domenica 12 aprile 2020

SIMENON SIMENON. JOYEUSES PÂQUES À TOUS NOS LECTEURS ! - BUONA PASQUA A TUTTI I NOSTRI LETTORI! - HAPPY EASTER TO ALL OUR READERS!


Prenez soin de vous et restez chez vous pour fêter dans l’espérance… 
Abbiate cura di voi e restate a casa per festeggiare nella speranza... 
Take care of yourself and stay at home to celebrate in hope... 


Il marchait à pas lents. Les branches des arbres se coloraient de vert tendre. La terre sentait bon. Maigret avait allumé sa pipe, qui avait une saveur délicieuse de printemps. Après avoir ouvert la porte qui permettait de passer directement de la rue dans le jardin, il se dirigea vers le clapier. La veille, trois lapereaux étaient nés, et on devinait leurs museaux roses sous le ventre de la lapine au poil roux. Puis il pénétra dans la cuisine, où régnait une ombre fraîche. Sur la table, un panier rempli d’œufs peints de couleurs vives. Mme Maigret l’accueillit en souriant, et il alla soulever le couvercle de la casserole où mijotait le ragoût, laissant s’échapper un parfum de thym et d’origan. Il s’assit à la table avec un soupir d’aise, et tandis que sa femme s’approchait tenant entre ses mains une soupière au ventre rebondi, il s’exclama : « Une soupe aux carottes, ma préférée ! ». Dépliant sa serviette à petits carreaux rouges, il découvrit un petit pain sur lequel étaient inscrits ces mots : « Joyeuses Pâques, Jules ! » Alors il eut un large sourire : la belle saison était enfin revenue…


Camminava a passi lenti. I rami degli alberi iniziavano a colorarsi di verde tenero. La terra sapeva di buono. Maigret aveva acceso la pipa, che aveva un delizioso sapore di primavera. Dopo aver aperto la porta che permetteva di passare direttamente dalla strada al giardino, si diresse verso la conigliera. Alla vigilia erano nati tre leprotti e s’indovinava il loro muso rosa sotto il ventre dalla coniglia dal pelo rosso. Poi entrò in cucina dove regnava un’ombra fresca. Sulla tavola, un paniere pieno di uova dipinte a colori vivaci. M.me Maigret lo accolse sorridente e lui andò a scoprire la casseruola dove cuoceva il ragù, spandendo un odore di timo e di origano. Si sedette a tavola con un sospiro di soddisfazione  e mentre sua moglie s’avvicinava, tenendo in mano una zuppiera dalla forma tondeggiante, esclamò: « La zuppa alle carote, la mia preferita! » Aprendo la sua salvietta, a quadretti rossi, scoprì un piccolo panino sul quale erano scritte queste parole: « Felice Pasqua, Jules ! » Allora fece un gran sorriso : la bella stagione era finalmente tornata 


He was walking slowly. The branches of the trees were coloured in a tender green. The earth smelled good. Maigret had lighted his pipe, which had a delicious spring flavour. After having opened the door that allowed going directly from the street into the garden, he headed towards the hutch. The day before, three young rabbits were born, and he could guess their pink snouts under the belly of the red-haired rabbit. Then he entered the kitchen, where there was a cool shade. On the table there was a basket full of brightly painted eggs. Mme Maigret welcomed him smiling, and he went to lift the lid of the pot where the stew was simmering, letting out a scent of thyme and oregano. He sat down at the table with a sigh of relief, and while his wife was nearing by, holding in her hands a plump soup tureen, he exclaimed: “A carrot soup, my favourite!” Unfolding his small red checkered towel, he found out a bun on which these words were written: “Happy Easter, Jules!” Then he smiled broadly: the beautiful season had finally returned 

Murielle Wenger & Maurizio Testa

sabato 11 aprile 2020

SIMENON SIMENON. 1920 UN GIORNALISTA NON SOLO "GAZZETTE"

Nel 1920, il giovane Simenon entrava a"La Gazette de Liège". Ma il già vulcanico Georges, trovava il modo di collaborare anche per altri giornali...

