{"product_id":"the-madman-of-bergerac-isbn-9780141394565","title":"The Madman of Bergerac","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA tense, unforgettable Inspector Maigret mystery from Georges Simenon\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“He recalled his travelling companion’s agitated sleep—was it really sleep?—his sighs, and his sobbing. Then the two dangling legs, the patent-leather shoes and hand-knitted socks . . . An insipid face. Glazed eyes. And Maigret was not surprised to see a grey beard eating into his cheeks.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA distressed passenger leaps off a night train and vanishes into the woods. Maigret, on his way to a well-earned break in the Dordogne, is soon plunged into the pursuit of a madman, hiding amongst the seemingly respectable citizens of Bergerac.\u003cb\u003ePraise for Georges Simenon:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequaled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “These Maigret books are as timeless as Paris itself.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The matchless French crime novelist.” —Adam Gopnik, \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Maigret ranks with Holmes and Poirot in the pantheon of fictional detective immortals.” —\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov.” —William Faulkner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “An astute observer of human nature, writing in a spare and vivid style.” —Amor Towles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I never read contemporary fiction–with one exception: the works of Simenon.” —T.S. Eliot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A writer as comfortable with reality as with fiction, with passion as with reason.” —John Le Carré\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “One of the most important writers of our century.” —Gabriel García Márquez\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A favorite writer of mine.” —Sigrid Nunez\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A great writer of detail, of atmosphere.” —Leïla Slimani\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Feels incredibly modern…A great writer.” —Ian Rankin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature.” —André Gide\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A supreme writer . . . Unforgettable vividness.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Superb . . . The most addictive of writers . . . A unique teller of tales.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Compelling, remorseless, brilliant.” —John Gray\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A truly wonderful writer . . . Marvelously readable—lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates.” —Muriel Spark\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were a part of it.” —Peter Ackroyd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century.” —John Banville\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"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\" ―\u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"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\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"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.\" ―\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn.\" ―Stig Abell, \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003cb\u003eGEORGES SIMENON \u003c\/b\u003e(1903–1989) was born in Liège, Belgium. Best known in the English-speaking world as the author of the Inspector Maigret books, his prolific output of more than four hundred novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe.\u003cp\u003e                    \u003c\/p\u003e                        \u003cp\u003eGeorges Simenon\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cbr\u003e------------------------------\u003cbr\u003e            \u003cp\u003eTHE MADMAN OF BERGERAC\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cb\u003e                \u003ci\u003eTranslated by Ros Schwartz\u003c\/i\u003e            \u003c\/b\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                            \u003c\/p\u003e                      \u003cb\u003ePENGUIN BOOKS\u003c\/b\u003e      \u003cp\u003eAn imprint of Penguin Random House LLC\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003e375 Hudson Street \u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eNew York, New York 10014\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003epenguin.com\u003c\/p\u003e                  \u003cp\u003eFirst published in French as \u003ci\u003eLes trois morts de Bergerac\u003c\/i\u003e by Fayard 1932\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eThis translation first published in Penguin Books 2015\u003c\/p\u003e           \u003cp\u003eCopyright © 1932 by Georges Simenon Limited\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003eTranslation copyright © 2015 by Ros Schwartz\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eGEORGES SIMENON ® Simenon.tm\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eMAIGRET ® Georges Simenon Limited\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003ePenguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eThe moral rights of the author and translator have been asserted.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eISBN 978-0-698-19411-3\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eCover photograph (detail) © Harry Gruyaert\/Magnum Photos\u003c\/p\u003e      \u003cp\u003eCover design by Alceu Chiesorin Nunes\u003c\/p\u003e                                      \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e                                    \u003cp\u003e                Title Page            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                Copyright            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                About the Author            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                1. The Restless Passenger            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                2. Five Disappointed Men            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                3. The Second-class Ticket            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                4. A Gathering of Madmen            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                5. The Patent-leather Shoes            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                6. The Seal            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                7. Samuel            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                8. A Book Collector            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                9. The Kidnapping of the Cabaret Singer            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                10. The Note            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                11. The Father            \u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                EXTRA: Chapter 1 from \u003ci\u003eThe Misty Harbour\u003c\/i\u003e            \u003c\/p\u003e                    \u003cb\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/b\u003e        \u003cp\u003eGeorges Simenon was born on 12 February            1903 in Liège, Belgium, and died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived            for the latter part of his life. Between 1931 and 1972 he published seventy-five novels            and twenty-eight short stories featuring Inspector Maigret.\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003eSimenon always resisted identifying himself            with his famous literary character, but acknowledged that they shared an important            characteristic:\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e            \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy motto, to the extent that I have                one, has been noted often enough, and I’ve always conformed to it. It’s                the one I’ve given to old Maigret, who resembles me in certain points …                ‘understand and judge not’.\u003c\/p\u003e                \u003cp\u003ePenguin is publishing the entire series of            Maigret novels.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                                    PENGUIN CLASSICS        \u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cb\u003eTHE MADMAN OF BERGERAC\u003c\/b\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of            Chekhov’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— William Faulkner\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A truly wonderful            writer … marvellously readable – lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the            world he creates’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— Muriel Spark\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Few writers have ever conveyed with such a            sure touch, the bleakness of human life’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— A. N. Wilson\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘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’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A novelist who entered his fictional world as            if he were part of it’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— Peter Ackroyd\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘The greatest of all, the most genuine            novelist we have had in literature’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— André Gide\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Superb … The most addictive of            writers … A unique teller of tales’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘The mysteries of the human personality are            revealed in all their disconcerting complexity’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— Anita Brookner\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A writer who, more than any other crime            novelist, combined a high literary reputation with popular appeal’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— P. D. James\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘A supreme writer … Unforgettable            vividness’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e — \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Compelling, remorseless, brilliant’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— John Gray\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e‘Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth            century’\u003c\/p\u003e        \u003cp\u003e— John Banville\u003c\/p\u003e                                    \u003cp\u003e1. The                Restless Passenger\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt all came about by pure chance! The                previous day, Maigret had not known that he was about to go on a journey, even                though it was the time of year when he usually began to find Paris oppressive. It                was a March spiced up with a foretaste of spring and a clear, sharp sun that was                already warm.