What do you think?
Rate this book
Inspector Maigret #5
La Tête d'un homme
Quand une cloche, quelque part, sonna deux coups, le prisonnier était assis sur son lit et deux grandes mains noueuses étreignaient ses genoux repliés.
L'espace d'une minute peut-être il resta immobile, comme en suspens, puis soudain, avec un soupir, il étendit ses membres, se dressa dans la cellule, énorme, dégingandé, la tête trop grosse, les bras trop longs, la poitrine creuse.
Son visage n'exprimait rien, sinon l'hébétude, ou encore une indifférence inhumaine. Et pourtant, avant de se diriger vers la porte au judas fermé, il tendit le poing dans la direction d'un des murs.
L'espace d'une minute peut-être il resta immobile, comme en suspens, puis soudain, avec un soupir, il étendit ses membres, se dressa dans la cellule, énorme, dégingandé, la tête trop grosse, les bras trop longs, la poitrine creuse.
Son visage n'exprimait rien, sinon l'hébétude, ou encore une indifférence inhumaine. Et pourtant, avant de se diriger vers la porte au judas fermé, il tendit le poing dans la direction d'un des murs.
186 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1931
175 people are currently reading
1076 people want to read
About the author
Georges Simenon
2,587 books2,346 followersGeorges Joseph Christian Simenon (1903 – 1989) was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known as the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
Although he never resided in Belgium after 1922, he remained a Belgian citizen throughout his life.
Simenon was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century, capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day. His oeuvre includes nearly 200 novels, over 150 novellas, several autobiographical works, numerous articles, and scores of pulp novels written under more than two dozen pseudonyms. Altogether, about 550 million copies of his works have been printed.
He is best known, however, for his 75 novels and 28 short stories featuring Commissaire Maigret. The first novel in the series, Pietr-le-Letton, appeared in 1931; the last one, Maigret et M. Charles, was published in 1972. The Maigret novels were translated into all major languages and several of them were turned into films and radio plays. Two television series (1960-63 and 1992-93) have been made in Great Britain.
During his "American" period, Simenon reached the height of his creative powers, and several novels of those years were inspired by the context in which they were written (Trois chambres à Manhattan (1946), Maigret à New York (1947), Maigret se fâche (1947)).
Simenon also wrote a large number of "psychological novels", such as La neige était sale (1948) or Le fils (1957), as well as several autobiographical works, in particular Je me souviens (1945), Pedigree (1948), Mémoires intimes (1981).
In 1966, Simenon was given the MWA's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.
In 2005 he was nominated for the title of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian). In the Flemish version he ended 77th place. In the Walloon version he ended 10th place.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
April 9, 2023
Maigret Lunchtime listen March 2023
Despite reading this only 4 years ago, it was brilliant to listen to it, as ever wonderfully read by Gareth Armstrong.
Its a brilliantly atmospheric example of Maigret and demonstrates all that is exciting and enthralling about Simenon's writing
Maigret Series read 2019 onwards
Another solid performance from Georges Simenon and the stalwart but intelligent Maigret.
Review to follow 😊
And here we are. Ok, first thing to say is THIS IS MAIGRET NUMBER 9 NOT NUMBER 5 as the Goodies said "Get it Right" !! (Early 1970 British comedy series 😂).
This book centred around a convicted murderer who is about to go to the gallows. Maigret had been the investigating officer who had been instrumental in getting the conviction, and is now less certain of his guilt , had he been tricked and misled.
The book then focusses on Maigret has to dig deep to solve this unexpected and unusual crime.
As ever this was a wonderfully written and evocative novel, so atmospheric and just so French. I look forward to the next.
Despite reading this only 4 years ago, it was brilliant to listen to it, as ever wonderfully read by Gareth Armstrong.
Its a brilliantly atmospheric example of Maigret and demonstrates all that is exciting and enthralling about Simenon's writing
Maigret Series read 2019 onwards
Another solid performance from Georges Simenon and the stalwart but intelligent Maigret.
Review to follow 😊
And here we are. Ok, first thing to say is THIS IS MAIGRET NUMBER 9 NOT NUMBER 5 as the Goodies said "Get it Right" !! (Early 1970 British comedy series 😂).
This book centred around a convicted murderer who is about to go to the gallows. Maigret had been the investigating officer who had been instrumental in getting the conviction, and is now less certain of his guilt , had he been tricked and misled.
The book then focusses on Maigret has to dig deep to solve this unexpected and unusual crime.
As ever this was a wonderfully written and evocative novel, so atmospheric and just so French. I look forward to the next.
January 25, 2024
This was a generous 3 star and I am definitely in the minority. This is my 5th or 6th read in the Maigret series and this was the one I liked the least. I felt the story was just going around in circles, but maybe that was the point and I had the same frustrations as Maigret. Or maybe it was because this was my "purse" book & I read in little bits and pieces; it was hard for me to follow at times.
Maigret arrested a man for the murder of two women, who subsequently was convicted & is sentenced to death. Maigret begins to believe that there really was not enough evidence for his conviction and sets things in motion to try to find if his hunch was right.
Maigret arrested a man for the murder of two women, who subsequently was convicted & is sentenced to death. Maigret begins to believe that there really was not enough evidence for his conviction and sets things in motion to try to find if his hunch was right.
December 25, 2022
Questo Simenon (della serie del Commissario Maigret) è eccellente, direi uno dei migliori della ventina che ho letto finora. L'intero romanzo è costruito in maniera geniale, dall'evasione dal carcere del primo capitolo con epilogo (della fuga) a sorpresa, al piccolo capitolo finale che per me è un grande capolavoro della scrittura: sublime! per la paura, la pena e la rabbia che genera in Maigret (il protagonista) e in noi tutti (i lettori). Un passaggio impegnato.
