مگره از خود دفاع می‌کند

Inspector Maigret #63

by Georges Simenon, عباس آگاهی (Translator)

بیش از سی سال می‌شد که مگره در رده پلیس آگاهی خدمت می‌کرد، ده سال می‌شد که در راس واحد جنایی قرار داشت و این اولین باری بود که به این شکل احضارش می‌کردند. او آمدن و رفتن حدود ده فرمانده را دیده و با آن‌ها روابط کم و بیش خوبی را حفظ کرده بود. بعضی‌ها آن قدر کم در سمت‌شان مانده بودند که او فرصت صحبت کردن با آن‌ها را پیدا نکرده بود. بعضی دیگر به او تلفن می‌کردند و از او می‌خواستند که لطف کند و به دفترشان سر بزند و تقریبا همیشه موضوع ملاقات به ماموریتی مربوط می‌شد که می‌بایست با کمال ظرافت انجام پذیرد و به ندرت خوشایند بود: مثلا می‌بایست پسر یا دختر یک شخصیت مهم، یا خود این شخصیت مهم را از مخمصه و مهلکه‌ای نجات بدهند؛

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, France, Thriller, Belgian, Mystery Thriller

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Georges 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.

Reviews

[Luís · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's one of the three best Maigrets I've read. This novel is already original because the supposed culprit is the superintendent himself. Significantly affected by the intrigue, the investigation takes place quickly in concentrated writing, unlike modern novelists, who write ten pages that could fit in five lines. Reading a good Simenon solves the problem of being uninspired for a new book or taking a break.
But here, we enjoy this story in Paris in the 1960s.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret se Défend

Jules Maigret heads the Paris Police “Murder Squad.” He has been a Paris “policeman” for over 30 years coming up through the ranks. He is 52 and 3 years from retirement. He has impressed his particular style on his team, and this means that he doesn’t sit in his office just sending out others to investigate. He is often out of the office for long stretches trying to understand the mind of the criminal he is seeking.

Today he is thinking of his retirement. “He was nearly at Neung-sur-Loire, where the house was ready for them, his wife and him, with a garden he would cultivate just as his neighbors did, with flowers and the vegetables he would water peacefully at sunrise and sunset, with his fishing rods in the shed…” Why?

Because, for the first time in the many Maigret mysteries that I have read, he stands accused by a young woman and the Commissioner believes that there is enough to destroy his reputation and his career. But why? This is the puzzle.

For those who have read some of the (close to 100) Maigret stories, this one is a particular delight, because of his predicament. In fact, one of the best scenes is with a career criminal and the criminal’s young girlfriend in which Maigret as much as asks for his help and the girlfriend offers some important insights after mocking Maigret for several pages.

I can imagine this plot forming in Simenon’s mind and how tickled he became with it. All the things he might include with Maigret “in the block” and “prohibited” from using “his methods” by the “powers that be.” It works so well that the casual reader won’t find the twists intimidating and most Maigret “fans” will, as I was, be very happy that Simenon had some fun.

One of the best! 5*

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret e' alle prese con un intrigo che mira a screditarlo personalmente e a farlo dimettere dal la polizia, oltretutto l'accusa di cui e' fatto segno e' oltremodo odiosa e infamante. Per questa volta e' lui l'accusato, e' lui che deve rendere conto delle sue azioni e dei suoi spostamenti. Chi c'e' dietro la macchinazione? Anche per un investigatore navigato come lui il colpo al morale non e' da poco. In un'atmosfera che vira dal cupo disinganno del poliziotto che vede a rischio tutta la sua onorata carriera, allo scatto quasi feroce di chi, da braccato decide di tornare ad essere cacciatore, anche l'afa parigina di fine Giugno sembra diradarsi man mano che il commissario decide di uscire dal suo torpore e dare battaglia. Dialoghi perfetti e tesi, che si fanno leggere in apnea.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maigret is accused of a seedy crime.

I’ve only read one previous Georges Simenon book (the non-Maigret ‘Monsieur Monde Vanishes’), which I found rather slow and dull. There’s just enough characterisation and incident here to be able to remove the word dull regarding this book, but nevertheless – even at only 155 pages – I also found it to be a rather slow affair, to the point that in the end I just felt like uttering a tired, “Ah well, there we are then.” A pity, as I felt it started well and has a few key scenes of interest, but overall there was a tired plod to it all. It no doubt reflects where the character of Maigret is in his life (three years from retirement), and no doubt exhibits the lumbering reality of a detective’s job. But still, given the nature of the accusations here, I think I’d have expected a tad more outrage from even the most knackered out of old cops, rather than the disgruntled annoyance displayed here. I'm not quite sure where the tension is supposed to be coming from, the worst possibility Maigret believes he faces is that he'll be forced into retirement three years early! No imprisonment! Maybe the earlier books are better?

