Georges Simenon: Maigret and Much More

Gegorges Simenon's Inspector Maigret is one of my favorite detective series. Lucky me. Simenon knocked out 76 Maigret novels between 1930 and 1972. Below are a couple of short reviews of two of these books.

Simenon also wrote romans durs (hard novels) that are noted for their psychological darkness, such as Dirty Snow (New York Review Books Classics) From NYRB:

"Nineteen-year-old Frank Friedmaier lives in a country under occupation. Most people struggle to get by; Frank takes it easy in his mother’s whorehouse, which caters to members of the occupying forces. But Frank is restless. He is a pimp, a thug, a petty thief, and, as Dirty Snow opens, he has just killed his first man. Through the unrelenting darkness and cold of an endless winter, Frank will pursue abjection until at last there is nowhere to go."

Hans Koning has described Dirty Snow as “one of the very few novels to come out of German-occupied France that gets it exactly right.”

The Man Who Watched Trains Go By (New York Review Books Classics), NYRB:

Kees Popinga is a solid Dutch burgher whose idea of a night on the town is a game of chess at his club. Or so it has always appeared. But one night this model husband and devoted father discovers his boss is bankrupt and that his own carefully tended life is in ruins. Before, he had looked on impassively as the trains to the outside world swept by; now he catches the first train he can to Amsterdam. Not long after that, he commits murder.

Kees Popinga is tired of being Kees Popinga. He’s going to turn over a new leaf—though there will be hell to pay.

Tropic Moon NYRB:

A young Frenchman, Joseph Timar, travels to Gabon carrying a letter of introduction from an influential uncle. He wants work experience; he wants to see the world. But in the oppressive heat and glare of the equator, Timar doesn’t know what to do with himself, and no one seems inclined to help except Adèle, the hotel owner’s wife, who takes him to bed one day and rebuffs him the next, leaving him sick with desire. But then, in the course of a single night, Adèle’s husband dies and a black servant is shot, and Timar is sure that Adèle is involved. He’ll cover for the crime if she’ll do what he wants. The fix is in. But Timar can’t even begin to imagine how deep.


In Tropic Moon, Simenon, the master of the psychological novel, offers an incomparable picture of degeneracy and corruption in a colonial outpost.

The NYRB Classics are one my favorite sources for excellent, older books. They have just brought out Pedigree (New York Review Books Classics). The NYRB page for the book: http://www.nybooks.com/books/imprints/classics/pedigree/ describes it as:

Pedigree is Georges Simenon’s longest, most unlikely, and most adventurous novel....In the early 1940s, Simenon began work on a memoir of his Belgian childhood. He showed the initial pages to André Gide, who urged him to turn them into a novel. The result was, Simenon later quipped, a book in which everything is true but nothing is accurate. Spanning the years from the beginning of the century, with its political instability and terrorist threats, to the end of the First World War in 1918, Pedigree is an epic of everyday existence in all its messy unfinished intensity and density, a story about the coming-of-age of a precocious and curious boy and the coming to be of the modern world.

 In 2008, Paul Theroux wrote a fascinating essay for in the Times Literary Supplement titled, Georges Simenon, the existential hack in which he compares Simenon to Camus. OK, now you know Simenonon was no ordinary detective mystery writer. "A bleak vision and relentless seriousness earned his non-Maigrets the appellation romans durs, because dur means not just hard but implies weight, seriousness: not only a stony quality, but density and complexity – a kind of challenge, and even a certain tedium."

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The Friend of Madame Maigret (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)

If you don't know Maigret and you like detective stories, then you are in for a treat - or about 76 treats because that's how many Maigret novels the prolific Georges Simenon published. (I take this number from an excellent essay in the Times Literary Supplement about Simenon by Paul Theroux called "Georges Simenon, the existential hack". The essay is available online.) As with many of the Maigret stories, this one is also published under another name, Madame Maigret's Own Case. Most, if not all, of the books in this new series were previously published under a different title.


Maigret is a seasoned French chief inspector of detectives with an eye for human foibles and a distinct humanism about his policing. Some lists include this title as one of the best of Maigret. Personally, I haven't found much to choose between them - as long as they are primarily set in Paris. Don't be put off by the title (either title). Madame Maigret's role, while key, is also collateral. She provides some crucial information, but Jules really does the work along with his crew of Lucas, Janvier and a very young La Pointe.