Su quest'ultimo capitolo, chiamato "La Caduta", vorrei fare un elogio a Simenon, sono solo 3 pagine ma le ho letto già parecchie volte perché hanno generato in me sensazioni e sentimenti molto forti, e quando un testo fa questo, vuol dire che l'opera arriva proprio alle viscere.
Dopo un bellissimo giallo difficile da raccontare per non incorrere in spoiler, sappiate solo che c'è un duplice omicidio, un condannato a morte che si dichiara sempre innocente e che il giorno prima di essere ghigliottinato evade dal carcere, un americano facoltoso (nipote della vittima) con sua moglie e un cecoslovacco che si rivelerà psicologicamente complesso. Tessendo la ragnatela c'è sempre il commissario Maigret, che durante l'indagine inciampa più volte e perde le redine del caso (agli occhi del lettore) per poi riacquistare sicurezza in se stesso.
Sicurezza che viene spezzata in quest’ultimo capitolo, più che un capitolo è una morale della favola, perché già nel capitolo precedente il caso era chiuso, qui, in poche righe, Simenon ci da una bella sberla, come a dire: “tieni, adesso vedi (e senti) le conseguenze della giustizia", noi, leggendo comodamente dal divano di casa e Maigret che dovrebbe poi andare da sua moglie a prendere il caffè, siamo tutti testimoni della lama affilata di una ghigliottina che taglia la testa a una persona. La “Testa in gioco” che da titolo al romanzo, “La caduta” che da titolo a questo straordinario explicit.
Questo singolo capitolo, letto da solo, fa capire molto bene il genio di Simenon.
Su quest'ultimo capitolo, chiamato "La Caduta", vorrei fare un elogio a Simenon, sono solo 3 pagine ma le ho letto già parecchie volte perché hanno generato in me sensazioni e sentimenti molto forti, e quando un testo fa questo, vuol dire che l'opera arriva proprio alle viscere.
Dopo un bellissimo giallo difficile da raccontare per non incorrere in spoiler, sappiate solo che c'è un duplice omicidio, un condannato a morte che si dichiara sempre innocente e che il giorno prima di essere ghigliottinato evade dal carcere, un americano facoltoso (nipote della vittima) con sua moglie e un cecoslovacco che si rivelerà psicologicamente complesso. Tessendo la ragnatela c'è sempre il commissario Maigret, che durante l'indagine inciampa più volte e perde le redine del caso (agli occhi del lettore) per poi riacquistare sicurezza in se stesso.
Sicurezza che viene spezzata in quest’ultimo capitolo, più che un capitolo è una morale della favola, perché già nel capitolo precedente il caso era chiuso, qui, in poche righe, Simenon ci da una bella sberla, come a dire: “tieni, adesso vedi (e senti) le conseguenze della giustizia", noi, leggendo comodamente dal divano di casa e Maigret che dovrebbe poi andare da sua moglie a prendere il caffè, siamo tutti testimoni della lama affilata di una ghigliottina che taglia la testa a una persona. La “Testa in gioco” che da titolo al romanzo, “La caduta” che da titolo a questo straordinario explicit.
Questo singolo capitolo, letto da solo, fa capire molto bene il genio di Simenon.
December 18, 2022
Another enjoyable Maigret. Our inspector is of the belief that a murder suspect who is condemned to death is not the murderer. Over the course of the ten day period, Maigret sets about confirming his view that someone else killed two ladies in their own home.
As always with Simenon, the writing is good, and the plot and character actions and dialogue are well structured. The events and plot are woven mostly around the river Seine and the docks area that once lined this great city river, which the author brings these lost docks from the late 1920s to light (or is that darkness) too.
All is not what it seems as is often the case. Will Maigret be proven right? Only time will tell, and if not, well, the condemned man will die.
My copy was a Penguin Classics published in 2014, with 169 pages. Translated into English by David Coward.
It was originally published by Fayard in French in 1931 as La Tête d'un homme.
As always with Simenon, the writing is good, and the plot and character actions and dialogue are well structured. The events and plot are woven mostly around the river Seine and the docks area that once lined this great city river, which the author brings these lost docks from the late 1920s to light (or is that darkness) too.
All is not what it seems as is often the case. Will Maigret be proven right? Only time will tell, and if not, well, the condemned man will die.
My copy was a Penguin Classics published in 2014, with 169 pages. Translated into English by David Coward.
It was originally published by Fayard in French in 1931 as La Tête d'un homme.
October 10, 2020
I first read this novel some years ago. This reading carried more intensity and suspense than I had remembered. I'm not sure if that's due to the different translation, since I no longer have the edition with the translation that I had read previously.
A condemned criminal has been allowed to escape and a watch on him has been set up under Maigret's command. The condemned man escapes, disappears, and Maigret's job is on the line.
"Monsieur Comeliau would have been very surprised, and doubtless indignant, if he had suspected that the least of the inspector's worries was to find Joseph Heurtin.
That, for Maigret was a secondary issue. The condemned man had to be somewhere in the middle of several million people. but he was convinced that the day he needed him, he'd easily be able to get hold of him.
No, he was thinking of the letter written at the Coupole. And also, and maybe more, of one question he reproved himself for having failed to ask during his first investigation."
As usual, Maigret is a step ahead of everyone else, including the reader.
A condemned criminal has been allowed to escape and a watch on him has been set up under Maigret's command. The condemned man escapes, disappears, and Maigret's job is on the line.