I’m not giving up, I think I’ve yet to discover more of the Maigret character and his world, so I’ve ordered a couple more from the library (‘The Headless Corpse’ and ‘The Venice Train’). But I think I’ll be taking an excursion out of Paris to Parker or Block City first…

[Amaranta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un Maigret che viene colpito al cuore del suo onore, della sua rispettabilità, del suo lavoro. E che si difende con le unghie e con i denti per far recuperare la verità. Non tanto per gli altri, perchè chi è attorno a lui SA che la tela che si chiude attorno al commissario è fatta solo di una ragnatela impalpabile, ma per se stesso.
Esce fuori l'uomo, con i suoi sentimenti, le sue paure ma la sua grande determinazione.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tinham razão, André Gide e John Banville ao louvar os dotes de escrita de Georges Simenon.

É surpreendente como um escritor tão prolífico (segundo a Wikipedia escreveu cerca de 400 livros!) e conhecido principalmente como autor de policiais, um género normalmente considerado menor, produz histórias com tanta qualidade literária, para mais sem se alargar muito no número de páginas.

O caso criminal é mais do que um simples mistério a resolver, dando lugar a reflexões acerca da realidade histórica e social em que se passa a acção e os locais são evocados de forma tão vívida, que consegui imaginar o inspetor Maigret a caminhar pelas ruas de Paris como se estivesse a ver um filme - curiosamente, as imagens ocorriam-me sempre a preto e branco :D

Foram 148 páginas muito bem passadas, que só não levam as 5 estrelas porque teria gostado de uma caracterização psicológica mais aprofundada de alguns personagens secundários, algo que Simenon faz muito bem para os personagens principais.

[Gabril · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maigret prese tempo. Non si era mai sentito così umiliato in vita sua e le dita stringevano talmente la pipa spenta che erano diventate bianche.”

Eh già, perché adesso l’accusato è proprio lui, Maigret, e l’interrogatorio che è costretto a subire a opera di un giovane arrogante pivello, che però si ammanta del titolo di questore, lo offende fino a desiderare di accogliere il non troppo velato invito del suo superiore a dare le dimissioni e ricorrere alla pensione anticipata.

Nessuno dei suoi fedeli collaboratori, né la dolce signora Maigret, e tantomeno gli affezionati lettori possono prestar fede all’accusa paradossale che una giovane di buona famiglia non ha esitato a pronunciare contro il celebre commissario.

Ma quale macchinazione stia dietro a questo assurdo imbroglio sarà suo compito svelare. Vincendo l’amarezza, lo sconforto e pure la rabbia che la sua reputazione sia compromessa e la sua onorevole carriera messa a repentaglio dalla chiacchiera balorda di una giovincella oziosa.

Maigret comincia dunque la sua ricerca aspettando che la rete lanciata apparentemente a caso verso acque infide riesca a intrappolare il grosso pesce che ha ordito l’inganno.

Le inconfondibili atmosfere parigine ci accompagnano, deliziandoci, lungo tutto il percorso.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absorbing read that brings out the humanity of Maigret and demonstrates the genius of Simenon as a writer. It shows the need for and the strength of relationships with Madame Maigret, Lucus and Janvier and that a man’s reputation is worth more than life itself at times.
Not long after dinner with the Pardons when the good doctor asked him searching questions about criminal thinking and the evil they demonstrate. Maigret is faced with a situation which knocks him to the point of resigning as he is faced with someone who hates him so much he wants not only to remove him from a case but destroy his career.
In something akin to a honey trap Maigret has been left defenceless to claims of sexual impropriety which is driven by political considerations over police corruption. He is reduced to a guilty man in the eyes of his senior management and sworn to secrecy about these events to await a disciplinary hearing.
I loved the emotional roller-coaster the author takes Maigret in and its implications for his home life and authority at work.
Where others are quick to belief a whiff of scandal his most loyal inspectors who he confides in have no doubts and want to help. His wife is her ever supportive self but clearly worried by events.
The mystery of why someone has gone to such incredible lengths to discredit him is involved but also a symptom of human nature.
Maigret also keen to understand the motivation and psyche of those he brings to justice so desires that the reasons here are not driven by hatred. That he can clear his name while feeling empathy for his adversary may in the end resolve the case and answer the question Dr Pardon asks at the start of the book.

[Sandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo tutti i libri di Simenon con protagonista l'ispettore Maigret, che ormai considero quasi un mio caro amico :-)
Questo l'ho trovato particolarmente bello ed interessante perché ci fa vedere un Maigret in difficoltà, in quanto ingiustamente accusato di un comportamento scorretto... che chi ben lo conosce sa che non avrebbe mai commesso!

[Diabolika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strepitoso!!!

Per la prima volta Maigret è al centro di una indagine come sospettato!

