Maigrets night at the crossroads

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Maigret's Night at the Crossing (French: La Nuit du Carrefour ) is a crime novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon . It belongs to the first season of 19 novels of a total of 75 novels and 28 short stories about the detective inspector Maigret . The novel was written in April 1931 at the Château de la Minaudiere near La Ferté-Alais and was published by Fayard in June of the same year . The first German translation Maigret und der Mann von Welt by Hansjürgen Wille and Barbara Klau was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 1965. In 1983, Diogenes Verlag published a new translation by Annerose Melter under the title Maigrets Nacht an der Kreuzung . The revised new edition by Kampa Verlag from 2018 also bears the same title .

At the intersection of the Three Widows in the French province of Île-de-France, there are only three buildings: two houses and a petrol station. One morning, when the two local residents' cars swapped their garages, you could believe a prank if a murdered diamond dealer were not found at the wheel of a car. All traces point to a mysterious foreigner from Denmark, but his interrogation remains inconclusive. Inspector Maigret personally goes to the crime scene and spends the night at the intersection.

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Arpajon train station at the beginning of the 20th century
Citroën 5 CV from the 1920s

The junction of the Three Widows is on the Route nationale from Paris to Étampes between Arpajon and Avrainville . There are only three buildings at the intersection: the petrol station with attached workshop of Monsieur Oscar, a former boxer with a criminal record, the unadorned villa of the insurance agent Emile Michonnet and his wife, and an old, now run-down country house owned by the Dane Carl Andersen and his Sister Else, who settled in France three years ago and since then have been living in seclusion on the meager fees for drafting upholstery covers.

One night in mid-April something strange happened at the intersection: The Andersen's old Citroën 5 CV and the Michonnet's limousine were exchanged in their garages. At the wheel of Michonnet's car sits the shot diamond dealer Isaac Goldberg from Antwerp . After Michonnet's report, Andersen is inevitably suspected of murder. But even after a 17-hour interrogation on the Quai des Orfèvres , during which Commissioner Maigret and Inspector Lucas take turns, nothing can be got out of the Dane, and Maigret has to admit that he is dealing with a man of the world.

Maigret inspects the scene of the crime, where he meets the Michonnets, two honest petty bourgeoisie, and the affable Monsieur Oscar, who repeatedly tries in vain to invite him for a drink. And Maigret meets the mysterious Else, whom he doesn't know how to classify: is she the innocent girl she pretends to be, a wicked vamp or just a hardened actress? Her brother Carl locks her in her room every night, supposedly because she is afraid of strangers. But Maigret discovers a secret compartment in her room that contains a duplicate key, a pistol and a small bottle of veronal . When the murdered man's wife, who had just arrived, was murdered with a rifle shot as soon as she got out of the car, his dirty boots again point to Andersen as the perpetrator. In addition, he apparently took the opportunity of a business trip to Paris to cross the Belgian border.

In the evening, Monsieur Oscar and his wife demonstratively drives to Paris, where Maigret has him shadowed, and Michonnet shows himself to the inspector, suffering from gout, at the window of his villa, where his illuminated silhouette remains visible throughout the night. Despite the alibis of the two men, there was another shooting that night. This time the returned Andersen is the victim and is seriously injured by two bullets. He claims to have contracted the first on his morning drive, on which he was kidnapped, and the second was fired in his own garden when he returned home. There was also an exchange of fire at the gas station after Maigret discovered that stolen goods were being stolen from there on a large scale, and that these were being distributed to fueling trucks. The illuminated window of the insurance agent serves as a nocturnal signal as to whether the car should stop to hand over the stolen property or drive through due to danger, and this time it is Maigret himself who shoots at its supposed silhouette, revealing that it is only itself is the outline of a rag stretched over a stick. The real Michonnet hides in Andersen's well until there is a loud scuffle between him and Else, in which shots are broken off again.