Highly recommended.

***

A Man's Head (Inspector Maigret Mysteries)


Although not strictly speaking one of Georges Simenon's "psychological novels", Maigret's War of Nerves nonetheless explores the psychology of several characters. Detective Maigret arranges the `escape' from prison of a convicted killer that he helped put away in the first place. Maigret had become convinced of the defendant's guilt, but the evidence at trial had been overwhelming. In this 1940 work, Maigret places his well-established career at risk.


Maigret slowly unravels the mystery behind the true killer, but will it be enough to save the wrongly convicted man or Maigret's own reputation? Simenon leads the reader through an examination of the most basic and most extreme human motivations. Simenon wrote dozens of Maigret mysteries as well as other `romans durs'. Maigret's War of Nerves is one of his better efforts.

Note: A number of the Maigret books have been published under duplicate names. This book was also published As Maigret's War of Nerves. It would be useful if someone put together a definitive list of these duplicate titles

Prisoners of the Mahdi by Byron Farwell

My review on Amazon.

Summary:


Prisoners of the Mahdi tells two stories set in late 19th century Sudan. The dramatic rise to religious and temporal power of the Mahdi, a Sudanese man claiming to be the redeemer of Islam, provides the first tale and sets the background for the second, the stories of three European captives each held for at least ten years under often brutal conditions. The Mahdi expels the Egyptian/Ottoman/British powers from the Sudan in 1884, a victory that includes the martyring death at Khartoum of General `Chinese' Gordon. The British return under Kitchener to avenge Gordon and retake control of the Nile form source to sea. A fascinating read about a now obscure, but previously hugely popular part of the history of the British Empire.


Full Review:

Prisoners of the Mahdi first traces the meteoric rise of an ordinary Sudanese Muslim. On June 29, 1881, this fellow, Muhammad Ahmed, proclaimed himself to be the Mahdi, the messianic redeemer of Islam, the second coming of the prophet in 1881. With his extreme religious fervor he managed to build an army of followers and begins to take control of the Sudan. At the time, the Sudan was nominally under control of the Ottoman Empire through the Khedive of Egypt. In reality, although the lines of authority were intentionally muddied, the British Empire had the final say through its consul in Cairo, the aptly titled `controller-general' Evelyn Baring.

The Khedive, exercising a modicum of independence had extended Egyptian (`Turco') authority into the Sudan and it was his fight against this authority that helped the Mahdi gain traction. The Mahdi's army of ansars (followers) has won some small skirmishes and then took control of Darfur after annihilating a British-led Egyptian army. Baring sensibly recommended that Egypt simply withdraw from the Sudan. The British didn't want it and there was little enough there for anyone.

Prime Minister William Gladstone agreed, but the war party within his own government managed to push the through the appointment of General `Chinese' Gordon to just go have a look around and oversee the Egyptian pullback. Baring twice refused to accept the appointment, but finally gave in - to the regret of many. A less suitable candidate for such a role than Gordon is difficult to imagine (George Patton?). (By the way, Chinese Gordon plays a prominent role in Flashman and the Dragon).

Once on the scene Gordon inevitably decided that Khartoum must be held at all costs. The Mahdi soon laid siege to the city. Gladstone dithered before sending a relief force that managed to arrive two days too late. Khartoum was sacked. Gordon was killed and attained a heroic martyr status that lasted in England for decades. (As Farwell tells it, Lytton Strachey's Eminent Victorians did for Gordon's reputation - deservedly so in my opinion). The sacking of Khartoum led to the sacking of Gladstone. The Sudan was now entirely in the hands of the Mahdi and became the Madihya.

At this point, Farwell turns to the second part of his story, the tales of three European captives of the Mahdi: Austrian soldier/adventurer Rudolph Slatin, Catholic priest Father Joseph Ohrwalder, and German merchant trader Charles Neufeld. (Farwell is also a captive of sorts because of source limitations; these three subjects provide very nearly everything that was known about their own captivity.) Each was held captive for 10 years. Farwell gives Slatin an extended treatment and deservedly so because Slatin's story holds the most interest by far. Slatin, who had quickly become a leading official in Egyptian-held Sudan, also quickly decided that the best course in captivity was total submissiveness (For example, he professed a conversion to Islam, possibly sincerely). It worked - more or less - and he held a seat close to the center of power especially under the Mahdi's successor or The Khalifa. He could observe, but was never really trusted by the Khalifa and lived in fear of his life.