[Larry Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret Defends Himself by Georges Simenon is Book 63, and it takes a severe turn against Maigret, threatening his career and his reputation. IMO- it’s one of the best in his distinguished series. The opening chapters are chilling, much reminiscent of the perfidy and intrigue of the upper echelons. Even the bold and unflappable Maigret —is terribly shaken and facing defeat. The face of evil? Or perhaps just the “banality of evil”?

“Maigret could not have foreseen that the details of this idle conversation would one day come back to haunt him. He liked Pardon. He was one of the few men he enjoyed spending an evening with. —friends of course, yet they were reluctant to tackle certain subjects. They had never, for instance, discussed politics or religion. ‘In the whole of your career,’ Pardon continued, ‘have you ever encountered a truly wicked criminal … I mean …’ — ‘So basically you’re talking about a pure criminal?’ ‘Pure or impure … Let’s say a total criminal.’ — ‘It’s not the crime that matters. It’s what goes on, or what went on, inside the person who committed it …’”

Summoned. “Maigret remembered the days when the commissioner of the Police Judiciaire was chosen from among the detective chief inspectors. — ‘If anyone asks for me, I’m seeing the prefect.’ Two of his men at least looked up in surprise. Lucas and Janvier, who knew him better than the others, had sensed the anxiety and bad humour in Maigret’s voice. —‘The prefect’s office.’ ‘Have you been summoned?’ He showed the letter reluctantly. Not just anyone could enter. — The prefect was also a newcomer. Two years on the job. A young man. That was the fashion. He wasn’t yet forty but had been to the École Normale Supérieure and had then amassed enough diplomas to be put at the head of any department of the civil service. The new broom, as the newspapers had nicknamed him after his first press conference. — ‘Gentlemen, Paris has to be a clean capital, and to achieve that, it’s essential to give it a clean sweep. — ‘You started in the police as a young man, I think?’ ‘I started at the age of twenty-two.’ ‘How old are you now?’ ‘Fifty-two.’ He added, rather as if to tempt fate: ‘Three years from retirement.’ ‘Did you go straight into the Police Judiciaire?’ The voice still had the same softness, an impersonal softness, perhaps something he’d learned. ‘— began in a local station, the one in the ninth arrondissement.’ ‘In uniform?’ ‘I was the chief inspector’s secretary. Later, I had a period on the beat.’ ‘—you worked in several different squads?’ ‘The Métro, the department stores, the railway stations, vice, gambling …’ ‘I mention it because you talk about it at every opportunity.’ This time, Maigret turned crimson. ‘You’re very well known, Monsieur Maigret, very popular …’ ‘Your methods, according to the newspapers, are quite dramatic …’ He stood up and walked over to the window. —When he came back to the middle of the room, his smile –and hence his self-satisfaction – had become more pronounced. — yet you haven’t abandoned the habits you picked up early in your career. You don’t spend much time in the office. You like to deal in person with tasks that would normally be handled by others. — you can be seen spending hours on end in little bars and cafés, in all sorts of places one wouldn’t expect to come across a public servant of your rank.’ ‘These are outdated methods, which may have had some merit in their time.’ ‘That old style of policing has its traditions. Informers, for example. You maintain cordial relations with people who live on the fringes — you turn a blind eye to their peccadilloes and in return they give you a helping hand … ‘Haven’t you ever noticed that lots of things have changed since the days when you started?’ — ‘I’ve seen nine commissioners and eleven prefects come and go.’ If the prefect registered the blow, nothing appeared on the surface. He could have been a diplomat. It was quite possible he might end up as an ambassador.”

The Honey Trap. “—‘Mademoiselle Prieur?’ The real attack was starting. On what grounds? -never heard of Monsieur Jean-Baptiste Prieur, Master of Requests at the Council of State?’ ‘Let me ask you, detective chief inspector, where you were at one a.m. last night.’ ‘Is this an interrogation?’ ‘How you take it is up to you. I asked you a specific question.’ ‘May I ask in what capacity?’ ‘As your superior in the chain of command.’ —‘I went to bed at ten thirty, after watching television with my wife.’ ‘What time did you go out?’ ‘I’m getting to that, sir. Just before midnight, the phone rang.’ ‘It was dark when I answered the phone. It was a long conversation. When my wife switched on the light, it was ten to midnight.’ ‘Who was phoning you at such an hour? Someone you knew?’ ‘No. A woman.’ ‘Did she tell you her name?’ ‘Not just then.’ ‘She arranged to meet you in town?’ ‘In a way, yes.’ ‘What do you mean?’ He was beginning to realize that he had been naive —‘She had just arrived in Paris, where she’d never set foot before.’ ‘I’m repeating what she told me. She added that she was the daughter of a magistrate in La Rochelle, that she was eighteen, that she felt stifled by her very strict family, especially as a school friend of hers, who’s been here for a year, kept telling her… Maigret remembered the pathetic voice on the telephone, the simple but apt and moving words, words that – or so it seemed to him – it was impossible to make up.” Then— “it got to a point where she felt she had to run away, and she found herself alone in Paris, without her luggage, without her handbag, without her money.’ ‘And that was when it occurred to her to phone you?’ ‘-Why didn’t you ask the local police to help her out?’ Because Maigret had had his doubts, but he was determined not to mention them. — ‘You see, detective chief inspector, the young woman in question isn’t from the provinces at all, and her version of events bears no relation to yours. — She returned in a dishevelled state, almost distraught, at eight thirty this morning. The story she told had such an effect on Monsieur Prieur that he personally telephoned the minister of the interior. ‘You’re three years from retirement, Monsieur Maigret.’ Pardon’s words came back to him. ‘Tell me something … In your career, have you ever encountered …’ Pure spite! Wickedness for its own sake! —‘I’d like you to read the young lady’s account, which has been typed up. Then I’d like you to put down in writing your version of events, just as you’ve told it to me. I’ll summon you again when I’ve received your statement.’ —‘The prefect would like you to come back for a moment, detective chief inspector.’ He stood there for a moment, irresolute, not knowing if he should go back up the few steps or continue on his way down. —‘ I forgot to make it clear that I don’t want any rumour about this business at Quai des Orfèvres.’ —There was a sudden spasm in his chest and, like a man with a heart condition.”