When the police finally arrest the observed Monsieur Oscar and his companion, an Italian named Guido Ferrari, all the suspects are gathered, and Maigret clarifies the case: Andersen's real name is not Andersen, but the offspring of a rich aristocratic family from Denmark . His alleged sister Else is a German named Bertha Krull, against whom an arrest warrant exists as an accomplice of a Danish burglar. While fleeing from the Danish police, she ran into "Andersen", who, wavering between love and Protestant conversion, hid her on his family's estate. When the latter intervened, he went to France with his lover to marry her there. But at the crossroads of the Three Widows , Bertha soon grew tired of the jealous surveillance of her husband and his attempts at religious conversion and was rather attracted to Monsieur Oscar and her ancestral milieu of the demimonde. Behind Andersen's back, whom she regularly incapacitated with sleeping pills, she not only became Oscar's lover and accomplice, but also seduced Michonnet in order to make him submissive to the gang.

The diamond dealer Isaac Goldberg was, in turn, a stolen jewelry stolen. In order to sell such hot goods, he let himself be lured by Bertha, was robbed and shot by the professional killer Ferrari, who later also killed his wife as a possible accomplice. Instead of simply disappearing Goldberg's corpse, Bertha wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of her possessive husband Carl, who was suspected of having been exchanged for the car. But inspector Maigret did not allow himself to be lured on the wrong track, despite all the traces laid out, so that the gang was forced to get rid of the Danes, which first Ferrari attempted with the kidnapping, then Michonnet with the murder attempt in Andersen's garden. In the end, the criminals are brought to justice. The professional killer Ferrari awaits the death penalty, the others are serving long prison sentences while their relatives await their release. And someone else is waiting for his wife to be released: the recovered Carl Andersen, who still loves his "Else".

interpretation

For Peter Foord, the title Maigret's Night at the Crossing already sets the mood between tension and fear that dominates the novel and is based in particular on the contrast between light and dark. Tim Morris attributes an English atmosphere to the novel. The action-packed plot, in which the bullets whistle through the darkness, is unusual for Simenon's work. Even Commissioner Maigret let the Sam Spade out by using firearms and in the end tie a gangster to the bed with electric cables. The first sentence of the novel - "When Maigret pushed back his chair and rose from his desk with an exhausted sigh, it had been exactly seventeen hours since the interrogation of Carl Andersen began." - is a typical introduction to Simenon's novels for Fenton Bresler . Through a factual and sober, but nonetheless “concentrated, powerful presentation”, the reader is immediately put into the action.

According to Peter Foord, three groups of people of very different origins meet at the isolated intersection in the middle of nowhere in France: the jovial, self-confident ex-boxer Oscar, the picky and disgusting insurance agent Michonnet with his wife and the peaceful, aristocratic Carl Andersen with his equally beautiful as mysterious sister Else, who soon arouses the interest of the inspector, with whom she embarks on a psychological duel. Maigret's close relationship with a female main character can also be found in other novels in the series, such as Maigret and the maid , Maigret loses an admirer or Maigret and the young dead woman . For Tim Morris, the focus of the novel is not the gang of criminals, especially not the Italian murderer, who is hardly mentioned at all, but the person who is supposed to be blamed for the murders: the Dane Andersen. In French exile he wants to lead a life according to religious ideals with his Else, but unfortunately settles in the direct vicinity of gangsters, whereupon he follows the example of Job rather than that of Abraham .

For Tilman Spreckelsen , on the other hand, the novel is primarily about "Cars that are stolen, damaged, shot at, repaired, which are façades in every respect and must first be destroyed so that the true extent of the crime becomes clear." Roddy Campbell also sees in the automobiles, which play a central role in almost every chapter, the leitmotif of the novel: from the exchanged car at the beginning, the murdered man in the driver's seat, the kidnapping in the car, the smuggling delivery van, the drive-by shoot on Maigret to the Green Minna during the removal of the gang. It is the gas station owner Oscar who says: “What excites me about this story is the thing with the cars. Because basically it's all about ... “For just a moment, the flowing traffic at the intersection can no longer be felt: when Maigret is cast under the erotic spell of Else. It almost seems like her claustrophobic house is completely removed from the world. Campbell speculates whether Simenon wanted to show the socio-historical change in a world that is still stuck in its original nature, but is more and more determined by motorization.