"Monsieur Comeliau would have been very surprised, and doubtless indignant, if he had suspected that the least of the inspector's worries was to find Joseph Heurtin.
That, for Maigret was a secondary issue. The condemned man had to be somewhere in the middle of several million people. but he was convinced that the day he needed him, he'd easily be able to get hold of him.
No, he was thinking of the letter written at the Coupole. And also, and maybe more, of one question he reproved himself for having failed to ask during his first investigation."
As usual, Maigret is a step ahead of everyone else, including the reader.
February 4, 2020
definitely somewhere in between a 4 and a 5 so I don't quite know how to rate it.
full post here: http://www.crimesegments.com/2020/02/...
Simenon's Maigret sits and observes. He drinks a lot of beer while doing both. He lets a roomful of suspects get on each others' nerves until the actual criminal reaches a breaking point. He listens. He makes his way into people's heads so that he can empathize, sympathize and learn what makes them tick, something he manages to do not just with criminals but with everyone concerned. Reading through what readers have to say about him, the inevitable comparison with Poirot or Holmes comes up a number of times, mostly when readers have been disappointed with the Maigret novel they've just read. I don't really read crime fiction solely for plot or action; I could also care less if there's a love story involved, unless it's relevant to the evildoing. I'm like Maigret -- I'm far more interested in the motivating factors that speak to the why.
And with this book, I was beyond satisfied.
Maigret has no idea of what he's let himself in for when he finds himself going head-to-head with an adversary whose disturbed psychology and "dangerously sharp intellect" seems tailor made for Maigret's method of getting into his opponents' heads, giving the title of this novel a definite double meaning. Little by little, with some measure of imaginary nail biting I waited for that moment when, with Maigret's help, the bad guy would crack and the "war of nerves" could finally come to an end; only then did I realize how much tension I was holding inside. While some readers found the lack of action to be an issue, the telling flat and in some instances "boring," I found myself so caught up in it that I needed to finish the novel with no interruptions. What happens in A Man's Head so nicely highlights, as Scott Bradfield so aptly describes it in a 2015 essay for The New York Times, that Maigret "rarely solves crimes; instead he solves people," which is precisely why I read and love these books.
Very much recommended for people who are more all about the whys in their crime reading.
full post here: http://www.crimesegments.com/2020/02/...
Simenon's Maigret sits and observes. He drinks a lot of beer while doing both. He lets a roomful of suspects get on each others' nerves until the actual criminal reaches a breaking point. He listens. He makes his way into people's heads so that he can empathize, sympathize and learn what makes them tick, something he manages to do not just with criminals but with everyone concerned. Reading through what readers have to say about him, the inevitable comparison with Poirot or Holmes comes up a number of times, mostly when readers have been disappointed with the Maigret novel they've just read. I don't really read crime fiction solely for plot or action; I could also care less if there's a love story involved, unless it's relevant to the evildoing. I'm like Maigret -- I'm far more interested in the motivating factors that speak to the why.
And with this book, I was beyond satisfied.
Maigret has no idea of what he's let himself in for when he finds himself going head-to-head with an adversary whose disturbed psychology and "dangerously sharp intellect" seems tailor made for Maigret's method of getting into his opponents' heads, giving the title of this novel a definite double meaning. Little by little, with some measure of imaginary nail biting I waited for that moment when, with Maigret's help, the bad guy would crack and the "war of nerves" could finally come to an end; only then did I realize how much tension I was holding inside. While some readers found the lack of action to be an issue, the telling flat and in some instances "boring," I found myself so caught up in it that I needed to finish the novel with no interruptions. What happens in A Man's Head so nicely highlights, as Scott Bradfield so aptly describes it in a 2015 essay for The New York Times, that Maigret "rarely solves crimes; instead he solves people," which is precisely why I read and love these books.
Very much recommended for people who are more all about the whys in their crime reading.
April 22, 2019
A prisoner escapes from the death row cells of the Santé prison’s High Surveillance wing.
But he escaped with the help of Inspector Maigret!
This is delightful puzzle of a murder-mystery from the master novelist Georges Simon.
All the facts point to one man as the murderer, but he maintains that he is innocent. Inspector Maigret not only believes him, but puts his career on the line by letting the murderer go.
Many red herrings are dragged across our path and many of them are true facts.
Watch Maigret carefully trick the real killer to reveal himself in a surprise ending.
Enjoy!
But he escaped with the help of Inspector Maigret!
This is delightful puzzle of a murder-mystery from the master novelist Georges Simon.
All the facts point to one man as the murderer, but he maintains that he is innocent. Inspector Maigret not only believes him, but puts his career on the line by letting the murderer go.
Many red herrings are dragged across our path and many of them are true facts.
Watch Maigret carefully trick the real killer to reveal himself in a surprise ending.
Enjoy!
November 27, 2015
Of all the Inspector Maigret novels I have read thus far (10), "A Man's Head" on the face of it was one of the most baffling to me. The story begins with Maigret visiting La Santé Prison, where a man (Joseph Heurtin) he had apprehended and had apparently proven his guilt in the murders of a rich, elderly American widow and her maid, awaited his execution. Heurtin had always asserted his innocence, though the evidence at the crime scene supported his culpability in the crime. Heurtin had been caught in the summer and at the time of the novel's opening, it is autumn in Paris. Simenon does an excellent job in conveying to the reader the effects of that season on the city and its people. I was left with the feeling of being in a city usually brimming with joie de vivre, but, due to the changes of seasons, was now subdued, dour. For autumn is but a gateway to a long, chilly, icy winter. A trial for any Parisian or visitor to the city to endure.