SIMENON SIMENON. 1920, UN JOURNALISTE PAS SEULEMENT À LA "GAZETTE"
En 1920, le jeune Simenon entrait à "La Gazette de Liège". Mais le déjà volcanique Georges trouvait le moyen de collaborer aussi à d'autres journaux...
SIMENON SIMENON. 1920, A JOURNALIST NOT ONLY AT THE "GAZETTE"
In 1920, young Simenon entered the "Gazette de Liège". But the already volcanic Georges found a way to collaborate for other newspapers too ...




Storie di un secolo fa. Simenon era appena diciassettenne e, a causa della malattia del padre che non era più in grado di lavorare, dovette abbandonare gli studi e cercarsi un lavoro per dare un'aiuto in famiglia.
Dopo infauste esperienze in una pasticceria e in una libreria, riuscì a farsi assumere come redattore nel quotidiano più importante di Liegi. La sua predisposizione alla scrittura del  e il suo entusiasmo lo misero sotto l'ala protettiva del direttore Demarteau e la sua carriera in redazione fu molto veloce soprattutto in relazione alla sua giovane età. Ma al reporter in erba evidentemente non bastava. Infatti non tutti si ricordano o sanno che la sua firma infatti la ritroviamo in un settimanale "Noss Pèron" cui il giovane Simenon aveva iniziato in quell'anno a collaborare. on si tratta solo di articoli, ma anche di racconti. Si tratta di un periodico qualificato, e un po' simbolo di Liegi (la sua testata fa infatti riferimento al monumento dedicato alla libertà della città).
Non ci sono tracce, ma solo testimonianze che Simenon scrivesse anche per "Nanesse" un giornale popolare e molto connotato quasi come giornale passatempo. Il fatto che il nostro non firmasse, potrebbe essere imputato al fatto che a "La Gazette" giornale conservatore, serioso, vicino alle posizione ecclesiastiche, non avrebbe permesso che un suo redattore scrivesse per una pubblicazione così "sgangherata".
Quello che qui ci interessa è sottolineare come la iperattività del romanziere che si manifestava, e non solo nella scrittura ma anche in altri ambiti della sua vita, già si evidenziava fin d'allora. Non si era accontentato di lavorare così giovane nel quotidiano più importante della città, ma si era andato a cercare di scrivere altrove, anche senza firmare. 
Certo questo evidenzia la relazione stretta che già esisteva tra Georges e la scrittura. Un rapporto, come dimostreranno gli anni successivi, che era connaturato, diremmo quasi inevitabile attento alla qualità dei propri romans durs, ma anche alla popolarità del suo commissario Maigret che gli procurava vendite e visibilità che poi portavano indirettamente dei vantaggi anche ai romanzi.
Quello che è sorprendente è scoprire come nelle varie tappe della sua vita, Simenon abbia scritto in tutti i modi possibile, quasi divorato da una insaziabile pulsione a raccontare, a tenere un rapporto con il suo pubblico, che si trattasse di racconti popolari, articoli, reportage di viaggi, romanzi brevi, polizieschi e, alla fine, anche riflessioni registrate su registratore. Chi altro? (m.t.) 

venerdì 10 aprile 2020

SIMENON SIMENON "REPORT" - GEORGES SIMENON: DU RIFIFI CHEZ LES GRANDS PATRONS

Chez Simenon, les médecins sont innombrables, et d’ailleurs son art romanesque est indissociable de l’art médical.

Alain Delon interprète un professeur et gynécologue obstétricien, Jean Chabot, dans L’Ours en peluche, réalisé par Jacques Deray en 1994. M.M.D. Rome //COLLECTION CHRISTOPHEL



Le Figaro - 08/04/2020 - Sébastien Lapaque - On a dénombré 327 médecins dans les 192 romans publiés sous son nom par Georges Simenon - au sein desquels il faut distinguer 75 enquêtes du commissaire Maigret et 117 romans de la destinée, que l’écrivain appelait ses «romans durs». 327 médecins, auxquels s’ajoutent 90 auxiliaires, c’est beaucoup plus que les 96 avocats ou les 17 ingénieurs. On se souvient du docteur Bellamy, le tueur en série des Vacances de Maigret, de Pierre Besson d’Argoulet, mondain sceptique et membre de l’Académie de médecine dans Les Anneaux de Bicêtre, de Jean Chabot, le professeur et gynécologue obstétricien renommé de L’Ours en peluche, de Bergelon, dans le roman qui porte ce nom, du docteur Alavoine dans Lettre à mon juge, du chirurgien Gouin dans Maigret se trompe, du psychiatre Tissot qui ouvre les portes de Sainte-Anne au commissaire dans Maigret tend un piège, de Donadieu, le médecin naviguant de 45° à l’ombre et d’un docteur Couard qui apparaît dans Les Témoins et dans ce chef-d’œuvre peu connu qu’est...>>>

