SIMENON SIMENON. LES ADVERSAIRES DE MAIGRET

Portraits de quelques criminels dans la saga 

SIMENON SIMENON. GLI AVVERSARI DI MAIGRET 

Ritratti di alcuni criminali nella saga 

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET'S OPPONENTS 

Portraits of some criminals in the saga 

Dans les romans policiers, d'aventure ou d'espionnage, le protagoniste principal, le héros, doit lutter contre son antagoniste, le personnage du vilain, qui incarne les forces du mal. Si James Bond a eu à se battre contre un certain nombre de vilains, et si Sherlock Holmes a eu son ennemi juré en Moriarty, qu'en est-il de Maigret ? 

On pourrait dire que notre commissaire à la pipe a eu, lui aussi, affaire à un certain nombre d'antagonistes, les suspects et les coupables qu'il a rencontrés au cours de ses enquêtes. Mais Maigret n'agit pas envers ceux-ci comme le font les protagonistes détectives du whodunit classique: il ne mène pas une simple chasse à l'homme mouvementée, il ne joue pas une partie d'échecs à qui sera le plus malin; ou, s'il le fait, cela ne représente que la partie mineure dans sa façon d'enquêter. Maigret est à la recherche d'une vérité humaine, et c'est ce qu'il essaie de déceler dans ceux qu'il a en face de lui.  

Les suspects qu'il reçoit dans son bureau, les témoins qui cherchent à lui cacher quelque chose, ne sont sans doute pas de vrais antagonistes, dans le sens où il ne doit pas les terrasser, mais il doit les amener sur le chemin de la vérité, et de la confession.  

Cependant, on peut dire qu'ils sont tout de même des adversaires de Maigret, dans la mesure où le commissaire poursuit souvent avec eux une sorte de duel, lorsqu'il conduit un interrogatoire où gagnera celui qui a la meilleure maîtrise verbale.  

Cette nouvelle rubrique aurait pu s'intituler «Maigret et les dix grands criminels», mais, en accord avec la façon dont le commissaire envisage ses enquêtes et son sens de la justice, nous préférons parler de ses adversaires, qui ne le sont que le temps pour celui-ci de découvrir leur vérité… 

Nei romanzi polizieschi, d’avventura o di spionaggio, il protagonista principale, l’eroe, deve lottare contro il suo antagonista, il personaggio cattivo che incarna le forze del male. Se James Bond ha dovuto battersi contro una serie di cattivi e se Sherlock Holmes ha avuto il suo nemico giurato in Moriarty, che cosa accade a Maigret ? 

Si potrebbe dire che il nostro commissario con la pipa ha avuto anche lui un certo numero di antagonisti, i sospetti, i colpevoli che ha incontrato nel corso delle sue inchieste. Ma Maigret non agisce contro di loro come fanno i detective del whodunit classico: non conduce semplicemente una movimentata caccia all’uomo, non gioca una partita di scacchi vedendo chi sarà il più furbo; e se lo fa, ciò rappresenta una minima parte del suo metodo d’indagine. Maigret è alla ricerca di una verità umana, ed è quello che cerca di scoprire in coloro che finiscono davanti a lui. 

I sospettati che riceve nel suo ufficio, i testimoni che cercano di nascondergli qualcosa, non sono sicuramente dei veri antagonisti, nel senso che non deve distruggerli, deve portarli sul cammino della verità e della confessione. 

Comunque si può dire che sono lo stesso degli avversari di Maigret, nella misura in cui il commissario spesso ingaggia con loro una sorta di duello, quando conduce un interrogatorio dove vincerà colui che avrà la migliore abilità verbale. 

Questa nuova rubrica avrebbe potuto intitolarsi «Maigret e i dieci grandi criminali», ma in sintonia con il modo  in cui il commissario preferisce condurre le sue inchieste e il suo senso della giustizia, noi preferiamo parlare di avversari, che lo sono soltanto nel periodo che serve per scoprire la loro verità…  

In the detective, adventure or spy novels, the main protagonist, the hero, has to fight against his antagonist, the villain, who embodies the forces of evil. James Bond had to fight against numerous villains, and Sherlock Holmes had Moriarty as archenemy. And what about Maigret? 

We could say that our Chief Inspector with the pipe had also to deal with a number of antagonists, the suspects and culprits he met during his investigations. Yet Maigret doesn't act towards them like the whodunit detectives protagonists do: he doesn't lead a simple hectic manhunt, he doesn't play chess to see which will be the most cunning; or, if he does it, it's only the minor part in his investigation method. Maigret is looking for human truth, and that is what he tries to detect in those he has in front of him.  

The suspects he sees in his office, the witnesses who try to hide something to him, are in fact no real antagonists, because he doesn't need to defeat them, but he has to lead them on the way of truth and confession.  

However we can say that they are nevertheless Maigret's opponents, insofar as the Chief Inspector is duelling in some way with them, when he is conducting an interrogation where the winner will be the one who has the best verbal abilities. 

This new column could have been untitled "Maigret and the ten greatest criminals", yet, to be consistent with the way the Chief Inspector considers his investigations and with his sense of justice, we prefer talking about them as opponents, who are such only during the time Maigret takes to discover their truth… 

Quand Maigret guette la fissure… 

Le premier de ces adversaires que nous avons choisi est Hans Johannson, dit Pietr le Letton. D'emblée, dans ce premier roman de la saga, on réalise combien Simenon s'éloigne des règles du roman policier. Si tout le début du roman pourrait nous laisser croire que nous assistons effectivement à une chasse à l'homme fertile en événements, très vite le romancier ne laisse pas planer de doute: au cinquième chapitre déjà, il évoque la «théorie» de Maigret, la «théorie de la fissure», selon laquelle «dans tout malfaiteur, dans tout bandit, il y a un homme», et c'est le mystère de cet homme que le policier va essayer de percer. Voilà pourquoi, après la scène dramatique où Maigret réussit à arrêter Hans, il va s'employer à ce que celui-ci se confesse, et raconte toute sa vie. Certes, le policier a eu à mener une lutte contre un rude adversaire, une lutte qui a coûté plusieurs vies humaines, mais après avoir confessé le meurtrier, on peut dire qu'il lui donne une certaine absolution, en lui procurant le moyen d'échapper à la justice des hommes.  