Maigret by now has second thoughts about Heurtin. He comes to feel with certainty that Heurtin is not guilty of both murders. But how to prove his innocence? Maigret now puts himself on a course that could lead to him forfeiting his position and reputation within the Police Judiciare. Here is where the novel takes on the characteristics of a maze, yielding an outcome that is both spellbinding and surprising.
Maigret by now has second thoughts about Heurtin. He comes to feel with certainty that Heurtin is not guilty of both murders. But how to prove his innocence? Maigret now puts himself on a course that could lead to him forfeiting his position and reputation within the Police Judiciare. Here is where the novel takes on the characteristics of a maze, yielding an outcome that is both spellbinding and surprising.
February 8, 2020
Although I found the premise of a condemned man's escape from Death Row by the same authorities who put him there difficult to comprehend initially, once I accepted that at face value, the rest of the story was excellent. Simenon, and by turn, Maigret, never disappoints, even when the task at hand seems insurmountable.
Simenon provides readers with an atmospheric, character-driven story told fully, yet briefly. His economy of words stands in bold contrast to other writers of his era, yet I never find myself feeling cheated of necessary detail.
Although part of a series, this book would work as a standalone.
Simenon provides readers with an atmospheric, character-driven story told fully, yet briefly. His economy of words stands in bold contrast to other writers of his era, yet I never find myself feeling cheated of necessary detail.
Although part of a series, this book would work as a standalone.
December 19, 2012
How an author as prolific as Simenon could maintain such high standards is beyond me, this early entry in the Maigret series was book 5 of 11(!) published in the series in 1931 and they range from good to very good.
This particular entry is notable for featuring a psychological showdown between the hero cop and the killer who is baiting him, a leap of faith based on Maigret's intuition as a condemned man is elaborately helped to escape in the opening chapter and the angry world view of a poor but intelligent man causing pain and misery to those around him.
As always there is a fair amount of detecting done whilst refilling a pipe and enjoying a local cafe but this is no cosy mystery, it's a dark tale of life and death, of blackmail and murder, of a game of cat and mouse between detective and genius. Instead of the usual approach towards crime solving, this time Maigret knows who the killer is already and instead must find proof to back up his intuition. A giant leap in terms of the detective novel in 1931 that today is quite common place that combines with several elements of what would come to be known as hard-boiled and noir fiction to form an exciting change in direction for the crime novel.
"I was born in the dark and in the rain but I got away. The crimes I write about are the crimes I would have committed if I had not got away." - Georges Simenon
This particular entry is notable for featuring a psychological showdown between the hero cop and the killer who is baiting him, a leap of faith based on Maigret's intuition as a condemned man is elaborately helped to escape in the opening chapter and the angry world view of a poor but intelligent man causing pain and misery to those around him.
As always there is a fair amount of detecting done whilst refilling a pipe and enjoying a local cafe but this is no cosy mystery, it's a dark tale of life and death, of blackmail and murder, of a game of cat and mouse between detective and genius. Instead of the usual approach towards crime solving, this time Maigret knows who the killer is already and instead must find proof to back up his intuition. A giant leap in terms of the detective novel in 1931 that today is quite common place that combines with several elements of what would come to be known as hard-boiled and noir fiction to form an exciting change in direction for the crime novel.
October 7, 2024
روایت فوق العاده باعث هیجان عجیبی در من شد که مدتها بود با خوندن کتاب حسش نکرده بودم.
هرتوضیحی درباره داستان جذابیتش رو کم میکنه پس چیزی نمیگم اما قطعا پیشنهاد میشه.
هرتوضیحی درباره داستان جذابیتش رو کم میکنه پس چیزی نمیگم اما قطعا پیشنهاد میشه.
September 24, 2024
N-am întâlnit până acum vreun Maigret "slab" , unele dintre nuvele fiind chiar magistrale.
Romanul acesta, scris în 1931, este ușor diferit în privința personajului principal, ceva mai brutal și mai puțin manierat (vezi discuțiile cu telefonistele și recepționera) decât molcomul și bonomul Maigret pe care îl știm, oferindu-ne și ceva date fizice ce de obicei lipsesc: 45 de ani, 1 metru optzeci, 100 de kilograme.
Intriga este oarecum abstractă, cu un șir de crime practic de amorul artei, antagonistul, ca de obicei, bine conturat, la fel și ambianța: malurile Senei, bistrouri, comisionari pe bicicletă, hoteluri de mâna a treia, polițiști în ploaie, lume amărâtă și răsfățați ai soartei.
Pe scurt, câteva ore petrecute cu folos, Simenon nefiind nicidecum genul de scriitor de citit pe repede-înainte...
Romanul acesta, scris în 1931, este ușor diferit în privința personajului principal, ceva mai brutal și mai puțin manierat (vezi discuțiile cu telefonistele și recepționera) decât molcomul și bonomul Maigret pe care îl știm, oferindu-ne și ceva date fizice ce de obicei lipsesc: 45 de ani, 1 metru optzeci, 100 de kilograme.
Intriga este oarecum abstractă, cu un șir de crime practic de amorul artei, antagonistul, ca de obicei, bine conturat, la fel și ambianța: malurile Senei, bistrouri, comisionari pe bicicletă, hoteluri de mâna a treia, polițiști în ploaie, lume amărâtă și răsfățați ai soartei.
Pe scurt, câteva ore petrecute cu folos, Simenon nefiind nicidecum genul de scriitor de citit pe repede-înainte...
