Tag Archives: romans durs
The Train by Simenon
“It was the hour of my meeting with Fate, the hour of an appointment which I had had a long time, which I had always had, with Fate.” The Train, an excellent roman durs (hard novel) from Simenon, is another fine example … Continue reading
George Simenon by David Carter (The Pocket Essential)
I’ve had a few comments lately about one or other of the Simenon reviews. For those who want to start getting seriously into Simenon, I recommend making the modest purchase of a slim, but invaluable paperback: George Simenon by David Carter (The … Continue reading
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Dirty Snow by Simenon
I’m glad I read Simenon’s Three Crimes and Patrick Marnham’s excellent biography of the author before arriving at Dirty Snow. That’s not to say that you can’t read Dirty Snow on its own merit, but I arrived at the novel … Continue reading
The Brothers Rico by Simenon
Simenon is best remembered for his Inspector Maigret novels, but I am trying to work my way slowly through this prolific author’s more than 100 romans durs (hard novels). Although I am a rabid Simenon fan, I was a bit skeptical when … Continue reading
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Three Crimes by Simenon
“Is this where our taste for mystery and squalor comes from?” Simenon is perhaps best remembered for his Maigret novels, but I prefer the edgy, darker realms of the romans durs (hard novels). I’d like to think that I will read everything … Continue reading
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The Murderer by Simenon
“The longing of a middle aged man to kick over the traces , to break out of the rut.” I first came across the novels of Belgium author Simenon a few years ago. I’d heard the name before but had … Continue reading
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The Widow by Georges Simenon
“When he came out of prison, he had also gone to eat ice cream. They handed him some money, two hundred-odd francs–he did not know exactly why. He had taken a bus. He had slept in one town, then in … Continue reading
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The Bells of Bicetre by Simenon
“For Rene Maugras, dates and times of day did not exist, and only later on was problem of elapsed time to trouble him. He was still sunk at the bottom of a pit as dark as the abyss of ocean, … Continue reading
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The Venice Train by Simenon
“I know what happens to men once they’re on their own.” In Simenon’s novel The Venice Train, middle-aged, portly Justin Calmar returns home to Paris from his annual holiday in Venice, leaving his wife and two children behind to spend … Continue reading
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Striptease by Simenon
“Did he realize that he was making a fool of himself? He thought he’d put his ‘mark’ on the new girl, to use his phrase, but in fact it was she who had out her mark so oddly on him.” … Continue reading
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