Aftermath. “From now on, there was the past and the present, before and after. —no longer angry at that snotty-nosed prefect, although a little earlier he would happily have punched him in the face. In this affair, the prefect was merely a pawn. —He walked into his office, closed the door behind him and looked around him as if what he was seeing was unusual, even though he knew the slightest detail. —Shrugging, he entered the inspectors’ room. ‘Anything new, boys?’ ... ‘Another raid on a jeweller’s.’ ‘Do you mind dealing with it?’ —His colleagues were wondering what was going on with him. What could he tell them? He didn’t know himself yet. For the first time, he was the one under attack, the one being asked to account for his actions. —from his jacket the papers the prefect had given him. Someone had been sent to Monsieur Jean-Baptiste Prieur’s residence on Boulevard de Courcelles to take down a statement from the young woman. — Maigret had a vague memory of reading the words ‘Council of State’ above a monumental door on Place du Palais-Royal. It was a body that was very high up in the hierarchy of government, but, like most Frenchmen, he had only a vague idea of its remit. — Statement of Mademoiselle Nicole Prieur, 18, student, living at 42, Boulevard de Courcelles with her uncle, Monsieur Jean-Baptiste Prieur, Master of Requests at the Council of State. Statement taken at 9.30 a.m. on 28 June. On Monday evening, after having dinner with my uncle, I went to Boulevard Saint-Germain to see a friend, Martine Bouet, whose father is a doctor. I took the Métro, because my uncle needed the car. — We spent most of the evening in Martine’s bedroom, listening to the new records. I left her about 11.30, and my first idea was to go home by Métro. Once out on the boulevard, however, I felt like walking a little, because it was a cool night, and the day had been stifling. After a while, I turned into Rue de Seine to get to the riverside, because I love walking by the river, especially at night. That was when I realized that I had left at Martine’s two records I had taken with me to play to her. My uncle is in the habit of going to bed early, because he gets up at the crack of dawn. I knew he had only gone out for about an hour. I was afraid that Martine would call the house to say that I had forgotten my records — I found myself outside a little café,— I remember clearly the words painted on the front: Désiré’s. An old-fashioned bistro, with a tin counter, five or six polished wooden tables and quite dim lighting! I went in … I immediately asked for a telephone token, and the owner stood up reluctantly, as if he did not like being disturbed. I told him to serve me a coffee at any of the tables and went into the phone booth … For a while, we discussed the possibility of her joining me, but then I told her I would not be there for long, that I wanted to walk another few hundred metres and then take the Métro. — Maigret’s detective’s instincts were starting to come to the fore. She must definitely have phoned her friend, because that was a detail that could be checked. She had definitely been in a bistro called Désiré’s… … Next, I sat down at the table where my coffee was waiting for me. There was an evening newspaper lying on a chair, and, as I had not read it, I started looking through it while waiting for my coffee to cool down. I have no idea how many minutes went by. —One detail in any case was true: the cup of coffee. And when Maigret had got to Désiré’s, there was indeed a newspaper, half open on a chair near the girl. —My uncle often tells me off for having no notion of time … I was about to take my purse from my pocket. I was wearing a light suit with two pockets, so I had not taken my handbag with me. Another one of my faults: I am always leaving my handbag in different places. Which is why, as far as possible, I choose clothes with pockets. Clever. That settled the matter of the supposedly stolen handbag. It was then that a man came in, quite a tall man, with broad shoulders and a heavy face … I may be mistaken, but I have the impression that he had been looking at me through the window for a while. I vaguely remember seeing someone of the same build walking up and down the pavement. I thought at first that he was coming towards me, but he sat down at the next table, or rather he collapsed on to a chair and mopped his brow. I have no idea if he had been drinking, but it did occur to me. —From here on, in particular, her statement had to coincide with what the owner of the bistro would say later. —His face seemed familiar, although I could not put a name to it… I had seen his photograph in the newspapers. He seemed to read my thoughts because he said: ‘You’re not mistaken. I really am Detective Chief Inspector Maigret.’ — Maigret would never have uttered a sentence like that. But the girl had had to give a plausible explanation of why they had... —I am not the kind of girl who runs after stars and celebrities to get their autographs. Celebrities visit my uncle every week on Boulevard de Courcelles. All the same, I was pleased to see a policeman at close quarters, especially the one everyone is always talking about. I had imagined him to be bigger, especially fatter. What surprised me most, at first sight, was how merry he was, and I immediately wondered if he had been drinking. —He was fuming, plunging ever further into an unknown world in which he was playing the main role without knowing exactly what that role was. In a nightmare, you are aware that everything is false. Even though you may believe in the reality of it for as long as you are asleep —Here, it was reality that was inconsistent. He wasn’t asleep. He wasn’t dreaming. He had in front of him a statement that wasn’t some anonymous letter, or an account by a lunatic, but a perfectly official document —He had occupied this office for a long time, too. He had always thought it was real, and now it was already becoming less so. God alone knew what would happen when Maigret submitted his version of events to the prefect. —it wasn’t the prefect Maigret was angry with, not any more. He no longer had any desire to punch him in the face. He was only a pawn in this affair and he, too, now looked like a fool.— …He ordered a white wine. The owner asked him: ‘A bottle?’ -yes and he was brought a glass and a small bottle. He offered me some, but I told him I had just had coffee. I can’t remember how he brought up his proposal. Something like: ‘Most people have the wrong idea about our profession. You, too, I’d be willing to bet. What matters is the routine work. For example, this evening, I’m on the lookout for a dangerous criminal I’m almost sure to find in one of the local bars.’ -‘You might enjoy coming with me.’ —‘Are your parents waiting for you?’ ‘My uncle doesn’t care what time I get back. He trusts me.’ ‘Then let’s go.’ I yielded to my curiosity. —I looked especially at the faces around me, wondering if the criminal the inspector was looking for was one of the customers. He handed me a glass. It was whisky. I hesitated about drinking it, but I was thirsty —I suspect my glass was refilled later without my being aware of it... — The second place was in a cellar, where jazz was playing. People were dancing. I don’t know the cellars of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, but I assume this was one of them. —After that, gets more and more blurred, with complete gaps in my memory. —I remember a narrow staircase, red carpeting, numbered rooms,the inspector turning the key. ..’No!… No!… I don’t want to…’ He just laughed. ‘Leave me alone, or I’ll call the’ — ‘Don’t forget I am the police!’ —What was true was that they’d met at Désiré’s and had exchanged various words—the daughter of a justice of the peace in La Rochelle. Her friend—you don’t know where your friend lives, or where you were taken or where you left your luggage. Last but not least, you’d be unable to recognize the building you ran away from, leaving your handbag containing your savings.’ — ‘The most important thing is to find you a bed for the night. Let’s go.’ —Hôtel de Savoie —no lift. ‘Help me to get upstairs. I can’t stand up straight.’ — They got to the second floor and Maigret did indeed turn the key in the lock. ‘Get some sleep and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll sort this out tomorrow morning.’ — ‘Well?’ Madame Maigret had asked him when he had got home. ‘A strange business. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.’ —‘She was blind drunk.’ ‘What did you do with her?’ ‘I took her to a hotel and had to put her to bed.’ ‘Did you undress her?’ ‘I had to.’ ‘Aren’t you afraid …’ Madame Maigret had a sixth sense.”

Maigret’s Defense. “He hadn’t felt up to rereading Nicole Prieur’s statement. For a long time, weary and nauseous, with not an ounce of fight in him. He was three years from retirement. Pardon had made a point of that, too. Why? Because he thought he seemed tired? — He accepted defeat. For a long while, he even felt a certain relief. No more responsibilities. —‘Don’t forget I am the police!’ It was perhaps that little phrase that saved him. It was so unlike him, it sounded so fake, that a smile finally relaxed his face and he slowly began to unwind. — read the last sentences in Nicole Prieur’s statement, because there were still two sentences. He didn’t take advantage of me. I guess at the last moment he lost his nerve. —Then, after a sigh, he at last went and opened the door to the next room. They all knew he was there, watching them, but, tactfully, they didn’t dare look up, because they knew that for Maigret to shut himself away like that, something serious must be happening. ‘Will you come in here, Janvier? Bring your notepad.’ ‘Sit down. I’ll dictate …’ It didn’t take as long as he had thought. —he limited himself to the facts, avoiding anything that might seem like a comment. ‘Type up three copies. Maigret hesitated for a few seconds. The prefect had called him back to his office specifically to advise him not to tell anyone about this business. ‘Read this.’ He pushed the young woman’s statement across the desk. After some twenty lines, Janvier turned red… ‘Who could have’… That’s what I’d like to know. Who?’ ‘Don’t mention this case to your colleagues. The boss is treating this like some sort of state secret’ ‘I hope you’re not too worried, chief?’ ‘I did offer my resignation.’ ‘He said he ought to accept it, but …’ ‘Meaning what?’ ‘I’m staying.’”