Ohrwalder's and Neufeld's stories are told more briefly and hold interest primarily by demonstrating the depths of cruelty that humans will subject one another to if they have the power to do so and the ability of humans to endure prolonged cruelty and privation. Neufeld in particular refused to cooperate in any degree and suffered accordingly. Ohrwalder's exciting escape story, and Neufeld's poor treatment upon in release.

Ironically, their post-captivity lives mirrored their success in captivity. Slatin went to a much-decorated career, being told at one point by King Edward VII that he would have to pin the Slatin's next medal on his hindquarters. Ohrwalder's role in the church was limited (presumably due his taking two wives and fathering at least one child in captivity, a fact that Farwell mysteriously seems to miss). Neufeld was suspected as a collaborator, a 180 from reality. Perhaps these fates reflect the men's inherent ability to flourish (or not) in any society - or perhaps it reflects something about the nature of power.

Farwell closes the book by briefly relating how the British retook the Sudan. After a hiatus of some eleven years, the British sent in the army under Kitchener to retake the Sudan for reasons having more to do with the `scramble for Africa' and control of the Nile than anything else.

Prisoners of the Mahdi is an excellent telling of a now obscure, but once hugely popular bit of history. The book's main limitations are from limited source material and Farwell's now-somewhat anachronistic viewpoint (the book was authored in 1967). Bearing those two shortcomings in mind and the reader interested in history has a tremendously fascinating tale in store.

***

For more on Gordon:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/gordon_general_charles.shtml

http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/mostpopularwar_gordon.htm

http://www.remuseum.org.uk/biography/rem_bio_gordon.htm

Read Gordon's journals at "Kartoum" online:

http://www.archive.org/stream/journalsofmajorg00gorduoft

Use a piece of paper to view his face one-half at a time.

For more on Slatin:

http://www.yale.edu/glc/events/cbss/Deng.pdf

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Fire-And-Sword-In-The-Sudan/Rudolph-Slatin/e/9781590481394

Mayhem by Robert Janes

Mayhem by J. Robert Janes

My review permalink.

J. Robert Janes is a Canadian author who has managed to create one of the more interesting detective duos among the many such pairs available in popular detective literature: a detective in the Paris police or sureté, Jean-Louis St. Cyr and a former Munich detective now in the Gestapo, Hermann Kolher. The two work as homicide detectives - after all even during the Occupation there were murders to be solved.

Mayhem is the first book in the series. As a persistent consumer of detective fiction, perhaps the most instructive things I can offer is to reveal that I am presently reading my third book in the series (Kaleidoscope after Carousel (St-Cyr and Kohler)). Mayhem provides much of the back story you need to understand the protagonists and their developing relationship. St. Cyr is attempting to hold on to his dignity and his patriotism and is quite wary of Kohler. Fortunately, Kohler is a detective first and a Gestapo only several steps distant and not a Nazi at any step however far removed.

The relationship between St. Cyr and Kohler is evolving; the relationships between them and their bosses and between those bosses and the competing German and French security forces is, to say the very least, complicated. Lines of authority are constantly blurred as theses forces vie for superiority. Among the goals of the leaders are the accumulation of loot and the exercise of brutal power. This complexity is a primary strength of Janes' writing that gives him a voice of vérité.

The clarity of his writing also suffers from this penchant for complexity. His stories are difficult to follow and are perhaps best appreciated like a Monet painting for the total picture they reveal.

I was thrilled to come across two more volumes (Sandman (St-Cyr and Kohler) and Mannequin (St-Cyr and Kohler)) in my favorite used bookstore, the Chequamegon Books in Washburn, Wisconsin. The Sandman attained recognition as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1997. I do recommend reading Mayhem first as it provides much of the background for the protagonists.

***

 

Blogger Alex Waterhouse-Hayward on Janes and his Paris.

OpenLibrary.Org

Here is what OpenLibrary.org says about itself:

One web page for every book ever published. It's a lofty but achievable goal.

To build Open Library, we need hundreds of millions of book records, a wiki interface, and lots of people who are willing to contribute their time and effort to building the site.

To date, we have gathered over 20 million records from a variety of large catalogs as well as single contributions, with more on the way.

