Crime fiction
I’m enjoying a guilty pleasure this week: reading a classic detective mystery, the kind Raymond Chandler tore strips off in his defining essay The Simple Art of Murder in 1944 … Continue reading
Reviewing Simenon
In May 2011 I began a project to reread a representative selection of Georges Simenon’s novels. I didn’t want to read all his books: there were too many, over 200. … Continue reading
Three Simenon Omnibuses
The Fourteenth Simenon Omnibus Maigret and the Spinster was first published in 1942 as Cécile est morte, and was translated into English by Eileen Ellenbogen. This is a similar plot … Continue reading
The Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth Simenon Omnibuses
The Eleventh Omnibus The Venice Train was first published in 1961 as Le Train de Venise, and was translated into English by Alastair Hamilton. It begins as intriguingly as an … Continue reading
Crime story
Here are some thoughts on the crime story and its function and traditions. I have tried to suggest possibilities, as I lack the skills to expound in detail. 1 Will … Continue reading
The Sixth and Seventh Simenon Omnibus
Maigret and the Wine Merchant was first published as Maigret et le marchand de vin in 1970. It was translated by Eileen Ellenbogen. Oscar Chabut was a very successful man. … Continue reading
The Fifth Simenon Omnibus
Maigret’s Boyhood Friend was first published as L’Ami d’enfance de Maigret in 1968. It was translated into English by Eileen Ellenbogen. Leon Florentin is Maigret’s boyhood friend, with whom he … Continue reading
