Pietr the Latvian: Inspector Maigret #1 - Inspector Maigret (Paperback)
Georges Simenon (author), David Bellos (translator)- 10+ in stock
The first novel which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.
Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands.
But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man. His firm muscles filled out his jacket and quickly pulled all his trousers out of shape.
He had a way of imposing himself just by standing there. His assertive presence had often irked many of his own colleagues.
In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he traces the true identity of Pietr the Latvian.
This novel has been published in previous translations as The Case of Peter the Lett and Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett.
'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' John Gray
'One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century' Guardian
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780141392738
Number of pages: 176
Weight: 134 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 9 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
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 *
You may also be interested in...
“Pietr the Latvian”
Inspector Maigret’s first investigation sees the indomitable detective on the trail of Pietr the Latvian, a man (who may or may not be Latvian) believed responsible for global catalogue of thefts, cons and general... More
“Has my search for a truly literary crime novel come to an end?”
I've never read a Maigret before but after this, I'm definitely going to delve deeper into the series. Sombre, smart, nuanced - Georges Simenon has created an engaging detective in the hard boiled noir... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
Click & Collect
Alternatively, for multiple items you may find it easier to add to basket, then pay online and collect in as little as 2 hours, subject to availability.