Open Library is an open project: the software is open, the data is open, the documentation is open, and we welcome your contribution. Whether you fix a typo, add a book, or write a widget--it's all welcome. We have a small team of fantastic programmers who have accomplished a lot, but we can't do it alone!

Open Library is a project of the non-profit Internet Archive, and has been funded in part by a grant from the California State Library and the Kahle/Austin Foundation.

Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon by Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart

Scipio Africanus: Greater Than Napoleon by Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart

The subtitle accurately reflects Liddell Hart's opinion of Scipio Africanus. Liddell Hart was a leading British military historian and strategist between the two world wars of the 20th century. But in 1926 at age 31, he wrote this brilliant concise history of the third century BCE Roman general. Publius Scipio Africanus led the Romans to victory over the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War. He defeated the better known Hannibal in the Battle of Zama in 202 BCE.

After a brief introduction and the story of Hannibal's defeat of Scipio's father in 211 BCE, Liddell Hart takes the reader through Scipio's victorious campaign against the Carthaginians in the Iberian Peninsula. Liddell Hart is unstinting in his praise of the Scipio's willingness and ability to innovate and break free from stale military strategies and tactics. He also lauds Scipio's generous treatment of the native tribes and even his defeated foes. Scipio returns home to election as consul and appointment as general for Sicily and Africa. Liddell Hart portrays Scipio as beset by conservative and jealous senators more anxious to drag him down than to further Roman interests.

Scipio narrowly prevails over his political enemies, but is granted a very small force in Sicily. Scipio overcomes all odds, takes his army to Africa and defeats the legendary and much more experienced Hannibal. He returns to Rome and an increasingly unhappy struggle against his political foes led by Cato the Elder.

Liddell Hart's writing is clear and concise (the Da Capo Press version is just 280 pages). He makes military strategy and tactics accessible to the general reader. From both the context and numerous comments, it is clear that Liddell Hart's high opinion of Scipio Africanus was against the grain of accepted scholarship at the time. He is especially dismissive of the opinions of the academic historians with no military background. I will leave it to others to argue the relative merits of Liddell Hart's view of the Roman general, but his book is well worth reading.

***

© National Portrait Gallery, London.
Painted on the eve of the Second World War, this portrait includes references to the impending conflict. Maps of Europe appear as a cloud and within a bubble; alluding to the instability of the continent. The 'listening' ears were included by the artist in the belief that Liddell Hart may have had some connection with the Secret Services.

See Hart's entry at openlibrary.org.

See Hart's grave.

The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71 by Alistair Horne

The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune 1870-71 by Alistair Horne

English historian Alistair Horne [A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 (New York Review Books Classics)] tells the story - really two stories - of the Franco-Prussian War's impact on Paris. First came the siege of Paris, a valiant struggle in its own right. A then after the downfall of Paris and the Prussian (partial) withdrawal came the Commune.

Horne does an excellent job telling these fascinating stories. I was surprised to learn that prior to this war the Prussians were somewhat lightly regarded as a military force - seen almost as a caricature of itself. The French under Louis-Napoleon (Napoleon III) expected to win the war and instead lost Alsace-Lorraine. As Horne emphasizes, this annexation planted the seeds for continued warfare between France and Germany. Bismarck opposed the annexation on those grounds, but lost the argument to the generals. The war culminated with the unification of Prussia and Germany into the new German Empire. In a scene foreshadowing Hitler's 1940 visit to Paris, the unification ceremony and elevation of King Wilhelm of Prussia to Emperor Wilhelm of the German Empire took place at the Versailles.

Louis-Napoleon and his Second Empire were given the boot in September 1870 even before the final surrender and the Third Republic was born. The Prussians kept coming and put Paris under a siege that lasted some 120 days. About two months later the Commune came into being as the first workers' republic (albeit small and short-lived). The establishment of the Commune led to a Parisian civil war.

Horne makes good use of the available source to bring the despair, hunger, terrors, thrills, and heroics to life. My only quibble is Horne's clear antipathy to the leftists; he assigns more derogatory terms to the Communards than the forces of reaction despite the fact that those forces certainly executed far more Parisians than the Communards. Still, his bias doesn't seem to interfere with his objectivity and his writing made the book a joy to read.

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Why was Horne Bush's favorite historian?