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tfitoby's review against another edition
4.0
Inspector Jules Maigret, the basis for Georges Simenon's famous fictional detective Inspector Jules Maigret, pens his memoirs of the early part of his career in an attempt to put right some of the liberties that Georges Simenon took with his personality and working style, not to mention his taste in clothes!
This was quite an unexpected venture from Simenon, his Maigret novels usually deemed a safe playground to work on settings and plot for his other more literary works somehow found themselves in the meta-fictional realm, a fictional character arguing with the person who wrote them. At its heart is the argument that perhaps the more honest truth in literature is the fictional truth because the honest truth sounds completely unbelievable to a reader, somewhat similar to Andre Bazin's assertion that a cinematic image is more real than the original object.
But Maigret does give some interesting back story to his own character, detailing his orphaned childhood, the accidental meeting with a senior Paris detective that set him on his path to being the famous Jules Maigret, and the many long days and nights in and around the seediest parts of Paris that provided him with a deep understanding and even respect for the criminal classes.
It's a fun addition to the series that I highly recommend fans seek out.
This was quite an unexpected venture from Simenon, his Maigret novels usually deemed a safe playground to work on settings and plot for his other more literary works somehow found themselves in the meta-fictional realm, a fictional character arguing with the person who wrote them. At its heart is the argument that perhaps the more honest truth in literature is the fictional truth because the honest truth sounds completely unbelievable to a reader, somewhat similar to Andre Bazin's assertion that a cinematic image is more real than the original object.
But Maigret does give some interesting back story to his own character, detailing his orphaned childhood, the accidental meeting with a senior Paris detective that set him on his path to being the famous Jules Maigret, and the many long days and nights in and around the seediest parts of Paris that provided him with a deep understanding and even respect for the criminal classes.
It's a fun addition to the series that I highly recommend fans seek out.
8797999's review
4.0
I was unsure what to think about his coming into it, a fictionalised memoir by Maigret, I was expecting a turkey but it was a triumph!
I thoroguhly enjoyed it, not a typical Maigret with no case and no investigation. Basically detailing a fictional relationship between Miagret and the author and Miagret explaining some of his history and righting some wrongs in the books. A fun read and nice change of pace. The added backstory was very nice too, especially how Maigret met Mme Maigret.
I'm sure not everyone will enjoy this one but I certainly did.
I thoroguhly enjoyed it, not a typical Maigret with no case and no investigation. Basically detailing a fictional relationship between Miagret and the author and Miagret explaining some of his history and righting some wrongs in the books. A fun read and nice change of pace. The added backstory was very nice too, especially how Maigret met Mme Maigret.
I'm sure not everyone will enjoy this one but I certainly did.
marietta72_l's review against another edition
4.0
Παρότι δεν είναι καθαρόαιμο αστυνομικό, η κρυστάλλινη προζα του Σιμενον, το χιούμορ και ο χαρακτήρας του Μαιγκρε με έκαναν να το αγαπήσω.
furfff's review against another edition
3.0
Giving this an average review so as not to affect the existing rating, because I came nowhere close to finish it, but I could not deal with this one. The change in the overall tone/voice, and the tricksy inclusion of "George Sim" was enough to make me run. After having read several of the Maigret books, I just come looking for a certain sort of thing, and appreciate experimentation and iteration to a point, but this meta stuff was just the wrong guest at the wrong party for me.