ann Cleeves A man picked up for wandering in obvious distress among the cars and buses on the Grands Boulevards. Questioned in French, he remains mute . . . A madman? In Maigret's office, he is searched. His suit is new, his underwear is new, his shoes are new. All identifying labels have been removed. No identification papers. No wallet. Five crisp thousand-franc bills have been slipped into one of his pockets.A distressed man is found wandering the streets of Paris, with no memory of who he is or how he got there. The answers lead Maigret to a small harbour town, whose quiet citizens conceal a poisonous malice.Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels in new translations. This novel has been published in a previous translation as Death of a Harbour Master.'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray'A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness' Independent