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Maigret sets out to prove the innocence of a man condemned to death for a brutal murder. As his audacious plan to uncover the truth unfolds, he encounters rich American expatriates, some truly dangerous characters and their hidden motives.Tags
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Reader, you are not here to “figure it out.”
The continual suspense and tension that Simenon is able to maintain throughout this novel is ingenious. There are scenes that are perfect because Simenon gives barely enough detail to make anything sensible and the reader’s imagination and “faith-in-author” do the rest to make the scenes as taut and intense as he wants. This is such a crazy experience since, as we all know, Simenon’s writing is spare, somewhat choppy, and quite speedy.
The chapters in Coupole are amazingly written – I was there: in the scene. I can vouch for the beads of sweat on Maigret’s forehead. I could smell the olives and the apéritifs as the revolving door kept opening and closing bringing refreshing yet show more chilling bursts of autumn air. It nearly has me wanting to go for brunch right this moment…….
This is a dark read. It turns into the examination of a psychologically-twisted criminal who gets his ending. It makes all of us so very glad that Inspector Maigret is around to keep us safe. There are plenty detective stories and mystery novels to read if a reader is so inclined to chase clues and get stumped by red herrings. This novel is not of that ilk. Instead, this novel is for readers who want to be drawn into scenes, who aware that for as much is said much goes unsaid, and to be surrounded in Maigret’s pipe-smoke. Another strong candidate for re-reading. show less
The continual suspense and tension that Simenon is able to maintain throughout this novel is ingenious. There are scenes that are perfect because Simenon gives barely enough detail to make anything sensible and the reader’s imagination and “faith-in-author” do the rest to make the scenes as taut and intense as he wants. This is such a crazy experience since, as we all know, Simenon’s writing is spare, somewhat choppy, and quite speedy.
The chapters in Coupole are amazingly written – I was there: in the scene. I can vouch for the beads of sweat on Maigret’s forehead. I could smell the olives and the apéritifs as the revolving door kept opening and closing bringing refreshing yet show more chilling bursts of autumn air. It nearly has me wanting to go for brunch right this moment…….
This is a dark read. It turns into the examination of a psychologically-twisted criminal who gets his ending. It makes all of us so very glad that Inspector Maigret is around to keep us safe. There are plenty detective stories and mystery novels to read if a reader is so inclined to chase clues and get stumped by red herrings. This novel is not of that ilk. Instead, this novel is for readers who want to be drawn into scenes, who aware that for as much is said much goes unsaid, and to be surrounded in Maigret’s pipe-smoke. Another strong candidate for re-reading. show less
La Santé Prison of Paris has lost a murderer, but this is no ordinary escape. Justice is not the only prize at stake. If the condemned man slips the authorities, Chief Inspector Maigret's career will end in a scandal that will rock the Police Judiciaire to its foundations. But as Maigret pursues his quarry through the deepening shadows of a hidden, malovent enemy, the most important question is this: how much scandal would you risk when a man's head is on the line?
Simenon's "Maigret" stories are simple, straightforward stories at one level. What makes them so compelling is the deep well of humanity just beneath the surface. Even Simenon's most chilling killers leave you with a touch of despairing empathy for humanity gone bad, despite show more the irreedemable destruction they wreak in each life they destroy. This pathos of the human condition is what lifts the Maigret series above the common run of police procedurals, and keeps the reader coming back for more. show less
Simenon's "Maigret" stories are simple, straightforward stories at one level. What makes them so compelling is the deep well of humanity just beneath the surface. Even Simenon's most chilling killers leave you with a touch of despairing empathy for humanity gone bad, despite show more the irreedemable destruction they wreak in each life they destroy. This pathos of the human condition is what lifts the Maigret series above the common run of police procedurals, and keeps the reader coming back for more. show less
Usually large and in charge, Chief Inspector Jules Maigret rarely breaks a sweat in most of Georges Simenon’s novels, but in A Man’s Head, Maigret’s job is on the line.
Joseph Heurtin, a deliveryman, was condemned to hang for the brutal stabbing murder of a rich American woman, Mrs. Henderson, and her maid. Gradually, Maigret comes to believe that Heurtin — who never met the women, from whom nothing was stolen — is a fall guy in a bigger plan. But what?
