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 proponiamo 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’Homme de Londres 

D’après le roman éponyme. Réalisé par Béla Tarr, sur un scénario de Laszlo Krasznahorkei et Béla Tarr. Produit par TT Filmmuhely, 13 Production, Cinéma Soleil, Black Forest Films, Von Vietinghoff Film Produktion. Sortie en septembre 2008. Avec : Miroslav Krobot (Maloin), Tilda Swinton (Mme Maloin), Janos Derzsi (Brown), Erika Bok (Henriette). 

Tratto dal romanzo eponimo. Diretto da Béla Tarr, per la sceneggiatura di Laszlo Krasznahorkei e Béla Tarr. Prodotto da TT Filmmuhely, 13 Production, Cinéma Soleil, Black Forest Films, Von Vietinghoff Film Produktion. Uscito nelle sale nel settembre 2008. Con: Miroslav Krobot (Maloin), Tilda Swinton (Mme Maloin), Janos Derzsi (Brown), Erika Bok (Henriette). 

Based on the eponymous novel. Directed by Béla Tarr, from a screenplay by Laszlo Krasznahorkei and Béla Tarr. Produced by TT Filmmuhely, 13 Production, Cinéma Soleil, Black Forest Films, Von Vietinghoff Film Produktion. Released in September 2004. With: Miroslav Krobot (Maloin), Tilda Swinton (Mme Maloin), Janos Derzsi (Brown), Erika Bok (Henriette).

Murielle Wenger 

SIMENON SIMENON. LES ATMOSPHERES DE MAIGRET

A propos du style évocateur de Simenon 

SIMENON SIMENON. GLI ATMOSFERE DI MAIGRET 

Sullo stile evocativo di Simenon

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET’S ATMOSPHERES 

About Simenon’s evocative style 

Qu’est-ce qui fait la base du style unique et particulier de l’écriture simenonienne ? La simplicité des mots employés, agencés d’une manière dont il n’est pas si facile de percer le secret. L’utilisation des mots-matière, qui décrivent des objets concrets, et aussi, comme le note Bernard Alavoine (dans son ouvrage Georges Simenon et le monde sensible), « des mots liés encore plus au monde des sensations (vent, froid, chaud…). C’est dire que la perception dépasse largement le visuel pour englober des sens moins utilisés en littérature comme le gustatif, l’olfactif ou le tactile. » 

L’écriture de Simenon a souvent été qualifiée d’impressionniste, en référence au mouvement pictural qui a privilégié les effets de lumière. Mais le romancier a aussi joué des autres sens dans ses descriptions. C’est une des clefs du succès des romans de la saga maigretienne, dans lesquels le lecteur savoure, aux côtés du héros, les goûts culinaires, mais aussi les sensations atmosphériques auxquelles Maigret est très sensible. 

Simenon a une façon toute personnelle de décrire les ambiances météorologiques. Dans l’hommage qu’il rend au romancier au lendemain de sa disparition (journal Paris Match de septembre 1989), Bernard de Fallois écrit très justement : « Soyez simple, avait dit La Bruyère. "Voulez-vous dire qu'il pleut ? Dites : Il pleut." Simenon est d'accord sur la simplicité, mais il change un mot. "Voulez-vous dire qu'il pleut ? Dites : Je suis mouillé." » C’est en cela que l’écriture simenonienne a tellement d’effet. Le romancier décrit, avec une grande économie de moyens, les impressions ressenties par son personnage, il se met dans sa peau et il y met aussi le lecteur… 

Au début du chapitre 5 de Pietr le Letton, Simenon raconte la planque du commissaire à Fécamp, sous une pluie diluvienne, de telle façon que le lecteur en arrive à se mettre à la place du policier, à subir les mêmes sensations de froid et de mouillé : « il était détrempé […] ses chaussures crachotaient de l’eau sale à chaque pas, son chapeau melon était informe, son pardessus et son veston transpercés. Le vent lui plaquait la pluie sur le corps comme des gifles. » 

Dans L’Ombre chinoise, pour décrire le froid qui règne dans les rues, Simenon n'use pas de longues métaphores, mais il écrit : « Il faisait si froid que le commissaire releva le col de velours de son pardessus » ; non seulement les mots font image : on voit, littéralement, Maigret se calfeutrer dans son lourd pardessus, mais, de plus, on en arrive à éprouver la même sensation sur la température. Voici un matin de brouillard automnal à l’incipit de Cécile est morte : « Il faisait frais. Le bout des doigts, le bout du nez picotaient et les semelles claquaient sec sur le pavé. » 