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eMadame Maigret was away in Alsace for a                couple of weeks, staying with her sister, who was having a baby.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eOn the Wednesday morning, the inspector                received a letter from a former colleague who had retired from the Police Judiciaire                two years earlier and moved to the Dordogne.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e                    \u003ci\u003e… And of course, if you happen to be in the area, do come and stay with me                        for a few days. I have an elderly housekeeper who is only too happy when                        there are guests to fuss over. And it’s the start of the salmon                        season—\u003c\/i\u003e                \u003c\/p\u003e                        \u003cp\u003eMaigret’s imagination was                particularly fired by the letterhead with its drawing of a manor house flanked by                two circular towers above the address:\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e                \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e                    \u003ci\u003eLa Ribaudière\u003c\/i\u003e                \u003c\/p\u003e                \u003cp\u003e                    \u003ci\u003enear Villefranche-en-Dordogne\u003c\/i\u003e                \u003c\/p\u003e                        \u003cp\u003eAt midday, Madame Maigret telephoned from Alsace to say                that her sister would probably give birth that night, adding, ‘You’d                think it was summer … The fruit trees are in blossom!’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eChance … Pure chance … A little later,                Maigret was in the chief’s office, chatting, when his superior said, ‘By                the way … Did you ever go to Bordeaux to follow up that matter we talked                about?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt was a minor case of no urgency. At                some point, Maigret had to go to Bordeaux to trawl through the municipal                records.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eOne idea led to another: Bordeaux … the                Dordogne.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAt that exact moment, a ray of sunlight                struck the crystal globe paperweight on the chief’s desk.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘That’s a thought! I’m                not working on anything at the moment.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eLater that afternoon, having purchased                a first-class ticket to Villefranche, Maigret boarded the train at the Gare                d’Orsay. The guard reminded him to change trains at Libourne.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Unless you’re in the                sleeper compartment which gets hitched to the connecting train.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eMaigret thought no more about it, read a                few newspapers and made his way to the dining car where he sat until ten                o’clock.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eWhen he returned to his compartment, he                found the curtains drawn and the light dimmed. An elderly couple had commandeered                both seats.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAn attendant walked past.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Is there a free bunk by any chance?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Not in first-class … but I think                there’s one in second … If you don’t mind—’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Of course not!’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAnd Maigret lugged his carpet-bag along                    the corridors. The attendant opened                several doors and finally found the compartment in which only the upper bunk was                taken.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHere too, the light was dimmed and the                curtains drawn.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘Would you like me to switch on                the light?’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘No thank you.’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eThe air was warm and stuffy. There was a                faint hissing sound, as if there was a leak in the radiator pipes. Maigret could                hear the person in the top bunk tossing and turning and breathing heavily.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eThe inspector silently removed his                shoes, jacket and waistcoat. He stretched out on the lower bunk and felt a slight                draught coming from somewhere. He picked up his bowler hat and put it over his face                for protection.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eDid he fall asleep? He dozed off, in any                case. Perhaps for an hour, perhaps two. Perhaps longer. But he remained half                conscious.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAnd, in that semi-conscious state, he                was aware of a feeling of discomfort. Was it because of the heat battling with the                draught?\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eOr was it because of the man in the top                bunk, who couldn’t keep still for a second? He tossed and turned continually,                just above Maigret’s head. Every movement made a rustling sound.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHis breathing was irregular, as if he                had a fever.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAfter a time, Maigret got up,                exasperated, went into the corridor and paced up and down. But there it was too                cold.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eSo it was back into the compartment, and                another attempt to sleep, his thoughts and sensations befuddled by drowsiness.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eCut off from the rest of the world, the                atmosphere was that of a nightmare.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHad the man above him just raised                himself up on his elbows and leaned over to try and get a look at his companion?\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eMaigret, meanwhile, didn’t dare                move. The half-bottle of Bordeaux and the two brandies he had drunk in the dining                car lay heavy in his stomach.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eThe night was long. Whenever the train                stopped at a station, there was a babble of voices, footsteps in the corridors,                doors slamming. It felt as if the train would never get going again.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt sounded as if the man was crying.                There were moments when he held his breath. Then suddenly, there’d be a snivel                and he would turn over and blow his nose.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eMaigret regretted leaving his                first-class compartment occupied by the elderly couple.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHe dozed off, woke up and drifted off                again. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, he coughed to steady his voice and                said, ‘Monsieur, would you kindly try to keep still!’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eHe felt embarrassed, because his voice                sounded much sterner than he had intended. Supposing the man was ill?\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eThere was no answer. The tossing and                turning stopped. The man must have been making a huge effort to avoid making the slightest sound. And it suddenly occurred to                Maigret that it might not be a man after all, but a woman! He hadn’t seen the                person who was wedged between the bunk and the ceiling.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eAnd the heat must be suffocating up                there. Now Maigret tried to turn down the radiator, but the control knob was                jammed.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eIt was three o’clock in the                morning.\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003e‘I really must get some                sleep!’\u003c\/p\u003e            \u003cp\u003eNow he was wide awake. He had become                almost as jumpy as his fellow passenger. He listened out.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301214998757,"sku":"NP9780141394565","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780141394565.jpg?v=1742923456","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-madman-of-bergerac-isbn-9780141394565","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}