Madame Maigret's Own Case
Madame Maigret's Own Case (French: L'Amie de madame Maigret) is a 1950 detective novel by Belgian writer Georges Simenon, featuring his character inspector Jules Maigret. The novel was written between December 13 to December 22, 1949, in Carmel-by-the-Sea, United States.[1] The book was published the following year by Presses de la Cité.[2]
| Author | Georges Simenon |
|---|---|
| Original title | French: L'Amie de madame Maigret |
| Translator | Helen Sebba, Howard Curtis |
| Country | Belgium |
| Language | French |
| Series | Inspector Jules Maigret |
| Genre | Detective fiction, crime fiction |
| Publisher | Presses de la Cité |
Publication date | 1950 |
Published in English | 1959 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | Maigret and the Old Lady |
| Followed by | Maigret's Memoirs |
Translations
The book was translated into English by Helen Sebba in 1959 as Madame Maigret's Own Case. The novel was published in 1960 and in 2003 under the titles Madame Maigret's Friend and The Friend of Madame Maigret, respectively. The book was translated again in 2016 by Howard Curtis as Madame Maigret's Friend .[3]
The first German translation by Hansjürgen Wille and Barbara Klau was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 1954. The new translation by Roswitha Plancherel was published by Diogenes Verlag in 1979.[4]
Reception
The New York Times found the novel „more police procedure than usual," inspector Maigret acting "less like a lone wolf and more like a police officer," and a plot that was "intricate" and "hard to follow." However, good roles and lots of Parisian locations made the novel one of the better Simenons in tone and color.[5]
Adaptations
The novel has been adapted several times:[6]
- In English
- 1962: The White Hat, starring Rupert Davies;
- In Dutch
- 1965: De vriendin van mevrouw Maigret, starring Kees Brusse.
- In French
- 1977: L'Amie de Madame Maigret, with Jean Richard in the lead role;
- In Japanese
- 1978: Keishi to kōen no onna (警視と公園の女), starring Kinya Aikawa;
Bibliography
- Maurice Piron, Michel Lemoine, L'Univers de Simenon, guide des romans et nouvelles (1931-1972) de Georges Simenon, Presses de la Cité, 1983, p. 320-321 ISBN 978-2-258-01152-6 (in French)
References
- Biographie de Georges Simenon 1946 à 1967 auf Toutesimenon.com, der Internetseite des Omnibus Verlags.
- L’amie de Mme Maigret in der Maigret-Bibliografie von Yves Martina.
- "L'Amie de Mme Maigret". Trussel.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- Oliver Hahn: Bibliografie deutschsprachiger Ausgaben. In: Georges-Simenon-Gesellschaft (Hrsg.): Simenon-Jahrbuch 2003. Wehrhahn, Laatzen 2004, ISBN 3-86525-101-3, S. 66.
- „more police procedure than usual […] Maigret is less the lone wolf and more the police executive. The plot […] is intricate and (to me, at least) actively hard to follow; but many good small roles and lots of loving Parisian geography make this one of the better Simenons in tone and color.“ Zitiert nach: Criminals at Large. In: The New York Times vom 20. Dezember 1959.
- "L'Amie de Mme Maigret". Trussel.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.