Thomas Narcejac emphasizes the fictionality of the novel, which has little to do with a realistic criminal case. For example, the Parisian Commissioner Maigret is outside his area of ​​responsibility at the intersection of the Three Widows , is careless and arbitrary in the investigation and is constantly exceeding his powers. Fenton Bresler is astonished that there is no mention of traces and clues such as blood stains, fingerprints and ballistic examinations throughout the novel, although the question of the crime scene would be eminently important for the resolution of the case. Simenon only commented on such omissions by saying that the people involved in the case and their relationships with one another would have interested him far more. For the experienced Simenon reader, there is also a telltale indication that the inspector, who is otherwise always inclined to consume alcoholic drinks, does not want to drink with Monsieur Oscar, despite his persistent invitations. Maigret's behavior is typical again when he searches the abandoned Michonnets' apartment, comes across a half-full carafe of white wine and drinks it naturally.

background

Maigret's Night at the Crossing came about immediately after an important setting in Georges Simenon's career. At the end of February 1931 his first Maigret novels Maigret and the late Monsieur Gallet as well as Maigret and the Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien appeared . They were also the first works that Simenon did not publish under a pseudonym after years as an author of trivial literature . The writer spent the following months in Guigneville-sur-Essonne near La Ferté-Alais and wrote other novels in the series, including Maigret's Night at the Crossroads in April , the plot of which is located in the immediate vicinity. The intersection of the Three Widows can be located as the intersection of National Road 20 , which leads through Arpajon , with the junction to Avrainville , the D26. The location was less than ten miles from Simenon's whereabouts at the time.

The novel owes its fame not least to the film adaptation by Jean Renoir from 1932. Simenon still remembered the scene decades later, as did Renoir, who drove all the way to Ouistreham in the summer of 1931 to find the writer anchored there , stepped out of his luxurious Bugatti with a big smile and held a copy of the freshly published novel that had inspired him. Renoir and Simenon worked together to develop the script for the film. During the implementation, they were particularly interested in the poetic dimension of the material, the atmosphere and the setting. Pierre Renoir , the director's brother, took on the role of Maigret . It was only during the test screening of the film that it turned out that part of the script was missing and that the finished film was logically difficult to understand. In retrospect, those involved gave different statements about the reason, ranging from lost film reels, financial bottlenecks to Renoir's personal problems during the shooting. Despite its poetic dimension, the published version proved to be unsuccessful neither with contemporary critics nor with the public. Simenon, however, always regards Renoir's work as the most successful Maigret film adaptation, and the author and director remained friends even after working together.

reception

The early Maigret novels became a huge hit with critics and audiences immediately after their publication; The first translations soon followed. In a contemporary review of the English translation, the Saturday Review came to the conclusion in February 1933: "The story is better than the detective". More than three quarters of a century later, Klaus N. Frick, on the other hand, was very impressed by the “fat inspector who lives on beer, thickly cut bread, ham and cigarettes” . The novel is "super exciting", lives from believable characters and the "charm of old technology". Frank Böhmert commented on Maigret's night at the crossroads : “Tight, clear, truly”, and he was happy about how “Simenon, the old rascal, always lets his inspector be loyal and honest, but still gives him a very precise and enjoyable one Attributes view of strange ladies. "

