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Nestor Burma #N-01
Sunrise Behind the Louvre
Features the adventures of private detective Nestor Burma. This book finds Burma pitted against ruthless adversaries intent upon denuding the Louvre of its priceless paintings. The mystery starts with a well-dresed corpse found wearing a fake Raphael for warmth.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
2 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Léo Malet
171 books42 followersLéo Malet est né à Montpellier en 1909. Attiré par l'écriture et l'anarchie, il décide à l'âge de 16 ans de « monter » à Paris, ou pour survivre il effectue une multitude de petits métiers. En 1930, il fait la connaissance d'André Breton et découvre le surréalisme, dont il devient un familier. Après la guerre, Léo Malet rencontre Louis Chavance qui lui suggère d'écrire des romans policiers, un genre encore inexistant en France. Malet produit alors d'alertes contrefaçons de Hard boiled américains qu'il signe des pseudonymes de Frank Harding ou Léo Latimer. En 1943, il publie sous son véritable nom, 120 rue de la gare, un roman policier très français qui met en scène pour la première fois l'illustre Nestor Burma. C'est en 1953, lors d'une promenade, que Léo Malet aura l'idée de faire de son privé un nouveau « piéton de Paris ». Le soleil naît derrière le Louvre inaugure la série des Nouveaux Mystères de Paris, un an après. Chroniques réalistes de la vie des quartiers parisiens, Les Nouveaux Mystères de Paris donnent définitivement à son personnage ses lettres de noblesse. Avec 55 titres (dont 29 consacrés à Nestor Burma), Léo Malet a bien mérité des Lettres françaises. Il est mort en 1996.
(source: Pocket.fr)
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Leo Malet was born in Montpellier. He had little formal education and began work as a cabaret singer at "La Vache Enragee" in Montmartre, Paris in 1925.
In the 1930s, he was closely aligned with the Surrealists, and was close friends with André Breton, René Magritte and Yves Tanguy, amongst others. During this time, he published several volumes of poetry.
He died in Châtillon, a little town just south of Paris where he had lived for most of his life, four days before his 87th birthday.
Though having dabbled in many genres, he is most famous for Nestor Burma, the anti-hero of Les Nouveaux Mystères de Paris. Burma, a cynical private detective, is an astute speaker of argot (French slang), an ex-Anarchist, a serial monogamist and an inveterate pipe smoker. Of the 33 novels detailing his adventures, eighteen take place in a sole arrondissement of Paris, in a sub-series of his exploits which Malet dubbed the "New Mysteries of Paris" quoting Eugene Sue's seminal "feuilleton"; though he never completed the full 20 arrondissements as he originally planned. Apart from the novels, five short stories were also published, bringing the total of Burma's adventures to 38.
The comic artist Jacques Tardi adapted some of his books much to the author's approval claiming that he was the sole person to have visually understood his books; Tardi also provided cover illustrations for the Fleuve Noir editions of the novels, released from the 1980s onward.
(source: Pocket.fr)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Leo Malet was born in Montpellier. He had little formal education and began work as a cabaret singer at "La Vache Enragee" in Montmartre, Paris in 1925.
In the 1930s, he was closely aligned with the Surrealists, and was close friends with André Breton, René Magritte and Yves Tanguy, amongst others. During this time, he published several volumes of poetry.
He died in Châtillon, a little town just south of Paris where he had lived for most of his life, four days before his 87th birthday.
Though having dabbled in many genres, he is most famous for Nestor Burma, the anti-hero of Les Nouveaux Mystères de Paris. Burma, a cynical private detective, is an astute speaker of argot (French slang), an ex-Anarchist, a serial monogamist and an inveterate pipe smoker. Of the 33 novels detailing his adventures, eighteen take place in a sole arrondissement of Paris, in a sub-series of his exploits which Malet dubbed the "New Mysteries of Paris" quoting Eugene Sue's seminal "feuilleton"; though he never completed the full 20 arrondissements as he originally planned. Apart from the novels, five short stories were also published, bringing the total of Burma's adventures to 38.
The comic artist Jacques Tardi adapted some of his books much to the author's approval claiming that he was the sole person to have visually understood his books; Tardi also provided cover illustrations for the Fleuve Noir editions of the novels, released from the 1980s onward.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 28, 2018
Un des meilleurs, peut être parce que je suis irrémédiablement fleur bleue (ha, l'amour !), il est cynique, amoureux et mélancolique. Pauv' Nestor chaque fois qu'il tombe amoureux elle meurt.
May 10, 2022
Classic noir fiction with a touch of the bitter taste of Mike Hammer or a disillusioned Sam Spade. Sadly we have the motheaten trop of so beloved of French polar authors and filmmakers en tout genre, but at least no one jumped out a window this time. Helene Chatelaine and Zavatter each get a few cameos, but this is very much Malet Does Bogart, plus the tell-not-show ending that ties up all the little clues that Malet sprinkled over the text.
Much better than the telefilm "freely based" on this title.
Much better than the telefilm "freely based" on this title.
January 1, 2026
Flavorful pastiche of Chandler, set (and written) in 1950s’ Paris. Private detective Nestor Burma encounters a plot to steal a valuable Raphael from the Louvre, becomes involved with a model-actress, stumbles across a number of dead bodies, and solves the case, wistfully, before the titular sunrise. Malet’s novel has a similar appeal as Simenon’s Maigret novels, thought it has a more hard-boiled edge. A fine mignardise on which to end 2025!