Mais il n’y a pas que des automnes humides dans les enquêtes du commissaire… Dans bien des romans, on le voit affronter la chaleur estivale, et Simenon fait ressentir au lecteur la touffeur et la moiteur. Rappelons le début de Signé Picpus, qui se déroule en plein mois d’août, où l’on voit Maigret, « debout dans le soleil et [qui] s’éponge. […] Il a chaud, Il donnerait gros pour un demi bien tiré. » Situation similaire au début de Maigret tend un piège : après avoir fini de parapher des dossiers, le commissaire s’éponge avant de choisir une pipe ; puis il appelle un inspecteur, s’éponge à nouveau « d’un mouchoir largement déployé », se lève de son bureau « comme si cela lui demandait un effort », bourre sa pipe, se rend dans le bureau des inspecteurs, et, en attendant l’événement qui va déclencher l’enquête, il tourne en rond, « fumant sa pipe, s’épongeant de temps en temps ». 

On l’oublie parfois, mais Maigret apprécie énormément la saison printanière. Il en savoure le goût, les odeurs, les sensations sur sa peau. Comme par exemple dans Maigret à l’école : « Pour la première fois de l’année, il avait mis son pardessus de demi-saison mais l’air était encore frais, un air qu’on avait envie de boire comme un petit vin blanc et qui vous tendait la peau du visage. », ou dans Maigret et le clochard : « c’était la première vraie journée de printemps […] Maigret venait de laisser son pardessus dans le placard de son bureau et, de temps en temps, la brise gonflait son veston déboutonné. » Des images on ne peut plus évocatrices… 

Murielle Wenger 

SIMENON SIMENON "VINTAGE" - BRITISH CREATIVE AGENCY WINS RIGHTS TO SIMENON WORKS

The Telegraph - 23/01/2013 - Katerine Rushton - The entire works of Maigret creator Georges Simenon are to be published in English for the first time, after talent agency The Rights House won a battle against his son for the estate.The company quietly bought 90pc of the Georges Simenon estate from Chorion, the intellectual property company that collapsed into administration last year, after seeing off fierce competition from John Simenon, who retains the remaining 10pc.DC Advisory Partners brokered the deal for an undisclosed sum. Now Peters Fraser Dunlop, the literary arm of The Rights House, plans to establish Georges Simenon as a major brand.The prolific Belgian crime writer, who wrote 391 books including 75 around his Maigret detective character – played above by Michael Gambon in a 1992 TV version – is a bestseller in Europe but has “languished” in Britain, said Caroline Michel, PFD’s chief executive.The company is in discussions to revive Maigret for a new television series and has struck a major deal with Penguin to publish all the books, starting in the Autumn. It will also produce audio versions with Amazon’s audiobook venture, Audible, where Ms Michel hopes they will benefit from the US launch of Whispersync...>>>

SIMENON SIMENON. LA CARTE POSTALE DE MAIGRET - LA CARTOLINA DI MAIGRET – MAIGRET'S POSTCARD

Lausanne

SIMEON SIMENON "REPORT" - PIERRE ASSOULINE: "SIMENON A CONSTRUIT UNE OEUVRE QUI AIDE A VIVRE...

Destimed - 13/05/2020 - Jean-Rémi Barland - Brillant romancier -son dernier opus « Tu seras un homme mon fils » est consacré à Kipling-, fin lecteur, membre de l’Académie Goncourt, journaliste dont chaque biographie publiée s’est imposée comme un ouvrage de référence, Pierre Assouline considère Georges Simenon comme l’un des plus grands écrivains de langue française du XXe siècle. Ayant consacré au créateur de Maigret une biographie (rééditée en Folio) et un livre intitulé « Autodictionnaire Simenon » (disponible au Livre de Poche) Pierre Assouline a également préfacé le Tome 1 de « Tout Maigret » (dix volumes au total chez Omnibus) dans lequel il dit : « Le génie de Simenon, c’est qu’il vous parle de vous sans jamais vous interpeller. Il vous fait directement accéder à l’universel. Pas de gras chez lui. On est tout de suite à l’os. De quoi parle-t-il ? De l’amour, de la haine, de l’envie, de la jalousie, du mensonge, du regret, de la honte… Mais que la rédemption est difficile à y trouver. On devrait ceindre son œuvre d’un bandeau intitulé "La condition humaine" et tant pis si c’est déjà pris » Nous avons rencontré Pierre Assouline pour évoquer avec lui cet auteur unique qui, à l’image de son commissaire Jules Maigret demeure comme le note Pierre Assouline : « Un intuitif, et un instinctif qui s’imbibe, s’imprègne, se pénètre d’un univers, pour comprendre les mécanismes d’un milieu...>>>