November 12, 2024
An enjoyable entry in the Maigret series. I love Georges Simenon's characterizations.
Standout quotes:
"When Maigret got an idea into his head, it stayed anchored there for a long time. He went to see Coméliau and told him: 'That man is either mad or he's innocent.'"
"Paris was wearing the cheerless face it always has in the unlovely days of October. Harsh daylight fell from a sky which resembled a dirty ceiling."
"Mrs Crosby was petite but vivacious and she never stopped talking, mixing English and French with an inimitable accent all in a high-pitched voice which was enough for anyone to identify her without actually having to see her." I think we all have someone like this in our lives.
Standout quotes:
"When Maigret got an idea into his head, it stayed anchored there for a long time. He went to see Coméliau and told him: 'That man is either mad or he's innocent.'"
"Paris was wearing the cheerless face it always has in the unlovely days of October. Harsh daylight fell from a sky which resembled a dirty ceiling."
"Mrs Crosby was petite but vivacious and she never stopped talking, mixing English and French with an inimitable accent all in a high-pitched voice which was enough for anyone to identify her without actually having to see her." I think we all have someone like this in our lives.
March 20, 2021
I've tried to enjoy the Maigret books, I really have. However, despite reading seven of them over the last few years I haven't found a great one yet.
Simenon's books are enjoyable & have a nice atmosphere & although this one came highly revommended (Thanks, Rhys) I think it's time to give up on trying any more for now.
That aside, this 1931 novel is good for a 90 year old book. There's a great opening & plenty of odd happenings throughout the story. As usual Maigret gets out his pipe & goes through a lot of tobacco as he attempts to solve the crime.
Perhaps I'll return to the world of Maigret one day, but for now it's time to say au revoir.
Simenon's books are enjoyable & have a nice atmosphere & although this one came highly revommended (Thanks, Rhys) I think it's time to give up on trying any more for now.
That aside, this 1931 novel is good for a 90 year old book. There's a great opening & plenty of odd happenings throughout the story. As usual Maigret gets out his pipe & goes through a lot of tobacco as he attempts to solve the crime.
Perhaps I'll return to the world of Maigret one day, but for now it's time to say au revoir.
October 15, 2015
اگر شخصیت رادک رو کنار بذاریم، کتابی بود کشنده و جذاب که کنار گذاشتنش واقعا سخت بود
از وقتی رادک وارد داستان شد شخصیت زیادی زرنگ او و حرف هایش داستان رو تاحدی غیرطبیعی کرد. به نظرم اگر او یه کم طبیعی تر و معمولی تر ترسیم می شد؛ اون نفسی گیری تا آخر ادامه پیدا می کرد
اما علی رغم این نکته ی به نظر من منفی، داستانی بود خواندنی. نوشتار کوتاهی که در پایان کتاب در مورد آثار سیمنون نوشته شده بود هم گرچه مختصر بود اما اشارات جالبی داشت
December 29, 2024
Sehr unterhaltsamer Kriminalroman um Kommissar Maigret.
July 8, 2020
Ein weiteres kleines Meisterwerk, das ganz ohne effekthaschende billige Tricks vieler unserer Zeitgenossen auskommt.
May 21, 2012
Un Maigret va sempre bene.
Possibili applicazioni pratiche:
1) in stazione
il treno è in ritardo, l'uomo seduto al mio fianco indossa degli orribili sandali e siamo solo ad aprile, la piadina m'è rimasta sullo stomaco, ma...
2) in borsa
la borsa è piena zeppa di fascicoli, pesa un quintale, non c'è spazio quasi per nient'altro, ma...
3) pausa pranzo
devo ancora finire l'atto che scade domani, alle tre passa il ragioniere con i documenti che avrebbe dovuto consegnarmi giorni fa, il telefono pare impazzito e sembra proprio che il capo voglia smollarmi quel contrattino neppure abbozzato e spacciato al cliente per “da rivedere”, ma...
4) domenica
mi alzo presto, piove, resto in pigiama, mi annoio, ma...
...un Maigret va sempre bene.
Possibili applicazioni pratiche:
1) in stazione
il treno è in ritardo, l'uomo seduto al mio fianco indossa degli orribili sandali e siamo solo ad aprile, la piadina m'è rimasta sullo stomaco, ma...
2) in borsa
la borsa è piena zeppa di fascicoli, pesa un quintale, non c'è spazio quasi per nient'altro, ma...
3) pausa pranzo
devo ancora finire l'atto che scade domani, alle tre passa il ragioniere con i documenti che avrebbe dovuto consegnarmi giorni fa, il telefono pare impazzito e sembra proprio che il capo voglia smollarmi quel contrattino neppure abbozzato e spacciato al cliente per “da rivedere”, ma...
4) domenica
mi alzo presto, piove, resto in pigiama, mi annoio, ma...
...un Maigret va sempre bene.
July 10, 2022
به نام او
کمیسر مگره یکی از محبوبترین کاراگاههاییست که میشناسم.
شخصیتی انسانی، باهوش و در عین حال ملموس
او در عین آنکه باهوش است بهمانند اسلافش غیرزمینی و غیرواقعی به حل مسائل نمیپردازد او بر پایه شواهد و ارتباط برقرار کردن بین آنها، این کار را انجام میدهد.
انشاءالله در فرصتی بهتر و با حواسی جمعتر بیشتر و بهتر درباره این کاراگاه محبوب مینویسم.
