Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
As introductions to a character go, the iconic French detective Maigret arguably could not have been delivered at a more timely moment, nor could Georges Simenon captured the essence of a decent man’s life when Europe was finding itself enveloped in the dark times to come, the shadow of one war had not truly been lifted, and the prospect of another, more deadly, more devastating than any other before it, loomed on the horizon.
It is no wonder that Inspector Maigret became such a literary hero, a detective who bided his time, who played fair until pushed into a corner by events, and whose writer had the absolute faith in his creation to treat him with the respect he deserved. A birth of a hero in adult form, whose life had already stretched out before him and who a back story, but to whom in his first outing in the English translated title of Pietr the Latvian played far from safe as he tracked down the murderer tied to a forgery case that had seen most of Europe involved, and with the prospect of heroin being involved amongst the less fortunate in the French capital’s districts.
What will strike the reader is the embracing of the established thought of the genre in which the story places itself in, the Noir, the short punchy sentences which carry extraordinary meaning conveyed by both writer and main character, the descriptions of Paris as a city of shadows and bleak fortunes, whilst at the same time shining the kind of light that would seek redemption from above on the goings on of its wealthier visitors. It is this approach that the early essence of Film Noir really would have captured the soul of the writer’s experience, the shortening, decreasing, fading shadow as criminal and detective played out the proverbial game of chess, each waiting for the mistake that would see them triumph.
Whilst in its English translation (2003, David Bellos) the book might seem frighteningly short in its narrative sense, it nevertheless is magnificent in its observation, in many ways it out strips Christie and Conan Doyle for its depth, its sheer insight, and whilst will never be as truly celebrated on this side of the English Channel in terms of pacing, direction and posturing, it has more than a sincere elegance to it that cannot be matched by the other more lauded British writers.
A beautiful introduction to a detective who would capture the mind of readers, radio listeners and television audiences in the decades come; Pietr the Latvian is a succinct first appearance of the Maigret.
Georges Simenon’s Pietr The Latvian can be ordered from all good independent book stores.
Ian D. Hall