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET É LENTO

Il commissario e le sue inchieste hanno un ritmo calmo

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET EST LENT

Le commissaire et ses enquêtes ont un rythme calme

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET IS SLOW

The chief inspector and his investigations have a calm pace

La letteratura poliziesca di Simenon non ha bisogno di ritmo. E per ritmo in questo genere s'intende una serie di avvenimenti che si verificano uno dopo l'altro, quasi a non lasciar al lettore altra scelta che concentrarsi su quei veloci e talvolta bruschi cambiamenti. Non di rado poi, come se non bastasse, si inserisce tra questi anche qualche "colpo di scena". E, se vogliamo aggiungere, le inchieste simenoniane non hanno bisogno nemmeno della "suspense", quell'artifizio letterario, a volte assai efficace, che instilla il sospetto che qualcosa di terribile stia per succedere, ma dilatando il tempo di attesa in modo che il lettore, come si dice, trattenga il fiato perché non sa quando e come questo avvenimento si verificherà e ciò crea appunto quell'attesa angosciosa definita "suspense" (termine francese che infatti deriva dall'espressione "en suspens" che significa "in sospeso").

Perché questi due elementi che sono pilastri della narrativa gialla o d'investigazione, sia letteraria che cinematografica, nelle indagini del commissario sono assenti?

Azzardiamo una spiegazione. Il motivo è semplicemente Maigret. Potrebbe essere che più che voler scrivere dei polizieschi, Simenon fosse interessato a creare un personaggio che fosse il fulcro dei rapporti con altri soggetti umani, quasi un ponte che gli permettesse di arrivare dritto dritto nelle vite degli altri? E certo che un commissario di polizia arriva in certi ambienti nei momenti più delicati, dove certi tratti psicologici sono più scoperti e le relazioni interpersonali sono stressate e più evidenti. 

Maigret è un osservatore. Come ha detto e ripetuto Simenon, il commissario non è intelligente, ma intuitivo. Ed infatti ce lo dipinge sul luogo del crimine quasi sempre taciturno, fermo in un angolo o al massimo che procede su e giù a passi lenti. La pipa accesa tra i denti e gli occhi semichiusi come fosse pigramente svogliato.

E invece sappiamo che da quelle fessure esce uno sguardo tagliente che seziona l'ambiente in cui si trova, capta l'atmosfera e esegue una sorta di radiografia dei personaggi e delle loro relazioni.

Ma c'è molto di più.

Infatti mentre se qualcuno gli chiede, in quei frangenti, a che cosa stia pensando e lui risponde: "Non penso a niente", in realtà sta entrando in simbiosi con quell'ambiente, come si dice spesso, si sta "impregnando" di quel "milieu", perché finché non farà parte di quel contesto, finché non entrerà nei panni di quelle persone, non potrà capire e non sarà in grado di indagare.

Ecco le inchieste simenoniane, che mancano, quasi sempre, di inseguimenti d'auto, sparatorie, scazzottate, azioni violente, ma che sono ricche di analisi psicologiche, dell'acquisizione della mentalità di quella realtà, di osservazione, di empatia. E questa è tutta roba che richiede tempo, calma, la fretta è bandita e la lentezza è una conditio sine qua non...E per di più le investigazioni sono inframmezzate dalle piccole cose della vita quotidiana. Il commissario, fuma, mangia, beve, gira per i bar, curiosa nelle cucine delle case che visita, scherza con i suoi ispettori, e anche tutto questo rallenta il ritmo delle indagini.

E in più si potrebbe ipotizzare che anche l'umana dimensione di Maigret, uomo massiccio e lento, ritardi di per sé il corso della vita e delle sue indagini... Vi convince? Riflettetici... ma senza fretta!

SIMENON SIMENON "REPLAY". MAIGRET AND THE ENGLISH

Nationality and social class. Maigret voyage (Maigret Travels) 

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET E GLI INGLESE /4 

Nazionalità e classe sociale. Maigret voyage (Maigret viaggia) 

SIMENON SIMENON. MAIGRET ET LES ANGLAIS /4 

Nationalité et classe sociale. (Maigret voyage)

In Maigret voyage (1958) Maigret is preoccupied for the duration of the novel by two Englishmen yet he only meets one of them. How to explain this apparent paradox? Simply, colonel David Ward, an English millionaire, is murdered at the beginning of the story and in order to solve the crime the commissaire attempts to understand the life and character of the victim by interviewing his associates, one of whom is his business confidant and friend John T. Arnold. The action moves from Paris to Monte-Carlo to Lausanne and back to Paris with a cosmopolitan cast of characters which poses the question of the relation between the Englishness national identity of Ward and Arnold and the apparently supranational social environment in which they live. 

At first sight, Colonel David Ward bears a strong resemblance in his appearance and behaviour to other upper-class Englishmen Maigret has met in his career. But in other ways, Ward is quite different from Colonel Sir Walter Lampson (Le Charretier de la ‘Providence’) and Major Teddy Bellam (Mon ami Maigret). Lampson and Bellam both issue from the aristocratic wing of the English ruling class, have been professional soldiers in the British Indian army and live as expatriates because they no longer have the financial resources which would allow them to maintain the lifestyle expected of an upper-class Englishman in the land of their birth. In Ward’s case, his wealth and social status comes rather from industry, specifically the family wireworks he has inherited in Manchester, and the title of “colonel” which he uses because of the social cachet it carries comes not from a career of military service but rather from his role in military intelligence during the war. Ward’s decision not to live in England is for reasons of personal preference not financial constraint: ‘He detested Manchester’ and, according to his associate Arnold, was uninterested in the family business, which almost ran itself, to the extent that ‘I don’t suppose he’d spent three nights [in Manchester] in the last thirty years.’ 

Ward’s choice is rather to divide his time between his apartment in Lausanne, hotel suites in London, Paris and Cannes, which he rents by the year, and visits to other aristocratic resorts such as Biarritz and Deauville. Apart from his friend and business advisor Arnold (yet another whisky-drinking, cigar-smoking Englishmen, possessed of ‘innate self-assurance’), Ward’s social circle is international: his third wife, whose divorce is imminent, is an American, his mistress is the comtesse Palmieri, formerly married to an Italian count (and for some reason named ‘Paverini’ in Jean Stewart’s 1974 English translation) and his other associates include exiled members of different European royal families, a Parisian grande dame and the Belgian chemical magnate Jef Van Meulen, who had been, moreover, the second husband of the countess. Although English appears to be the lingua franca of this cosmopolitan jet-set, plurilingualism seems to be widespread: Arnold speaks French with barely a trace of accent and Van Meulen communicates with Maigret in flawless French.  

In short, Maigret finds himself in a social milieu where wealth and social status rather than nationality are the defining characteristics. Although Maigret ‘could understand English at a pinch, but by no means spoke it fluently’, his problem in penetrating Ward’s world has less to do with language than with social class and he has just as much difficulty understanding French-speakers such as monsieur Gilles, the manager of the hôtel George-V, and doctor Frère with his list of illustrious patients: ‘They uttered the same words as everybody else and yet they spoke a different language. When they mentioned “the Countess” or ‘the Colonel”, the words bore a meaning that eluded ordinary mortals.’ Even in his conversation, in French, with the hotel telephonist, at the very outer fringes of this private international upper-class world, Maigret discovers that ‘they didn’t speak the same language here as at the Quai des Orfèvres’. The obstacle to communication is in the connotation of words, the implicit meanings given to them by their speakers, rather than their denotation, their primary literal meaning. This much is recognised by the fluent French-speaking Arnold in the course of his first interview by Maigret: ‘He, too, must be thinking they were not speaking the same language, that they were on different wave-lengths.’ 

As the commissaire pursues his investigation from the George-V to the Hôtel de Paris in Monte-Carlo and on to the Lausanne-Palace before returning to the George-V, he is struck not only by the physical similarity of the locations but also by the identical lifestyles and social norms of their international clienteles. This is a world in which identity is based not on nationality but rather on wealth, social status, common behaviour and shared attitudes. In his eventual resolution of the case, Maigret discovers that Ward had been murdered by his fellow countryman, Arnold, but that the motives for the crime had no national dimension or origin: rather Arnold had decided in conjunction with his employer’s third wife to kill her husband before their divorce was finalised and Ward could marry the countess, thereby ensuring her inheritance and Arnold’s entry to the world of the super-wealthy in his own right rather than merely as Ward’s associate.  

In conclusion, although Maigret voyage presents a vivid portrait of its two central English characters, the theme is one of social class rather than nationality. As in other stories in the Maigret saga, such as Les Caves du Majestic (1942), Simenon draws on his own experience of life amongst the cosmopolitan super-rich to depict the contrast between a world whose snobbery and pretensions he later claimed to dislike, but in which he continued to participate, and the traditional French petit-bourgeois values and lifestyle of his commissaire.  

William Alder