و اما در مورد این داستان بهمانند سایر آثاری که از سیمنون خوانده و دیدهام (چند فیلم سینمایی دیدنی با بازی روآن آتکینسون بریتانیایی در نقش مگره که در چند سال اخیر ساخته شده است) داستان خوب و جذابی بود. ترجمه آقای میرعباسی هم قابل قیول بود کلا سری کتابهای سیاه انتشارات طرح نو خوب است هرکدام را که پیدا کردید بخرید و بخوانید.
کمیسر مگره یکی از محبوبترین کاراگاههاییست که میشناسم.
شخصیتی انسانی، باهوش و در عین حال ملموس
او در عین آنکه باهوش است بهمانند اسلافش غیرزمینی و غیرواقعی به حل مسائل نمیپردازد او بر پایه شواهد و ارتباط برقرار کردن بین آنها، این کار را انجام میدهد.
انشاءالله در فرصتی بهتر و با حواسی جمعتر بیشتر و بهتر درباره این کاراگاه محبوب مینویسم.
و اما در مورد این داستان بهمانند سایر آثاری که از سیمنون خوانده و دیدهام (چند فیلم سینمایی دیدنی با بازی روآن آتکینسون بریتانیایی در نقش مگره که در چند سال اخیر ساخته شده است) داستان خوب و جذابی بود. ترجمه آقای میرعباسی هم قابل قیول بود کلا سری کتابهای سیاه انتشارات طرح نو خوب است هرکدام را که پیدا کردید بخرید و بخوانید.
September 24, 2020
This is a great story, filled lots of action and tense moments. The story involves a man charged with a murder he didn't commit. The detective in charge of the case believes the man to be innocent and arranges to have him escape,in hopes of catching the real murderer.
The story moves quickly once the escape happens. Well written characters, beautiful scenery and a story that just won't quit.
If you are looking for a fast afternoon read, this is a good place to start.
The story moves quickly once the escape happens. Well written characters, beautiful scenery and a story that just won't quit.
If you are looking for a fast afternoon read, this is a good place to start.
June 1, 2024
This opens with a condemned man escaping from the Santé prison. He doesn't know it, but the escape has been arranged by the police, more specifically Chief Inspector Maigret. Maigret had been in charge of the original investigation for the murder of an older wealthy woman and her maid. Maigret had doubts about Huertin being the guilty man.
What follows is not necessarily classic Maigret in terms of investigation. As to Maigret himself, he is all over the pages, pipe smoking and all. We also have his underlings Janvier and Lucas. As I'm not reading this series in order, I'm not sure whether those two had been previously introduced, but they were familiar names.
I love this series, and the series itself is toward the top of my 4-star group. This title is more like a solid 3-stars. That said, I can be truly glad the Simenon wrote so prolifically.
What follows is not necessarily classic Maigret in terms of investigation. As to Maigret himself, he is all over the pages, pipe smoking and all. We also have his underlings Janvier and Lucas. As I'm not reading this series in order, I'm not sure whether those two had been previously introduced, but they were familiar names.
I love this series, and the series itself is toward the top of my 4-star group. This title is more like a solid 3-stars. That said, I can be truly glad the Simenon wrote so prolifically.
June 24, 2019
I have recently become addicted to Simenon's 'Maigret' novels. This is the fourth I have read so far and it's brilliant. The atmosphere, the pacing, the plotting: everything is tremendous! I have already acquired two more 'Maigret' novels and have started reading one of them...
April 25, 2024
George Simenon escribe novela negra pero a diferencia de la mayoría, no le importa tanto la espectacularidad de un final inesperado, o lo elaborado del crimen, a él parece importarle la profundidad del motivo, por eso centra su atención en personajes con alma, con un mundo interior complejo construido paso a paso por ese bagaje familiar mezclado con la personalidad y las experiencias ocurridas.
A los personajes de Simenon no se les ocurre cometer un crimen de la noche a la mañana, ellos van poniendo piedra sobre piedra lenta pero constantemente hasta hacerse de una base bien cimentada.
El propio Inspector Maigret, el policía encargado de resolver los crímenes que se presentan, no lo hace a través de una gran despliegue de recursos económicos o intelectuales, el lo hace a través de su voluntad férrea, una paciencia sin límites y con los recursos limitados que dispone, y su faro es su integridad.
Todo esto se ve reflejado en este caso, donde Maigret tiene a un hombre acusado por asesinato a punto de la horca, pero duda si un caso tan perfectamente sustentado es real o impostado, y ante la duda de ejecutar a un hombre inocente o perder su carrera policial, Maigret escoge lo segundo sin chistar.
Un libro que tiene el sello de Simenon y que baja hasta las profundidades del ser humano ahí donde se construyen las peores canalladas o las mayores noblezas.
A los personajes de Simenon no se les ocurre cometer un crimen de la noche a la mañana, ellos van poniendo piedra sobre piedra lenta pero constantemente hasta hacerse de una base bien cimentada.
El propio Inspector Maigret, el policía encargado de resolver los crímenes que se presentan, no lo hace a través de una gran despliegue de recursos económicos o intelectuales, el lo hace a través de su voluntad férrea, una paciencia sin límites y con los recursos limitados que dispone, y su faro es su integridad.
Todo esto se ve reflejado en este caso, donde Maigret tiene a un hombre acusado por asesinato a punto de la horca, pero duda si un caso tan perfectamente sustentado es real o impostado, y ante la duda de ejecutar a un hombre inocente o perder su carrera policial, Maigret escoge lo segundo sin chistar.
Un libro que tiene el sello de Simenon y que baja hasta las profundidades del ser humano ahí donde se construyen las peores canalladas o las mayores noblezas.
