SIMENON SIMENON. A CHRISTMAS WITHOUT CHILDREN

About some aspiring parents and an unfulfilled dream 

SIMENON SIMENON. UN NOEL SANS ENFANTS 

A propos d’un couple qui aspire à devenir parents et d’un rêve non réalisé 

SIMENON SIMENON. UN NATALE SENZA BAMBINI

A proposito di una coppia che aspira a diventare genitori e di un sogno irrealizzato

A short story written in 1950, Maigret’s Christmas provides bittersweet looks at the Maigrets as a childless couple. Inside their apartment on Christmas Day, one finds both of them on edge emotionally. He feels “an exceptional sensitivity,” and she is “more easily affected than usual.” As the story evolves, a little girl across the street captures their attention. Six-year-old Colette lies bedridden with a casted broken leg in the apartment of her adoptive aunt and uncle—her mother is dead and her father is a homeless drunkard. 

The Christmas moment reveals the Maigrets to be intensely sentimental. Her gentle question “Are you happy?” awakes his inner self: “Shush! […] One was not allowing him the time to think about how they were an old couple without anyone to spoil on this Christmas morning.”  Suddenly faced with an evolving drama, the Maigrets work together on it. “This investigation was definitely unfolding in the most familial way.” Indeed, she is as involved as he is. “Do you think something else will still happen?” They are worried about Colette’s plight in particular: Madame Maigret sighs, “I wonder if that little girl over there is happy” and “for her personal satisfaction,” she adds, “I don’t think she could be with that woman,” referring to Colette’s aunt whom she recognizes as uncaring and both distrust. “Gosh, Maigret, aren’t you frightened for the little girl? Do you think she’s safe with that woman?” It takes Maigret a bit longer to recognize “it was a question of the little girl” and that “she was the only one in the case that concerned Madame Maigret,” but he arrives at the same point: “I’m concerned about it, too.” Their interest in Colette’s well-being stands out as they help her down-and-out father. Maigret guides him in shaping up and takes him across the street to his daughter. “Come with me. […] Your place is beside Colette.” And Madame Maigret sends him off with a Christmas present, a gold thimble. “He cannot go empty-handed to see his daughter on a Christmas day!” These generous actions hint the rehabilitated father and abandoned girl may eventually reunite. 

Meanwhile, the Maigrets dream of another possibility, that is, adopting Colette as their own! Madame: “If something happened to that woman... […] I’m thinking about the little one. I wonder what would become of her.” Ten minutes go by in reading and knitting until Maigret exclaims: “You’ve never even seen her!” Later on, after he crosses the street and comes back, Madame jumps up and asks: “You’re all alone? Didn’t you bring the little one back?” Maigret explains: “Not tonight. She’s sleeping. […] Tomorrow morning. You can go and get her.” Madame: “Really?” Maigret: “I’ll send you with two nurses and a stretcher.” Madame: “But then… Are we going to?” Maigret: “Shush! Not forever, do you understand?” However, sadly for both of them, the fantasized adoption will never come to pass. Madame Maigret realizes: “In short, she will not be ours?” Maigret concurs: “Not ours, no. Only borrowed. I thought that would be better than nothing and you’d be happy.” Madame: “Of course, I’d be happy. But… But…” And so, the dreaming ends: “She sniffled, looked for a handkerchief, did not find one, and buried her face in her apron.” 

  

David P Simmons 

LES AMIS DE MAIGRET

• De Lucas à Joseph, en passant par Pardon… 
• Da Lucas a Joseph, passando via Pardon...
• From Lucas to Joseph, via Pardon… 

MOERS

Pierre Baillot

Dans la saga, Moers incarne l'aspect technique des enquêtes, l'analyse des indices matériels qui peuvent servir à Maigret pour établir la vérité. Moers apparaît pour la première fois dans Monsieur Gallet, décédé, et tout de suite ses traits caractéristiques sont posés: sur le plan moral, patience et méticulosité; sur le plan physique, il est maigre, roux, et porte des lunettes. Moers est présent dans 30 romans. Comme il en est pour les collaborateurs les plus proches de Maigret, une certaine affection et une certaine complicité lient les deux hommes. Dans les premiers romans de la saga, Moers apparaît comme un jeune homme, donc plus jeune que Maigret, qui l'appelle parfois "mon petit Moers", puis, plus tard, "mon vieux", quand il pense à lui comme un "vieux camarade". Selon les adaptations, parfois le personnage de Moers est interprété par un acteur qui est manifestement plus jeune que Maigret (voir Oreste Lionello dans la série avec Gino Cervi), et parfois il a plus ou moins le même âge que Maigret, et l'interprétation joue plutôt la note de la complicité (voir Pierre Baillot dans la série avec Bruno Crémer). Mentionnons encore Frédéric Santaya en Moers convaincant dans la série avec Jean Richard. 

MOERS

Oreste Lionello

Nella serie, Moers incarna l’aspetto tecnologico delle inchieste, con l’analisi degli indizi materiali che possono servire a Maigret per stabilire la verità. Moers appare per la prima volta in Il defunto signor Gallet, e immediatamente i suoi tratti caratteristici sono definiti : sul piano caratteriale, pazienza e meticolosità ; sul piano fisico, è magro, rosso e porta degli occhiali. Moers è presente in 30 romanzi. Come per i più stretti collaboratori di Maigret, un certo affetto e una certa complicità legano i due uomini. Nei primi romanzi della serie, Moers viene presentato come un giovanotto, quindi più giovane di Maigret, che lo chiama spesso « il mio piccolo Moers », poi, più tardi sarà « Vecchio mio », quando il commissario penserà a lui come un « vecchio compagno ». Secondo gli adattamenti, alcune volte il personaggio di Moers è decisamente più giovane di Maigret (vedi Oreste Lionello nella serie con Gino Cervi), e certe volte ha più o meno l’età di Maigret, e l’interpretazione gioca di più sulle note della complicità (vedi Pierre Baillot nella serie con Bruno Crémer). Ricordiamo anche Frédéric Santaya in un Moers convincente nella serie con Jean Richard. 

MOERS

Frédéric Santaya

In the saga Moers embodies the technical aspect of investigations, the analysis of material clues that can be of use for Maigret to establish the truth. Moers appeared for the first time in The Late Monsieur Gallet, and immediately his characteristic features were presented: morally he's patient and meticulous; physically he's thin, redhead and wears glasses. Moers is present in 30 novels. As it is the case for Maigret's closest collaborators, a kind of affection and of complicity binds both men. In the first novels in the saga, Moers appeared as a young man, thus younger than Maigret, who sometimes calls him "my little Moers", then later on "old boy", when he thinks of him as an "old comrade". Depending on the adaptations, sometimes the character of Moers is played by an actor who is obviously younger than Maigret (see Oreste Lionello in the series with Gino Cervi), and sometimes he is more or less the same age as Maigret, and interpretation focuses on complicity (see Pierre Baillot in the series with Bruno Crémer). We can also mention Frédéric Santaya playing a convincing Moers in the series with Jean Richard.  

by Murielle Wenger