Who-why? - Maigret’s defense? —unique investigatory talent: empathy-the search for understanding. I recommend bk63 to you. Or see pgs4-10, https://www.goodreads.com/notes/43619...

[Procyon Lotor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viraggio L'unico appunto che posso fare a questo libro � che per apprezzarlo come merita bisogna leggersi prima i Maigret (se non tutti, almeno una buona parte) precedenti. Un piacere indubbiamente, ma sono una sessantina. Il passaggio del mondo, del milieu dalla delinquenza comprensibile all'anomica modernit� del male. Tutto cambia, il contesto, le regole, i moventi, tutto e cos� tanto da mettere Maigret fra le vittime collaterali. L'imbecillit� burocratica polimerizza, l'ignoranza ministeriale cristallizza, l'ignavia carrierista germoglia e in questo profluvio di disastri moderni in sviluppo la classe, l'onest� e pure la forza si trovano schernite e in minoranza. Sorgono seri indizi sul fatto che alla radice della criminalit� moderna ci sia eventualmente anche un himalayano errore. L'illusione conteporanea che la direzione sia un'abilit� a se stante e che non abbisogni di conoscenza del settore, in particolare nell'anticrimine. Qui avviene l'inizio del viraggio, dal giallo si intravede l'arrivo del noir. Si intravede perch� Maigret non sar� mai veramente solo, i pochi amici veri, la moglie e i colleghi sono sempre al loro posto ma si capisce che il serbatoio � quello: robusto ma al massimo con una ventina di litri, quello di una moto. Non di certo capiente come una diga religiosa, una cisterna positivista o un venturo monsone socialista e che "i nostri" non arriveranno pi�, non in massa perlomeno e mai gratis.

[PuPilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Egymás után két Maigret történetet olvastam most, és mindkettőben szerepet játszott a véletlenek furcsa összejátszása, valamint egy fogorvos is. :) Véletlen lenne?
Valaki csapdát állít Maigret számára, meggyanúsítják, szinte kihallgatják, sőt, még szeliden el is küldik némi betegszabadságra, amíg az ügy zajlik. Maigret persze makacs, és nem hagyja abba az ügy gombolyítását, saját szakállára tovább nyomoz a lány után, aki miatt ilyen slamasztikába került... De ennél jóval bonyolultabb a megoldás maga. Maiget-nek talán még a foga is megfájdul, ha a helyzet úgy kívánja, sőt, előkelő, modern táncklubba sem lenne rest beiratkozni a feleségével. Kiderül az is, néha veszélyes lehet az ablakban merengeni...
Remek kötet, nagyon élveztem Maigret-vel kutakodni, és összerakni a kirakós darabkáit. Sokszor meg is sajnáltam, amikor tehetetlennek, sőt feleslegesnek érezte magát, idegennek a saját irodájában.

Lapointe ebben pont szabin van! ... :D A sztori egyébként 2-3 nap alatt zajlik le, nagyon feszes tempójú, izgalmas és mozgalmas. :) Persze folyik benne a rengeteg alkohol is: sörök, fehérbor, ánizslikőr, szilvapálinka és még egy különleges mandarin-curacao likőr is előkerül. :)

Bővebben: https://pupillaolvas.blogspot.com/202...

[Fo · Rating 5 out of 5]

این سیزدهمین کتاب از سری کتاب‌های مگره بود که خواندم، حالا مگره برای من تبدیل به یک دوست قدیمی شده، دوستی که به لطف سیمنون حتی هم‌ذات پنداری هم با او دارم. دردی که مگره توی این کتاب می‌کشید من را عذاب می‌داد. سیمنون تبحر عجیبی برای بررسی شرایط روحی-اجتماعی دارد. اینجا تمرکز روی خود مگره بود.
نکته مهم اینکه اگر دنبال کتاب پلیسی یا جنایی هستید، مگره از این جنس نیست، اگر دنبال این نوع کتاب‌ها هستید مگره شما را ناامید می‌کند یا در بهترین حالت این کتاب‌ها را ضعیف می‌دانید. اما اگر لایه‌های عمیقی‌تر روابط اجتماعی-انسانی را دوست دارید، حتما لذت می‌برید

[Rui Alves de Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Em número de dias, este deve ser o livro de Simenon que mais tempo levei a ler - somente porque de segunda a quarta não consegui ler nadita do livro, e nos outros dias foi um pouco em "velocidade de cruzeiro". Porque fora isso é mais uma bela e fulminante aventura de Maigret, daquelas em que a escrita é realmente criativa, na descrição das personagens e dos ambientes, e que não tem um enredo feito às três pancadas.