January 21, 2022
Maigret Saves a Condemned Man
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation* by David Coward from the French language original La Tête d'un homme (1931)
A Man's Head starts off with yet another unorthodox opening for a Simenon novel. Chief Inspector Maigret has engineered a prison escape for a condemned man on the eve of his execution by guillotine. Maigret believes the man to be innocent even though all evidence in the case pointed against him and Maigret himself had to arrest him. The purpose of the escape is to observe the suspect from a distance and to see if his movements lead back to the actual culprit.
Title card for the 1967 French TV adapation of "A Man's Head". Image sourced from IMDb.
The case becomes further complicated when an anonymous source reveals the escape plan to the press. Maigret's suspicions come to centre on the patrons of a particular bar where he meets a vagrant Czech student and the American relatives of the original murder victim. Then the escapee shows up outside the same bar for further intrigue. Eventually the mystery is miraculously solved yet again by the cantankerous Chief Inspector.
I've now read several of the early Maigret novellas in the past three weeks and they continue to impress with how different they are not only from each other, but also from other "Golden Age of Crime" novels of that interwar era. What is even more impressive is that the first dozen were all published in 1931 as if he wrote one every month. Perhaps it is not that surprising from an author who wrote over 500 books in his lifetime, but it still an eyeopener.
Continuing the confusion for completists, this is Maigret #9 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but is listed as Maigret #5 in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
* Some English translations have given the title as Maigret's War of Nerves.
A Man's Head, under its original French title La Tête d'un homme, was adapted for a French language film in 1933 directed by Julien Duvivier with Harry Baur as Inspector Maigret and for French television in 1967, as Episode 2 of the long running TV series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019.
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation* by David Coward from the French language original La Tête d'un homme (1931)
A Man's Head starts off with yet another unorthodox opening for a Simenon novel. Chief Inspector Maigret has engineered a prison escape for a condemned man on the eve of his execution by guillotine. Maigret believes the man to be innocent even though all evidence in the case pointed against him and Maigret himself had to arrest him. The purpose of the escape is to observe the suspect from a distance and to see if his movements lead back to the actual culprit.
Title card for the 1967 French TV adapation of "A Man's Head". Image sourced from IMDb.
The case becomes further complicated when an anonymous source reveals the escape plan to the press. Maigret's suspicions come to centre on the patrons of a particular bar where he meets a vagrant Czech student and the American relatives of the original murder victim. Then the escapee shows up outside the same bar for further intrigue. Eventually the mystery is miraculously solved yet again by the cantankerous Chief Inspector.
I've now read several of the early Maigret novellas in the past three weeks and they continue to impress with how different they are not only from each other, but also from other "Golden Age of Crime" novels of that interwar era. What is even more impressive is that the first dozen were all published in 1931 as if he wrote one every month. Perhaps it is not that surprising from an author who wrote over 500 books in his lifetime, but it still an eyeopener.
Continuing the confusion for completists, this is Maigret #9 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but is listed as Maigret #5 in the previous standard Maigret Series Listopia as listed on Goodreads.
Trivia and Links
* Some English translations have given the title as Maigret's War of Nerves.
A Man's Head, under its original French title La Tête d'un homme, was adapted for a French language film in 1933 directed by Julien Duvivier with Harry Baur as Inspector Maigret and for French television in 1967, as Episode 2 of the long running TV series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019.
July 1, 2015
This is no Sherlock Holmes, this is no "tale of ratiocination" to use Poe's term. No, Inspector Maigret is a superb tuned intellect with years of experience dealing with crime. His five foot ten frame, weighing some 200 pounds, is almost totally impassive. You will never see this investigator running off at the mouth. He will hang around until the facts make themselves clear, and then he will act with decisive speed to tie up the loose ends.
Georges Simenon is, to my mind, a crossover writer. He has gone well beyond the mystery and whodunit genres, just as (again in my opinion) John LeCarre and Eric Ambler are far more than writers of spy stories. We are dealing with genre fiction that has more than a little universal about it in its study of the criminal mind.
In Maigret's War of Nerves a rich widow and her maid are brutally stabbed to death in a St-Cloud mansion, and a hapless young man named Heurtin is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to the guillotine. He would have been executed, too, except that Maigret saw him as too hapless for that sort of thing; so he convinces his superiors to let Heurtin "escape" -- with Maigret's promise that he would produce the real killer in ten days.
Those ten days are a real nail-biter, until we run into a hyper-intellectual med student named Radek who seems to know too much and who tries too hard to twit Maigret and his associates. From that point on, Maigret bides his time until Radek's confidence begins to fray. And then it happens....
Georges Simenon is, to my mind, a crossover writer. He has gone well beyond the mystery and whodunit genres, just as (again in my opinion) John LeCarre and Eric Ambler are far more than writers of spy stories. We are dealing with genre fiction that has more than a little universal about it in its study of the criminal mind.
In Maigret's War of Nerves a rich widow and her maid are brutally stabbed to death in a St-Cloud mansion, and a hapless young man named Heurtin is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to the guillotine. He would have been executed, too, except that Maigret saw him as too hapless for that sort of thing; so he convinces his superiors to let Heurtin "escape" -- with Maigret's promise that he would produce the real killer in ten days.
Those ten days are a real nail-biter, until we run into a hyper-intellectual med student named Radek who seems to know too much and who tries too hard to twit Maigret and his associates. From that point on, Maigret bides his time until Radek's confidence begins to fray. And then it happens....
August 23, 2014
Usually large and in charge, Chief Inspector Jules Maigret rarely breaks a sweat in most of Georges Simenon’s novels, but in A Man’s Head, Maigret’s job is on the line.