To find out, Maigret engineers Heurtin’s escape from the Santé prison’s High Surveillance wing in order to follow him. Coméliau, the examining magistrate and Maigret’s nemesis, makes it clear that, should things go wrong, it will be on Maigret’s head. And do things go show more wrong! For much of the novel, Maigret, although outwardly placid, is inwardly wracked with anxiety — as is the reader! What did Mrs. Henderson really die? And how are Heurtin and the murdered women connected to a young Czech medical student who makes no secret of knowing too much about the case? As Heurtin gives one police tail after another the slip, the case becomes more and more baffling, even for Maigret, much less the reader. You’ll find yourself anxiously reading A Man’s Head in one go in order to see Maigret crack this tough case. show less
Joseph Heurtin, a deliveryman, was condemned to hang for the brutal stabbing murder of a rich American woman, Mrs. Henderson, and her maid. Gradually, Maigret comes to believe that Heurtin — who never met the women, from whom nothing was stolen — is a fall guy in a bigger plan. But what?
To find out, Maigret engineers Heurtin’s escape from the Santé prison’s High Surveillance wing in order to follow him. Coméliau, the examining magistrate and Maigret’s nemesis, makes it clear that, should things go wrong, it will be on Maigret’s head. And do things go show more wrong! For much of the novel, Maigret, although outwardly placid, is inwardly wracked with anxiety — as is the reader! What did Mrs. Henderson really die? And how are Heurtin and the murdered women connected to a young Czech medical student who makes no secret of knowing too much about the case? As Heurtin gives one police tail after another the slip, the case becomes more and more baffling, even for Maigret, much less the reader. You’ll find yourself anxiously reading A Man’s Head in one go in order to see Maigret crack this tough case. show less
There are some very good scenes in this early Maigret, especially the very neat little sketch of café society at La Coupole, but it’s spoilt a bit by the implausible stunt Maigret pulls in the opening chapter and by a somewhat over-complicated solution. The conceit at the heart of the story, that Maigret cannot be satisfied by mere physical evidence and needs to get into the murderer’s mind, is a strong one, and it would have supported a better book. Knowing Simenon, it’s pretty safe to say that he must have used it again somewhere or other, so it probably wasn't wasted.
Maigret Saves a Condemned Man
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation* by David Coward from the French language original "La Tête d'un homme" (1931)
A Man's Head starts off with yet another unorthodox opening for a Simenon novel. Chief Inspector Maigret has engineered a prison escape for a condemned man on the eve of his execution by guillotine. Maigret believes the man to be innocent even though all evidence in the case pointed against him and Maigret himself had to arrest him. The purpose of the escape is to observe the suspect from a distance and to see if his movements lead back to the actual culprit.
See image at https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNmMzZTRkNGQtMmYyZS00MTQ4LWFhYTAtMTFkNzg0...
Title card show more for the 1967 French TV adapation of "A Man's Head". Image sourced from IMDb.
The case becomes further complicated when an anonymous source reveals the escape plan to the press. Maigret's suspicions come to centre on the patrons of a particular bar where he meets a vagrant Czech student and the American relatives of the original murder victim. Then the escapee shows up outside the same bar for further intrigue. Eventually the mystery is miraculously solved yet again by the cantankerous Chief Inspector.
I've now read several of the early Maigret novellas in the past three weeks and they continue to impress with how different they are not only from each other, but also from other "Golden Age of Crime" novels of that interwar era. What is even more impressive is that the first dozen were all published in 1931 as if he wrote one every month. Perhaps it is not that surprising from an author who wrote over 500 books in his lifetime, but it still an eyeopener.
Continuing the confusion for completists, this is Maigret #9 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but is listed as Maigret #5 in the previous standard Maigret Series listing.
Trivia and Links
* Some English translations have given the title as Maigret's War of Nerves.
A Man's Head, under its original French title La Tête d'un homme, was adapted for a French language film in 1933 directed by Julien Duvivier with Harry Baur as Inspector Maigret and for French television in 1967, as Episode 2 of the long running TV series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019. show less
Review of the Penguin Classics paperback (2014) of a new translation* by David Coward from the French language original "La Tête d'un homme" (1931)
A Man's Head starts off with yet another unorthodox opening for a Simenon novel. Chief Inspector Maigret has engineered a prison escape for a condemned man on the eve of his execution by guillotine. Maigret believes the man to be innocent even though all evidence in the case pointed against him and Maigret himself had to arrest him. The purpose of the escape is to observe the suspect from a distance and to see if his movements lead back to the actual culprit.
See image at https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNmMzZTRkNGQtMmYyZS00MTQ4LWFhYTAtMTFkNzg0...
Title card show more for the 1967 French TV adapation of "A Man's Head". Image sourced from IMDb.
The case becomes further complicated when an anonymous source reveals the escape plan to the press. Maigret's suspicions come to centre on the patrons of a particular bar where he meets a vagrant Czech student and the American relatives of the original murder victim. Then the escapee shows up outside the same bar for further intrigue. Eventually the mystery is miraculously solved yet again by the cantankerous Chief Inspector.