giovedì 9 aprile 2020

SIMENON SIMENON. SIMENON-CINEMA



L’œuvre de Simenon est l’une de celles qui a connu le plus grand nombre d’adaptations au cinéma. Sans compter les romans Maigret, plus de 50 films ont été tirés des romans durs. Dans cette rubrique, nous vous proposons un choix parmi tous ces films

L’opera di Simenon è una di quelle che ha conosciuto il più gran numero di adattamenti cinematografici. Senza contare i romanzi di Maigret, più di 50 film sono stati tratti dai romans durs. In questa rubrica, vi prponiamo una scelta tra tutti questi film.

Simenon’s work is one of those that have seen the largest number of cinema adaptations. Without counting the Maigret novels, more than 50 movies have been adapted from the “romans durs”. In this column, we propose a choice among all those films.

L’Etoile du Nord




D’après Le Locataire. Réalisé par Pierre Granier-Deferre, sur un scénario de Jean Aurenche, Michel Grisolia et Pierre Granier-Deferre. Produit par Sara Films, Films A2. Sortie en mars 1982. Avec : Simone Signoret (Mme Baron), Philippe Noiret (Edouard Binet), Fanny Cottençon (Sylvie Baron), Julie Jezequel (Antoinette Baron), Jean Rougerie (M. Baron), Jean-Pierre Klein (Moïse).

Tratto dal romanzo Il pensionante. Diretto da Pierre Granier-Deferre, per la sceneggiatura di Jean Aurenche, Michel Grisolia e Pierre Granier-Deferre. Prodotto da Sara Films, Films A2. Uscito nelle sale nel marzo 1982. Con: Simone Signoret (Mme Baron), Philippe Noiret (Edouard Binet), Fanny Cottençon (Sylvie Baron), Julie Jezequel (Antoinette Baron), Jean Rougerie (M. Baron), Jean-Pierre Klein (Moïse).

Based on the novel The Lodger. Directed by Pierre Granier-Deferre, from a screenplay by Jean Aurenche, Michel Grisolia and Pierre Granier-Deferre. Producted by Sara Films, Films A2. Released in March 1982. With: Simone Signoret (Mme Baron), Philippe Noiret (Edouard Binet), Fanny Cottençon (Sylvie Baron), Julie Jezequel (Antoinette Baron), Jean Rougerie (M. Baron), Jean-Pierre Klein (Moïse).

Murielle Wenger

mercoledì 8 aprile 2020

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET AND THE ENGLISH

The English abroad. Mon ami Maigret (My friend Maigret) 

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET E GLI INGLESE /2 
Gli inglesi all'estero. Il mio amico Maigret 
SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET ET LES ANGLAIS /2 
Les Anglais à l'étranger. Mon ami Maigret 

