Publisher Description

A gripping new translation by David Bellos of the first novel which appeared in the famous Maigret series, revealing Simenon as a dark, visceral and surprising writer'What he sought, what he waited and watched out for was the crack in the wall. In other words, the instant when the human being comes out from behind the opponent . . .'Who is Pietr the Latvian? Is he a gentleman thief? A Russian drinking absinthe in a grimy bar? A married Norwegian sea captain? A twisted corpse in a train toilet? Or is he all of these men? In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy dive bars to luxury hotels as he solves this strange enigma.

Author Biography

Georges Simenon (Author)Georges Simenon was born in Li ge, Belgium, in 1903. He is best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret novels and his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.David Bellos (Translator)David Bellos is Meredith Howland Pyne Professor of French Literature at Princeton University, where he also teaches Comparative Literature. He is the author of many books and articles on nineteenth-century fiction, alongside biographies of three icons of French culture in the twentieth century- Georges Perec, Jacques Tati and Romain Gary. He is also a well-known translator and the author of Is That a Fish in Your Ear? The Amazing Adventure of Translation. David Bellos was recently awarded the rank of officier in the Ordre National des Arts et des Lettres for his services to French culture.

Review

Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor * Times *
Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts. * Margaret Atwood *
One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere. * Financial Times *
Simenon's supreme virtue as a novelist, to burrow beneath the surface of his characters' behaviour; to empathise . . . it is this unfailing humanity that makes the Maigret books truly worth reading. * Guardian *
Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn -- Stig Abell * The Sunday Times *

Promotional

In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he follows a trail of bodies and traces the true identity of the elusive international criminal, Pietr the Latvian.

Review Text

Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series , but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor

Review Quote

'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century…Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.' -- The Guardian 'I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.' -- William Faulkner 'The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature' -- André Gide 'A supreme writer…unforgettable vividness' -- The Independent 'Superb... The most addictive of writers... A unique teller of tales' -- The Observer 'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.' -- John Gray 'A truly wonderful writer... marvellously readable - lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the workd he creates' -- Muriel Spark 'A novelist who entered his fictional world as it he were a part of it' -- Peter Ackroyd 'Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century' -- John Banville

Promotional "Headline"

In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he follows a trail of bodies and traces the true identity of the elusive international criminal, Pietr the Latvian .

Excerpt from Book

Georges Simenon PIETR THE LATVIAN Translated by DAVID BELLOS PENGUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen''s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, Block D, Rosebank Office Park, 181 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North, Gauteng 2193, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England First published in serial, as Pietr-le-Letton , in Ric et Rac 1930 This translation first published 2013 Copyright 1930 by Georges Simenon Limited Translation

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