[Gaetano Laureanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maigret, vicino alla pensione, si trova "incastrato" in uno strano caso in cui sembra lui il colpevole!

Un finale a sorpresa, risolto grazie all'intuito del nostro eroe, chiude in bellezza questa ennesima puntata che ho letto con molto piacere.

Da leggere! ;-)

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of Miagret in which Maigret has to investigate his own defence when framed for an abuse of his position, which results in an interesting case within a case, to go with a jewel gang needing to be apprehended.

Very fun and enjoyed this different take on the series.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Maigrets I've read. Sustained tension and a poignant ending.

[Atena | آتنا · Rating 2 out of 5]

هر آدمی مستعد آدمکش شدن هست، اگه برای این کار انگیزه کافی داشته باشد.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another way to translate Simenon’s Maigret se défend is ‘Maigret on the defensive’: as a title it’s slightly more indicative of the Detective Chief Inspector’s state of mind, I think, than the more legalistic or pugilistic stance suggested by the version offered in Howard Curtis’s new translation. Because this policier is about two related psychologies — Maigret’s, and that of the unknown person who is trying to tarnish Maigret’s reputation and career — the resulting conflict does rather put him on the defensive.

When Maigret and his physician friend Dr Pardon discuss whether the policeman has ever come across a ‘truly wicked’ and spiteful criminal they are not to know that Maigret will soon feel such a person could exist when Maigret is deliberately placed in a compromising position, threatening to lead to his enforced early retirement.

But his usual patient detecting methods which eventually lead to criminal perpetrators being identified may have met their match when he comes up against entrenched privilege and influence; are he and Mme Maigret facing an uneventful sequestered life in Meung-sur-Loire in place of the metropolitan bustle they’ve become used to? Or will he go against his superiors’ express orders to get to the bottom of matter?

This 1964 novella has Maigret in his habitual haunts in the seedy underbelly of France’s capital, rubbing up against the likes of pimps and prostitutes, jewel thieves, backstreet abortionists and dishonest bartenders. But it also has him entering posh restaurants and investigating the private clubs of powerful influencers and nouveaux riches. These latter groups, seemingly untouchable by the law, lead Maigret to wonder whether he is facing the truly wicked or simply those closing ranks to defend their privileged status from prying eyes.

As always the inspector displays his sterling qualities in the face of obfuscation and dishonesty. He knows when to turn a blind eye, but also when to doggedly pursue a lead; above all he is interested in people and what makes them tick, often trying to imagine himself in their position to understand their motivations. And, because he is aware that little in life is either black or white, he is himself prepared to operate in the grey areas to help obtain a just, more equitable result.

In his personal life he prizes loyalty where his wife, his friends and his long term colleagues are concerned, and often extends that loyalty to the petty criminals he has known over the years. So it must seem unfair when his idiosyncratic procedures which customarily yield results are doubted, and his integrity and his immediate future targeted.

To say much more would be to risk massive spoilers, so I shall conclude by saying that this is a policier that satisfies on many levels, as a narrative, as a period piece and as a psychological puzzle. Whether it operates in a particular chronological period is unclear — Maigret, now three years off officially retiring at 45, is variously estimated as having been born anytime in the 1880s to the first decade of the 20th century — but such uncertainty only adds to its noirish quality. To give one example of that uncertainty: though cigarettes were recognised as the cause of the lung cancer epidemic in the 1940s and 1950s and those concerns are expressed here right at the start, the controversies raged around the habit well into the sixties (when this tale appeared) and of course well beyond. Curtis’s unobtrusive rendering nevertheless manages to keep up a suitable semblance of timelessness so such calculations.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georges Simenon's Maigret Defends Himself is a particularly delightful Inspector Maigret novel. Someone is out to get Maigret, someone who is highly placed politically and who complains to the prefect of the Police Judiciaire that perhaps the Inspector has been on the force too long and should perhaps be put out to pasture. The book begins with Maigret being asked to met the prefect in his office. The young politico, a graduate of the Ecole Normal Superieur, criticizes his detective inspector for being too reliant on informers and doing by himself what he should be assigning to subordinates.

In essence, the complaint hints that Maigret took sexual advantage of the niece of the Master of Requests of the Council of State. The prefect hints that he would accept Maigret's offer to retire, as he is too old-fashioned anyway. (Old fashioned, perhaps, but highly effective.)

The Inspector decides he must defend himself, so he insubordinately attempts to find out who has it in for him. The news of this reaches the prefect, who instructs the commissioner of police to force Maigret to take a leave of absence until an investigation has taken place.

Does Maigret comply? No way. By keeping his eyes and ears open, Maigret suspects who it is that has it in for him and goes after the party.

This 1964 novel is one of my favorite Simenons, and there are many!