In Le Charretier de la ‘Providence’, Maigret’s investigation brings him into contact with Sir Walter Lampson, a retired colonel in the British army in India, ‘ruddy-faced, well-groomed, and phlegmatic […] very much the English gentleman as depicted in nineteenth century prints.’ In the course of his enquiry, the commissaire learns more not only about the personality which lies behind this surface appearance but also about the social norms of the colonel’s milieu and the social forces which have shaped a particular kind of “typical Englishman”.  
In Mon ami Maigret, published eighteen years later, Maigret is being professionally shadowed in Paris by Inspector Pyke of Scotland Yard, when he is called to investigate a murder on the small Mediterranean island of Porquerolles and where the two men meet, among other residents, the wealthy Mrs. Wilcox and the retired army major Teddy Bellam. The commissaire encounters, therefore, not one English character but three, thereby providing him with the opportunity to study a broader cross section of the English in terms of age, professional background and gender. 
Mrs. Wilcox and the Major, as he is known, both share important, but not identical, similarities with Sir Walter Lampson. Like Lampson, Mrs. Wilcox is a heavy drinker who enjoys intimate relations with younger members of the opposite sex (in her case, her “secretary”, Philippe de Moricourt) and who pursues a chaotic lifestyle on her yacht. The Major is another heavy drinker whose professional background matches that of Colonel Lampson and who shares the physical appearance of a caricature English gentleman, ‘so perfect that he looked like a drawing in Punch with his silvery grey hair, his rosy complexion, large clear eyes swimming in liquid, and the huge cigar which never left his lips.’  
Inspector Pyke, on the other hand, although he shares what appear to be for Simenon the essential English characteristics of a fondness for alcohol and inscrutability, and is also a product of the upper-classes, is an Englishman of a fundamentally different kind, his age and professional activity setting him apart from his compatriots. The nationality and social class Pyke shares with Mrs. Wilcox and the Major and his common occupation with Maigret give him a foot in both camps and, as such, his insights into his fellow countrymen are a valuable source of information for Maigret and the reader alike.  
There is another sense in which Pyke differs significantly not only from the other English characters encountered so far but also from Maigret – his willingness and ability to adapt to different national contexts. Just as Colonel Lampson relies heavily on the bilingual Willy Marco in his interactions with French-speakers, so Mrs. Wilcox depends to a considerable extent on her secretary and lover de Moricourt; and just as the colonel’s French is hindered by basic anglicisms such as ‘mon femme’, so the Major pronounces normally silentword-final consonants when he addresses the commissaire as ‘Monsieur Maigrette’. Pyke, on the other hand, speaks French very well and, although he is deeply traditional in the “Englishness” of much of his behaviour, habits and attitudes, he is able to adapt with comparative ease to different surroundings. Indeed, in many ways, the Englishman Pyke is less disconcerted by the differences between Paris and Mediterranean France than is Maigret, with his origins in the landlocked centre of France and his adult life spent in Paris. 
In solving the case, Maigret discovers a further dimension to the characters of Mrs. Wilcox and the major, how their current behaviour has its origins in the social milieu from which they originate and the way in which these factors come together in a series of similarities and contrasts. Both come from traditional upper-class families – Mrs. Wilcox has inherited a major whisky manufacturing business and the Major is the younger brother of a member of the House of Lords – but their privileged origins have become a double-edged sword. As a woman, Mrs. Wilcox’s drinking and sexual proclivities, which might be acceptable in a man of her social background, put her beyond the pale of polite upper-class society, to the extent that her son-in-law and daughter have effectively banished her from England. Her wealth enables her to live her chosen lifestyle but only at the cost of voluntary exile. Under British law, the eldest son alone inherited all landed property, leaving younger brothers with little option but to seek their fortune elsewhere, often in the colonial armies, in which officer status guaranteed a privileged lifestyle. But on retirement, it would be impossible to maintain such a life in England with only an officer’s pension, hence the decision of the Major and, according to Pyke, many others like him, to live as expatriates, often behaving in a manner which would be considered unacceptable in the social circles from which they originate.  
Herein lies a similarity between Mrs. Wilcox and the Major, a parallelism which paradoxically leads to each being unwilling to socially acknowledge the other. Maigret learns from Pyke that ‘they studiously avoid speaking to one another, and each looks at the other as though they didn’t exist’ and he realises that ‘after all it was understandable. They both had the same background. […] The major must have been very embarrassed becoming drunk under the eye of Mrs. Wilcox, for in his country, gentlemen do that among themselves, behind closed doors. As for her, in front of the retired Indian Army officer, she cannot have been very proud of her Moricourt.’ Each judges the other for having failed the standards of behaviour expected of their social class, yet each is also deeply aware of their own failing, which has made their expatriation necessary as much as voluntary. 
In Le Charretier de la ‘Providence’, Maigret’s criminal investigation goes hand-in-glove with his growing understanding of Sir Walter Lampson; in Mon ami Maigret, his study of the English upper classes is broadened by the presence of more English characters and deepened by the insights that one of them, Pyke, is able to share with him.   