Quando Maigret aspetta la crepa... 

Il primo degli avversari che abbiamo scelto è Hans Johannson, detto Pietr il Lettone. Subito in questo primo romanzo della serie, si capisce come Simenon si allontani dalle regole del romanzo poliziesco. Se tutta la prima parte del romanzo può lasciarci credere che stiamo effettivamente assistendo ad una vera caccia all’uomo ricca di vicende, molto presto il romanziere non lascia alcun dubbio : già al quinto capitolo evoca la « teoria » di Maigret, la « teoria della crepa » secondo la quale « in qualsiasi malfattore, in ogni delinquente, c’è un uomo » ed è il mistero di quest’uomo che il poliziotto cerca di scoprire. 

Ecco perché dopo la scena drammatica in cui Maigret riesce ad arrestare Hans, si passa al bandito che si confessa, e racconta tutta la sua vita. Certo, il poliziotto ha dovuto ingaggiare una lotta contro un rude avversario, una lotta che è costata diverse vite umane, ma dopo aver confessato l’omicidio, si può dire che gli dà una sorta di assoluzione, procurandogli il modo di evitare la giustizia degli uomini. 

When Maigret is waiting for the cracking… 

The first opponent we have chosen is Hans Johannson, aka Peter the Lett. Out of hand, in this first novel in the saga, we realize how much Simenon is getting far from the rules of the detective novel. In the beginning of the novel we could think that we are attending an eventful manhunt, yet very quickly the novelist doesn't leave any doubt: already in the fifth chapter he evokes Maigret's "theory", the "cracking theory", according to which "in every criminal, in every bandit there is a man", and the policeman will try to unravel this man's mystery. That's why, after the dramatic scene in which Maigret succeeds in arresting Hans, he'll strive till this one confesses and tells the whole story of his life. Certainly the policeman had to fight against a tough opponent, and this fight cost several human lives, yet after having confessed the murderer, in a way he gave him absolution, providing him the means to escape the justice of men.

by Murielle Wenger 

SIMENON SIMENON. A LONG ROAD TOWARDS FAME

How to forget the record holder of literature to become a novelist 

SIMENON SIMENON. UNA LUNGA STRADA VERSO LA FAMA 

Come dimenticare il recordman della letteratura per diventare un romanziere  

SIMENON SIMENON. UNE LONGUE ROUTE VERS LA GLOIRE 

Comment oublier le recordman de la littérature pour devenir un romancier

 

How much hard had it been for Simenon to shed his skin? And he had to do it more than once during his life. For the first time when he had to slough off his garments of provincial reporter, once arrived in big Paris, to put on those of a literary apprentice in the field of popular writing. A second shedding his skin occurred when he wanted to begin in detective novel, with the inquiries of this Chief Inspector who moreover went against all the rules of the genre. Thus it was the first difficulty to unstick off his trademark as an author of romance and adventure novels that were sold for less than one franc. And furthermore with the reputation of a performer on command he had won, as he was able to produce the most various literary products, at a velocity that didn't augur well about quality.  

This speed in writing still remained in the semi-literary phase of the Maigret novels and didn't help him to be appreciated, not even from the critics of the genre, who at first didn't look favourably at this Chief Inspector, neither young, nor beautiful, more inclined to eat, drink and smoke than to act. Maigret was a simple official in his mid-age, from middle class, married with an all home and kitchen woman, and further he was not even able to drive a car. In short, to enter genre fiction and serial literature too Simenon has chosen the hardest way.  

Then once again he shed his skin when from writer of detective novels he moved towards literature "tout court" with the aspiration to be a novelist and only that. Enough with the Maigret novels (at least he believed it would be so), enough with journalistic works (even if they would be some exceptions), enough with being considered as a successful mystery writer and nothing more. 

Since Simenon got into and out of his characters' skin with every novel, you could think that these changes would have been easy for him. But it was not the case. Because stories like that of the novel written in the glass cage within five days, event it hadn't taken place, went on to be remembered every time the novelist's name was mentioned. Because his nickname "Citroen of literature", given to him in the period of popular novels on account of the industrial rhythm with which he wrote and published, became a jingle every time he was spoken of. Because, since he has used so many pseudonyms at his beginnings, there were people who didn't believe that Simenon was his real name.  

Thus all these stereotypes inexorably followed him, when he tried to be considered as a novelist, by writing stories that were everything but cheerful and escapist literature. Here too he had chosen the most difficult way, that is to say telling about simple and poor people's life, or about those wretches who were struck by an inescapable destiny. And of course this was not entertainment literature. Though his performance as a literary record holder was not forgotten and had even procured him considerable popularity, yet it was not always in a positive way. And when he wanted to enter the phase of literature "tout court", his commercial past, full of eccentric feats, had been a reason for prejudice and critics. His whole past weighed as heavily as a hood, until writers like Gide, Céline, Mauriac brought him into light, and he entered the influential publisher Gallimard. 

Despite everything Simenon always kept away from literary circles, from writers cliques, from mundane ambience. And in the end he was right on everyone. He was recognized as a great novelist, as a much original mystery writer, with acknowledgements from the part of critics and public, with millions of novels sold in France and abroad, whether romans durs or Maigret novels. 

by Simenon-Simenon