[Gabor Nyiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rövidke kis történet, de hozza a hamisítatlan Maigret hangulatot. A párizsi füstös kiskocsmák és nagy bérházak lépcsőfolyosói mind megjelennek, ahogy azt Simenontól el is várjuk. Csavaros, kiszámíthatatlan, de nagyon jól felépített cselekmény. Élvezet volt olvasni! Kár hogy ilyen rövid...

[Per altri motivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

La generosità di Maigret questa volta gli si ritorce contro:
per rispondere alla richiesta di aiuto di una giovane donna
esce di casa in piena notte e si infila in una trappola,
che si concluderà con una denuncia di moleste sessuali
da parte della ragazza.
A complicare ulteriormente la situazione,
la ragazza risulta essere figlia di un altro magistrato,
per cui il Commissario viene immediatamente
messo sotto inchiesta ed isolato, non potrà più
svolgere indagini finché non verra conclusa quella a suo carico.
Unica alternativa, le dimissioni.
Un Maigret umiliato accarezza l'idea di arrendersi,
ma il sostegno della moglie e l'appoggio dei suoi
più stretti collaboratori
lo inducono a resistere e a disobbedire.
Ma non riesce a capire chi possa essere tanto spaventato da una sua indagine
da concepire un meccanismo
così complesso e tortuoso per toglierselo dei piedi,
nessuna delle inchieste che ha in corso sembrano così importanti.
Non resta purtroppo che prendere in considerazione
la casualità.
Ci vorrà un po' di fortuna per capire
che la sua unica 'colpa'
è stata di essersi affacciato troppe volte alla stessa finestra.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent story from this master storyteller.

Maigret is accused of inappropriate behaviour with a young woman. Pressure from his superiors is being applied to try and force him to resign.

The reader is with Maigret all the way as he tries to find out who has it in for him.

As always, Simenon's ability to convey Maigret's emotions and thought processes and his descriptions of the people and places is just pure genius.

I finished this in one sitting but then it is rather short, only 128 pages.

Top notch and highly recommended.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging crime fiction novel where Maigret is under investigation for inappropriate behaviour. He is accused of being drunk and taking a drunk young rich girl to a hotel bedroom in the middle of the night. It was a set up and Maigret, unable to interview the young rich girl, must discover the truth by other means.

This Maigret novel is a little different in that there is no murder investigation.

This book was first published in France in 1964 and is the 63rd novel in the Maigret series.

[Nickname · Rating 4 out of 5]

Davvero un bel Maigret, diverso dal solito.
Questa volta il commissario mentre sta indagando su una serie di furti di gioielli, si trova invischiato in tutt'altra faccenda.
Una faccenda che rischia di mandarlo in pensione prima del previsto...

In sostanza, un Maigret come al solito molto "psicologico".
Personaggi favolosi, ideati dalla straordinaria mente di George Simenon.

[Mark Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that won me over to Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret series. I really didn't like the first one I read (The Madman of Bergerac), and I probably underrated it because I did enjoy the writing — and I didn't understand the author like I do now after much more research. These are like Agatha Christie books: short, tightly constructed detective mysteries from a bygone era but grittier.

In this one from 1964, Maigret is framed by a young woman who accuses him of taking her to a cheap hotel room while she was drunk and being inappropriate with her.

The mystery itself — why it happened — is complex and makes perfect sense, but the book is really about the people and the time and a specific moral issue that I won't name because it's a spoiler.

This is a 4 star book, but I rate series titles against each other, and I have a feeling this one will be the benchmark against which I compare all others. That said, these books are not for a general audience but for fans of crime detective serials from all eras and perhaps French literature.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

بگيد ببينم، مگره... سربازرس بعدها، اغلب، اين جمله ناتمام را به ياد مي آورد، ولي لحظه اي كه آن را شنيده بود، توجهي به آن نكرده بود. همه چيز برايش آشنا بود؛ دكوراسيون، چهره ها و حتي حركات اشخاص، آن قدر آشنا كه معمولا به آن توجهي نمي كرد. صحنه، در كوچه پوپنكور، حدود صد متري بلوار ريشار لونوار، در آپارتمان خانواده پاردون مي گذشت و مگره و همسرش چند سالي مي شد كه عادت داشتند ماهي يك بار براي شام به آن جا بروند.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Azok a furcsa véletlenek eszméletlen, hogy mit tudnak produkálni! Az egyik legizgalmasabb Maigret regény volt.
Valaki el akarja lehetetleníteni kedvenc nyomozómat, ráadásul úgy tűnik, hogy az a valaki a felsőbb körökben mozog. Maigret-nek még védekezni sincs esélye az ellene felhozott vádakkal szemben, nemhogy nyomozni. Persze, nem kell őt félteni.

[Les Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read books 1-63, sadly this has to be 63 in my list of favourites. I was tempted to give it 2 but felt that a little unfair, so a reluctant 3.