William Alder

martedì 7 aprile 2020

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET ET L’ENIGME DE LA RATATOUILLE

A propos de l’influence d’une série télévisée sur les souvenirs de lecture 

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET E L’ENIGMA DELLA RATATOUILLE 
Sull'influenza di una serie TV sui ricordi di lettura
SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET AND THE RATATOUILLE ENIGMA 
About the influence of a TV series on reading memories

Il y a quelques jours paraissait un intéressant article sur les rapports entre le roman policier et la nourriture (qui), dans lequel la journaliste Lara de Luna énumérait quelques-uns des menus préférés des personnages de détective ou de policier. Notre Maigret ne pouvait évidemment pas manquer à l’appel, lui dont les goûts pour la bonne cuisine ont été légués à tant d’autres héros de la littérature policière. 
Parmi les plats cités dans l’article et qui font partie des préférés de l’homme du Quai des Orfèvres, il y a, bien entendu, la blanquette de veau et le fricandeau à l’oseille. Deux plats qui sont inévitablement et mythiquement associés à Maigret. A juste titre, bien qu’on rappellera ici qu’en réalité, on ne voit que rarement le commissaire en manger dans les romans, et il déguste bien plus souvent l’andouillette et la choucroute, sans oublier le coq au vin. Ces menus forment le quintette favori de Maigret, ce qui ne l’empêche pas de se régaler d’autres délices. Parmi ceux-ci, on rappellera la mouclade (La Maison du juge), la chaudrée fourasienne (Le Voleur de Maigret), le macaroni au gratin (Maigret et le clochard), les rognons à la liégeoise (La Danseuse du Gai-Moulin)le canard à l’orange (Maigret se défend), etc. Autant de plats qu’on retrouve dans le livre des recettes de Mme Maigret, compilées par Robert Courtine. 
Dans son article, Lara de Luna explique avec raison que Maigret est amateur de cuisine régionale et campagnarde française, sur laquelle se basent les plats mitonnés par sa femme. La journaliste donne comme exemple la ratatouille, dont, dit-elle, Maigret serait fort amateur, et elle cite Le Fou de Bergerac. J’ai tiqué sur cette citation. D’abord, parce que dans ce roman, le commissaire est alité suite à sa blessure, et qu’il est mis au régime, sa femme le nourrissant de bouillon et de crème au citron, et qu’il doit se contenter de humer le fumet du foie gras et des truffes… 
Ensuite, parce que nulle part dans ce roman n’est citée la ratatouille, et nulle part d’ailleurs dans toute la saga. En fait de plats méridionaux, on verra Maigret manger un spaghetti (Maigret, Lognon et les gangsters, Un échec de Maigret), un aïoli (Mon ami Maigret), la paella (La Patience de Maigret), la bouillabaisse (Maigret et l’indicateur). Mais pas de trace de la ratatouille. Où la journaliste a-t-elle donc pêché ce plat ? 
La réponse m’est venue en pensant que l’article a paru dans un journal italien. Or, en Italie, qui dit Maigret dit Gino Cervi (que Lara de Luna cite par ailleurs). J’ai donc eu la curiosité de jeter un coup d’œil sur l’épisode tiré du roman, Il pazzo di Bergerac. L’épisode, fidèle à la trame du roman, se permet cependant les quelques écarts inévitables lors d’une adaptation. On y découvre en particulier une scène (qui ne figure pas dans le roman) qui se déroule dans la cuisine de l’hôtel où les Maigret sont logés, scène dans laquelle « la signora Maigret » discute avec la propriétaire de l’hôtel, cette dernière lui prônant les vertus de… la ratatouille, ce qui, manifestement, n’a pas l’heur de plaire à Mme Maigret… 
Voilà donc l’énigme éclaircie : c’est probablement le souvenir de cet épisode qui a fait que la rédactrice de l’article a imaginé que la ratatouille était un plat apprécié de Maigret. Bien entendu, rien ne nous empêche de penser que ce soit le cas, Simenon n’ayant pas raconté tous les détails de la vie quotidienne de Maigret… 
Cette petite anecdote est un bel exemple de l’impact qu’a eu la série avec Gino Cervi sur les lecteurs italiens des enquêtes de Maigret, et sans doute trouverait-on chez les amateurs d’autres séries (les françaises avec Jean Richard et Bruno Crémer, l’anglaise avec Rupert Davies) des scènes dont ils sont persuadés qu’ils les ont lues dans les romans, alors qu’elles sont souvenance d’un épisode vu à la télévision… 

Murielle Wenger