August 23, 2020
Un peu dense comme intrigue. Tous les hauts-lieux du 1er arrondissement de Paris participent à l'intrigue : Le Louvre bien sûr mais aussi les Halles (on est en 1954), la place Vendôme, la rue de Rivoli et les Jardins des tuileries, jusqu'aux vendeurs d'oiseaux du Quai de la Mégisserie (un très beau moment d'ouverture des cages)...
December 6, 2024
I read the English version. I am loving these novelettes. Leo Malet is a great crime writer with twists and turns throughout his stories. The story is set in post war Paris and the writer’s descriptions are great.
October 24, 2020
2.5 stars
September 9, 2022
Beaucoup de personnages et une longue attente pour les révélations. Mais un argot génial a entendre. Évidement assez misogyne…
January 19, 2026
Δεν ήταν κακό, μάλλον εγώ ήμουν λίγο αλλού, κάπου χάθηκα και με την ιστορία και τα πρόσωπα.
January 24, 2023
Gets off to a good start and ends up with a rushed, here's-the-full-explanation ending. Disappointing as there are nice one-liners in the Chandler style. Ah well , c'est la vie.
May 10, 2017
Contrairement aux autres opinions, j'affirme que c'est une des pires histoires de Burma que j'ai lues! Malet en peut certainement mieux.
Il y a un truc, celui de la camionnette, et le fait que Burma a bizarrement quitté un certain monsieur pour chercher et trouver, comme par hasard, ladite camionnette, que ne s'explique que vers la fin du roman. C'est ignoble, car ce n'est pas dans la tradition des romans de Malet (même ceux publiés sous un autre nom) de tenir le lecteur dans le noir et si incompréhensiblement loin des motivations de Burma. Certes, comme dans tous les romans policiers, il y a un nombre de coïncidences du genre «le monde est petit», mais ce n'est pas grave.
Autant dire que j'aime davantage les romans Burma des années 40, sinon ceux des années 60, mais je trouve très inégale la qualité de la série des Nouveaux Mystères de Paris.
Il y a un truc, celui de la camionnette, et le fait que Burma a bizarrement quitté un certain monsieur pour chercher et trouver, comme par hasard, ladite camionnette, que ne s'explique que vers la fin du roman. C'est ignoble, car ce n'est pas dans la tradition des romans de Malet (même ceux publiés sous un autre nom) de tenir le lecteur dans le noir et si incompréhensiblement loin des motivations de Burma. Certes, comme dans tous les romans policiers, il y a un nombre de coïncidences du genre «le monde est petit», mais ce n'est pas grave.
Autant dire que j'aime davantage les romans Burma des années 40, sinon ceux des années 60, mais je trouve très inégale la qualité de la série des Nouveaux Mystères de Paris.
March 25, 2015
On hämmentävää, että kaikki ranskalaiset kirjailijat ovat maansa tunnetuimpia kirjailijoita. Siitä huolimatta Aurinko nousee Louvren takaa ei kuitenkaan tarjonnut aivan odotusten mukaista lukunautintoa. Kääntäjän kummalliset sanavalinnat lienevät myös osasyynä pettymykseen. Juoni on nopeatempoinen ja yllätyksellinen, mutta jännitys ei oikein ehdi tarttua lukijaan. Yksityisetsivä Nestor Burmasta on yritetty luoda Perry Masonin kaltainen nokkelasanainen rikosten selvittelijä siinä kuitenkaan kovin hyvin onnistumatta. Nestor Burma on turhan ärhentelevä ja joutuu liian vaarallisiin tilanteisiin. Ehkä Léo Malet’n dekkareita pitäisi lukea useampia, jotta alkaisi nauttia hahmosta enemmän.
August 6, 2016
There has been a lot of ice on the roads so the busses are going slowly. This means more time to read. I lose myself in the Burma books.
They show their time a little (the last few I’ve read were from the 1950′s). Most of the women are there to desire, or be desired by, Burma. With the one (partial) exception of his secretary. A lot of the talk around women is lecherous. This is a small enough part of the books not to be off-putting – for me.
I like the humour most – Burma is witty and cynical. These books are not funny but they are amusing. There are three left in translation which I haven’t read yet – Two of them are on their way here.
They show their time a little (the last few I’ve read were from the 1950′s). Most of the women are there to desire, or be desired by, Burma. With the one (partial) exception of his secretary. A lot of the talk around women is lecherous. This is a small enough part of the books not to be off-putting – for me.
I like the humour most – Burma is witty and cynical. These books are not funny but they are amusing. There are three left in translation which I haven’t read yet – Two of them are on their way here.
October 8, 2017
2 Sterne meint in diesem Fall nicht, dass ich den Roman besonders schlecht fand, es war nur einfach nicht meine Tasse Tee. Ich fand ihn schlichtweg langweilig. Der Einstieg war noch klasse, aber dann. Sehr sehr gleichtönig erzählt. Hat mich nicht gepackt.
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October 16, 2017Not his best but still wonderful... Leo Malet writer and anarchist... but he wrote the way he wanted, and so put the anarchy in the writing from the start... he is creating words, copying romans noirs et films noirs... It is a Leo Malet's fan who dreamed of the woman in the Roger Rabbit movie... more fatal than fatal!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews