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Maigret and the Bum Mass Market Paperback – January 1, 1976
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPopular Library
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1976
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Product details
- ASIN : B002MK55QA
- Publisher : Popular Library; Reprint Edition (January 1, 1976)
- Language : English
- Item Weight : 1.01 pounds
- Best Sellers Rank: #7,578,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Georges Simenon is one of the most addictive and bestselling European authors of the 20th Century. His work consists of 391 titles, and he is best known as the creator of the fictional detective series consisting of 75 books featuring Inspector Maigret, translated into more than 50 languages and sold in more than 50 countries. There are over 800 million Simenon books sold worldwide and he is the most translated French speaking author of the 20th century and the second most translated author of all time in Italy after Shakespeare.
'A writer who, more than any other crime novelist, combined a high literary reputation with popular appeal' P.D. James
'My readings? I read Tout Simenon, and when I'm done, I start all over again' Claude Chabrol
Discover the Simenon community:
@SimenonUK
http://georgessimenon.co.uk/
http://simenon.com/
http://www.inspectormaigret.com/
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Maigret examines the vagrant's sleeping quarters under a bridge and finds books and a medical journal. The other vagrants call the victim "doc."
How did a learned doctor end up a rag-and-bone man? Why the murderous attack? There's no media interest in this affair and no pressure from above to solve the case. After all, the victim is a bum, and may survive in any case. But Maigret has taken a liking to the doc and won't rest until he knows the truth.
Madame Maigret undertakes some unofficial inquiries for her husband in this case. The glimpse we get of the comfortable love between these two is quite delightful.
In this particular book Maigret investigates what others would probably have dismissed as a nothing case. The attempted murder of a vagrant fails as he is fished out of the river. Who would want to kill a homeless mand and who cares anyway? But contrary to this common attitude of his environment, Maigret treats this case as one of primary importance. We see Maigret's warmth and humanity as he uncovers the life of Tubib, his family that he left and the circumstances that led to this seemingly petty case.
The Maigret novels may not be profound literature but they are extremely well written, compassionate and involving detective stories.
This is a "mystery" novel where the mystery is a vehicle for a meditation on life and human nature, where the detective stands in for the philosopher. Less a whodunit in the contemporary sense, Maigret parses out the clues in the crime at hand as methodically as Socrates takes apart an opponent's argument. The crime is an attack on a homeless man living under a bridge on the Seine. Why would anyone want to murder a bum? What possible motive could there be that would be worth the risk? As for the victim, well, he refuses to help Maigret identify his attacker, even though Maigret is almost certain he knows who tried to kill him. Why won't he identify his would-be killer? Wouldn't you? Isn't it simple human nature to do so?
It's the answers to these questions, these human "mysteries" that are really what concerns Simenon the most, what constitute the real mysteries at the heart of this novel.
Readers who are looking for conventional resolutions, black-and-white judgments, shoot'em ups, and justice always done by novel's end may not be satisfied with the conclusion of "Maigret and the Bum," but for those who are okay with ambiguity and enigma, who don't need a mystery tied up with a neat bow at the end, this book will provide you with food for thought--far more satisfying fare than what you're usually served up in genre fiction.
Set in Paris, as nearly all Maigret stories are, 'Maigret and the Bum', published in 1963, comes fairly late in the series. Maigret does not live outside of time. He shows signs of weariness and a desire to reflect back on days of a more vigorous youth as he strolls along the Seine in the book's opening pages. A down-and-out bum has had his skull cracked and been thrown in the river.
Maigret is there to investigate. Rescued by two rivermen, the bum survives and Maigret learns much about the man's past - he is, or was, a doctor. Who would try to kill a down-and-outer? Does the man's distant past hold the answer? Or was it something more recent? Can Maigret get to the bottom of it? Well, yes, but can he get the truth out of the perpetrator.
Simenon unwinds the tale in a way that compels the reader to rush to the finish; the book is only 147 pages and so the task is not so difficult. Having finished one Maigret tale, the reader wants more of Maigret's compressed psychology.