Joseph Heurtin, a deliveryman, was condemned to hang for the brutal stabbing murder of a rich American woman, Mrs. Henderson, and her maid. Gradually, Maigret comes to believe that Heurtin — who never met the women, from whom nothing was stolen — is a fall guy in a bigger plan. But what?
To find out, Maigret engineers Heurtin’s escape from the Santé prison’s High Surveillance wing in order to follow him. Coméliau, the examining magistrate and Maigret’s nemesis, makes it clear that, should things go wrong, it will be on Maigret’s head. And do things go wrong! For much of the novel, Maigret, although outwardly placid, is inwardly wracked with anxiety — as is the reader! What did Mrs. Henderson really die? And how are Heurtin and the murdered women connected to a young Czech medical student who makes no secret of knowing too much about the case? As Heurtin gives one police tail after another the slip, the case becomes more and more baffling, even for Maigret, much less the reader. You’ll find yourself anxiously reading A Man’s Head in one go in order to see Maigret crack this tough case.
Joseph Heurtin, a deliveryman, was condemned to hang for the brutal stabbing murder of a rich American woman, Mrs. Henderson, and her maid. Gradually, Maigret comes to believe that Heurtin — who never met the women, from whom nothing was stolen — is a fall guy in a bigger plan. But what?
To find out, Maigret engineers Heurtin’s escape from the Santé prison’s High Surveillance wing in order to follow him. Coméliau, the examining magistrate and Maigret’s nemesis, makes it clear that, should things go wrong, it will be on Maigret’s head. And do things go wrong! For much of the novel, Maigret, although outwardly placid, is inwardly wracked with anxiety — as is the reader! What did Mrs. Henderson really die? And how are Heurtin and the murdered women connected to a young Czech medical student who makes no secret of knowing too much about the case? As Heurtin gives one police tail after another the slip, the case becomes more and more baffling, even for Maigret, much less the reader. You’ll find yourself anxiously reading A Man’s Head in one go in order to see Maigret crack this tough case.
October 11, 2011
this is the first novel i've read by georges simenon period, and the first i've read in his detective series featuring inspector maigret. having just read my first martin beck novel, i was much struck by the similarities between the two heroes: both have a determined, patient, and inexorable approach to the crimes in question though maigret, being french, seems to give a bit more of his inner turmoil away, and in general seems more loved and respected by his peers. and really, one feels how french this novel is: some turns of phrase in english seemed to reverberate with the language they've been translated from; i could hear the french behind them, even those words that aren't devoted to the streets and cafes of paris and the surrounding countryside. the story is of a man who has been convicted of a double homicide: he is set free in the hope that maigret can find out definitively whether he committed the crime, despite the facts of the case. i will be reading more. :)
August 8, 2016
Quando vado in montagna da solo, arrivato al rifugio ho sempre un po' di tempi morti da ammazzare prima di cena o dopo cena, finite le solite chiacchiere con gli occasionali compagni di tavolo.
Di recente, leggo un Maigret: non impegna troppo e rilassa.
Questa puntata della saga non mi era sembrata granchè, a parte la trovata (credo piuttosto originale, per l'epoca) che innesca il racconto.
Di lì in poi, la storia si svolge in modo del tutto trascurabile, almeno fino alla conclusione.
Non voglio rovinare la sorpresa, quindi mi limito a dire che Simenon, invece di piazzare il consueto "spiegone", ricostruisce a ritroso i motivi della vicenda con grande abilità, utilizzando la sua finezza di analisi psicologica in modo sorprendente per i tempi.
Tratteggia il profilo di un criminale che oggi definiremmo "sociopatico" con toni e argomenti che nel 2016 sono clichè da telefilm, ma immagino che nel 1931 fossero parecchio innovativi.
Finora, uno dei migliori episodi.
Di recente, leggo un Maigret: non impegna troppo e rilassa.
Questa puntata della saga non mi era sembrata granchè, a parte la trovata (credo piuttosto originale, per l'epoca) che innesca il racconto.
Di lì in poi, la storia si svolge in modo del tutto trascurabile, almeno fino alla conclusione.
Non voglio rovinare la sorpresa, quindi mi limito a dire che Simenon, invece di piazzare il consueto "spiegone", ricostruisce a ritroso i motivi della vicenda con grande abilità, utilizzando la sua finezza di analisi psicologica in modo sorprendente per i tempi.
Tratteggia il profilo di un criminale che oggi definiremmo "sociopatico" con toni e argomenti che nel 2016 sono clichè da telefilm, ma immagino che nel 1931 fossero parecchio innovativi.
Finora, uno dei migliori episodi.
January 12, 2019
Simenon est l'auteur qui pour moi décrit le mieux Paris. A le lire on ressent la pluie froide d'hiver rentrant dans le col des manteaux, la douceur printanière rendant sa légèreté aux pas des parisiens, la canicule écrasant les passants dans le bitume ou l'obscurité grandissante de l'automne. Et voici Maigret de son pas lourd qui s'incruste et s'imbibe de l'atmosphère d'une famille, d'une cage d'escalier, d'un immeuble ou d'une entreprise.
Ici il s'agit d'un condamné à mort qui s'échappe de la prison de la Santé.... grâce à la complicité de Maigret qui ne croit pas à sa culpabilité.
Ici il s'agit d'un condamné à mort qui s'échappe de la prison de la Santé.... grâce à la complicité de Maigret qui ne croit pas à sa culpabilité.
August 31, 2025
Maigret's a wonder.
Tenacious puzzle solver.
Solid ethicist.
Tenacious puzzle solver.
Solid ethicist.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews