Maigret and the Old Lady

Maigret and the Old Lady (French: Maigret et la vieille dame) is a detective novel by Belgian writer Georges Simenon, featuring his character inspector Jules Maigret. The novel was written between November 29 to December 8, 1949, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, United States.[1] The book was published the following year by Presses de la Cité.

Maigret and the Old Lady
AuthorGeorges Simenon
Original titleFrench: Maigret et la Vieille Dame
TranslatorRobert Brain, Ros Schwartz
LanguageFrench
SeriesInspector Jules Maigret
GenreDetective fiction, crime fiction
PublisherPresses de la Cité
Publication date
1950
Publication placeBelgium
Published in English
1958
Media typePrint
Preceded byMaigret and the Coroner 
Followed byMadame Maigret's Own Case 

Translations

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The book was translated into English by Robert Brain in 1958 and by Ros Schwartz in 2016 under the title Maigret and the Old Lady.[2]

The first German translation by Hansjürgen Wille and Barbara Klau was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 1954. The new translation by Renate Nickel was published by Diogenes Verlag in 1978.[3]

Reception

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In 1958 literature magazine Time and Tide wrote about the novel: "The plot of Maigret and the Old Lady […] might not amount to much if it were handled by another, but Maigret's methods and Simenon's gift for creating and evoking local atmosphere combine to hold the reader captive."[4]

Adaptations

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The novel was adapted several times:[5]

In French
  • 1977: Maigret et la dame d'Etretat, with Jean Richard in the lead role;
  • 1995: Maigret et la vieille dame, starring Bruno Cremer;
In English
In Japanese
  • 1978: Keishi to rōfūfu no nazo (警視と老夫婦の謎)), starring Kinya Aikawa;
In Russian

Bibliography

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  • Maurice Piron, Michel Lemoine, L'Univers de Simenon, guide des romans et nouvelles (1931-1972) de Georges Simenon, Presses de la Cité, 1983, p. 318-319 ISBN 978-2-258-01152-6 (in French)
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References

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  1. ^ Biographie de Georges Simenon 1946 à 1967 auf Toutesimenon.com, der Internetseite des Omnibus Verlags.
  2. ^ "Maigret et la vieille dame". Trussel.com. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  3. ^ Oliver Hahn: Bibliografie deutschsprachiger Ausgaben. Georges-Simenon-Gesellschaft (Hrsg.): Simenon-Jahrbuch 2003. Wehrhahn, Laatzen 2004, ISBN 3-86525-101-3, S. 49–50.
  4. ^ „The plot of Maigret and the Old Lady […] might not amount to much if it were handled by another, but Maigret's methods and Simenon's gift for creating and evoking local atmosphere combine to hold the reader captive.“ In: Time & Tide Band 39, Time and Tide Publishing 1958, S. 892.
  5. ^ "Maigret et la vieille dame". Trussel.com. Retrieved 25 February 2023.