The novel was filmed a total of seven times. The film adaptation of Jean Renoir with his brother from 1932 was followed by TV episodes as part of the Maigret series with Henri Norbert (Canada, 1956), Rupert Davies (Great Britain, 1962), Jean Richard (France, 1969 and 1983), Bruno Cremer (France, 1992) and Rowan Atkinson (Great Britain, 2017). In 2003 SFB - ORB , MDR and SWR produced a radio play edited by Susanne Feldmann and Judith Kuckart under the title Maigret and the night at the intersection . The speakers included Christian Berkel and Friedhelm Ptok . In 2018 Walter Kreye read an audio book version for Audio Verlag .

expenditure

  • Georges Simenon: La Nuit du carrefour. Fayard, Paris 1931 (first edition).
  • Georges Simenon: Maigret and the man of the world. Translation: Hansjürgen Wille, Barbara Klau. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne 1965.
  • Georges Simenon: Maigret and the man of the world. Translation: Hansjürgen Wille, Barbara Klau. Heyne, Munich 1973.
  • Georges Simenon: Maigret's night at the crossroads. Translation: Annerose Melter. Diogenes, Zurich 1983, ISBN 3-257-21050-7 .
  • Georges Simenon: Maigret's night at the crossroads. Complete Maigret novels in 75 volumes, volume 7. Translation: Annerose Melter. Diogenes, Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-257-23807-5 .
  • Georges Simenon: Maigret's night at the crossroads. Translation: Hansjürgen Wille, Barbara Klau, Bärbel Brands. Kampa, Zurich 2018, ISBN 978-3-311-13007-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Notice bibliographique on La nuit du carrefour on the Maigret page by Yves Martina.
  2. Oliver Hahn: Bibliography of German-language editions. In: Georges-Simenon-Gesellschaft (Ed.): Simenon-Jahrbuch 2003 . Wehrhahn, Laatzen 2004, ISBN 3-86525-101-3 , p. 70.
  3. ^ A b c d e Maigret of the Month: La nuit du carrefour (Maigret at the Crossroads) on Steve Trussel's Maigret page.
  4. a b Tim Morris: lection: la nuit du carrefour on the website of the University of Texas at Arlington .
  5. Georges Simenon: Maigret's night at the crossroads. Diogenes, Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-257-23807-5 , p. 7.
  6. ^ Fenton Bresler: Georges Simenon. In search of the "naked" person. Ernst Kabel, Hamburg 1985, ISBN 3-921909-93-7 , p. 128.
  7. Melanie Wigbers: Krimi-Orte im Wandel. Design and functions of the scenes in crime stories from romanticism to the present. Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2006, ISBN 978-3-8260-3368-1 , p. 117.
  8. a b Tilman Spreckelsen: Maigret Marathon 7: The night at the intersection . On FAZ.net from May 23, 2008.
  9. Georges Simenon: Maigret's night at the crossroads. Diogenes, Zurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-257-23807-5 , p. 70.
  10. ^ Thomas Narcejac : The Art of Simenon. Routledge & Kegan, London 1952, p. 10.
  11. ^ Fenton Bresler: Georges Simenon. In search of the "naked" person. Ernst Kabel, Hamburg 1985, ISBN 3-921909-93-7 , p. 127.
  12. Patrick Marnham: The Man Who Wasn't Maigret. The life of Georges Simenon. Knaus, Berlin 1995, ISBN 3-8135-2208-3 , p. 192.
  13. ^ Pierre Assouline : Simenon. A biography. Chatto & Windus, London 1997, ISBN 0-7011-3727-4 , pp. 106-108.
  14. Saturday Review of February 25, 1933. After: Stanley G. Eskin: Simenon. A biography. Diogenes, Zurich 1989, ISBN 3-257-01830-4 , pp. 168-171.
  15. Crossing the three widows in Klaus N. Frick's blog .
  16. Read: Georges Simenon, Maigrets Nacht an der Kreuzung (1931) ( Memento from December 27, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) in Frank Böhmert's blog .
  17. Maigret Films & TV on Steve Trussel's website.
  18. Maigret and the night at the intersection in the HörDat audio play database .