Hercules Editions is pleased to announce the publication of Impasse: for Jules Maigret, a tribute in poems to Georges Simenon’s iconic French police detective by Sean O’Brien.

 

O’Brien writes in his essay in the book “Simenon is the only author whose work I’ve wanted to write about like this and I allowed myself a reverie on his turf.” The resulting poems are O’Brien at his best, locating Maigret in landscapes “touched by an implacable melancholy”.

 

The book includes images trawled from the Maigret catalogue of films and novels, including cover illustrations by Dick Bruna and Ferenc Pintér, plus a new essay by poet and critic Patrick McGuinness on Maigret’s lasting influence, in addition to an afterword by the author.

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Visit our media page here to listen to a recording of the launch of Impasse at the Cinema Museum in London on 25 May 2023.