I've now read several of the early Maigret novellas in the past three weeks and they continue to impress with how different they are not only from each other, but also from other "Golden Age of Crime" novels of that interwar era. What is even more impressive is that the first dozen were all published in 1931 as if he wrote one every month. Perhaps it is not that surprising from an author who wrote over 500 books in his lifetime, but it still an eyeopener.
Continuing the confusion for completists, this is Maigret #9 in the Penguin Classics series of new translations (2013-2019) of the Inspector Maigret novels and short stories, but is listed as Maigret #5 in the previous standard Maigret Series listing.
Trivia and Links
* Some English translations have given the title as Maigret's War of Nerves.
A Man's Head, under its original French title La Tête d'un homme, was adapted for a French language film in 1933 directed by Julien Duvivier with Harry Baur as Inspector Maigret and for French television in 1967, as Episode 2 of the long running TV series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret (The Investigations of Commissioner Maigret) (1967-1990) with Jean Richard as Inspector Maigret.
There is an article about the Penguin Classics re-translations of the Inspector Maigret novels at Maigret, the Enduring Appeal of the Parisian Sleuth by Paddy Kehoe, RTE, August 17, 2019. show less
This was well plotted, and whilst Maigret was his normal gloomy, introverted self, there was something spirited and committed about his determination that lifted this outing slightly. Set around the river Seine and the docks area, the sense of place was really strong as well.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/mans-head-georges-simenon
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/mans-head-georges-simenon
*****SPOILER*******
Can't stop reading these. Radek is the best villain so far in this series, and one of the most horrifying humans I can every remember reading in fiction. Ooof.
Can't stop reading these. Radek is the best villain so far in this series, and one of the most horrifying humans I can every remember reading in fiction. Ooof.
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Author Information
1,313+ Works 62,634 Members
The prolific Belgian-born writer Georges Simenon produced hundreds of fictional works under his own name and 17 pseudonyms, in addition to more than 70 books about Inspector Maigret, long "the favorite sleuth of highbrow detective-story readers" (SR). More than 50 "Simenons" have been made into films. In addition to his mystery stories, he wrote show more what he called "hard" books, the serious psychological novels numbering well over 100. The autobiographical Pedigree, set in his native town of Liege, is perhaps his finest work. The publication of Simenon's intimate memoirs also attracted considerable attention. Simenon himself once said that he would never write a "great novel." Yet Gide called him "a great novelist, perhaps the greatest and truest novelist we have in French literature today," and Thornton Wilder (see Vol. 1) found that Simenon's narrative gift extends "to the tips of his fingers." The following are some of Simenon's novels, exclusive of the Maigret detective stories, that are in print. (Bowker Author Biography) Georges Simenon was born on February 13, 1903 in Liege, Belgium. He wrote more than 200 fiction works under 16 different pseudonyms. His first book, The Case of Peter the Lent led to 80 more of the like including the main character, Inspector Maigret. He published over 400 books that were translated into 50 different languages and sold by the millions. He also wrote psychological novels, including The Man Who Watched the Train Go By. He died on September 4, 1989 in Lausanne. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Man's Head
- Original title
- La Tête d'un homme
- Alternate titles
- A Battle of Nerves; Maigret's War of Nerves; The Patience of Maigret
- Original publication date
- 1931-09; 1940 (in English) (in English)
- People/Characters
- Jules Maigret
- Important places
- Paris, France
- Related movies*
- Il delitto della villa (1933 | IMDb); L'uomo della Torre Eiffel (1949 | IMDb); Le inchieste del commissario Maigret - Una vita in gioco (1965 | IMDb)
- First words
- Somewhere in Sante Prison a clock struck two.
When a bell somewhere rang twice, the prisoner was sitting on his bunk with his two large hands clasped about his folded knees. (translation by David Coward, 2014) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Instead, he went directly to the Quai des Orfevres, where he started poking the fire so viciously that he nearly broke his precious stove.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He went directly to Quai des Orfèvres, filled the stove in his office to the top and poked it so hard that he very nearly broke the bars. (translation by David Coward, 2014) - Original language
- French
- Disambiguation notice
- In the French original, La tête d'un homme (1931); and L'homme de la Tour Eiffel (1952).
Variously published in English as:
(i) "A Battle of Nerves," in The Patience of Maigret... (show all) (1939), and with "At the 'Gai-Moulin'" (1950);
(ii) "A Man's Head," in Philadelphia Inquirer (1941), and A Man's Head (2003);
(iii) The Patience of Maigret (1941);
(iv) Maigret's War of Nerves (1986) and (v) A Man's Head (2014) (trans. David Coward).
PLEASE DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE STAND-ALONE 1941 EDITION, WHICH THIS LT WORK INCLUDES, AND THE 1939 ANTHOLOGY WITH THE SAME TITLE.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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