# Jules Maigret

Jules Maigret (French:), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a commissaire ("commissioner") of the Paris Brigade Criminelle (Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres), created by writer Georges Simenon. The character's full name is Jules Amédée François Maigret.
Between 1931 and 1972, 75 novels and 28 short stories about Maigret were published, starting with Pietr-le-Letton ("The Strange Case of Peter the Lett") and concluding with Maigret et Monsieur Charles ("Maigret and Monsieur Charles"). With the creation of Maigret, Simenon renewed the detective novel genre. The novels and stories have been translated into more than 50 languages.
The Maigret stories have also received numerous film, television and radio adaptations. Penguin Books published new translations of 75 books in the series over as many months; the project was begun in November 2013 by translators David Bellos, Anthea Bell, and Ros Schwartz.

## Character
### Creation

The character of Maigret was invented by Simenon while drinking in a cafe and imagining a Parisian policeman: "a large powerfully built gentleman...a pipe, a bowler hat, a thick overcoat." Maigret was reputed to be based on Marcel Guillaume, an actual French detective although Simenon himself variously claimed not to remember the inspiration or that Maigret was influenced by Simenon's own father.
Biographers Thomas Narcejac and Fenton Bresler both see Simenon himself in his creation.

### Description

Maigret is described as a large, broad-shouldered man; he is gruff but patient and fair.
Recurring characters in the series include Maigret's wife Louise (usually referred to simply as Madame Maigret) and in particular "The Faithful Four", a group consisting of his four loyal police colleagues (Sgt./Inspector Lucas, Janvier, Lapointe, and Torrence). Other prominent characters include police surgeon Dr. Paul, Judge Coméliau, the Examining Magistrate who alternates between being a help and a hindrance to Maigret, and Dr. Pardon, Maigret's friend and physician.
Maigret doesn't like his first name being used and prefers to be simply called "Maigret". Even Maigret's wife largely restricts herself to calling him "Maigret", only calling him by his first name a handful of times.
In most novels, Maigret is aged around 45 to 55 years. There are contradictory clues to his year of birth. In Monsieur Gallet, décédé, which takes place in 1930, Maigret is described as 45, indicating 1885 as his year of birth. In another novel La première enquete de Maigret, where the investigation takes place in 1913, the author states that Maigret is 26, which establish his year of birth as 1887. In the 1932 novel L'affaire Saint-Fiacre, Maigret is 42, which would mean he was born in 1890, assuming that Maigret is contemporary to the year the novel was written.
Maigret began working as a police officer in Paris in his twenties. At the age of 30, he entered the Homicide Squad and later, nearing his forties, became chief inspector of the squad. It is mentioned that Maigret retired when in his mid-fifties, which gave him over 30 years of experience in the police.
He was from the village of Saint-Fiacre in the Allier Department, where his father Evariste Maigret was the bailiff for the local landowner; see Simenon's novel Maigret's Failure (Un échec de Maigret), about a school bully and contemporary, "Fatty" Ferdinand Fumal from the same village.

### Characteristics

Maigret wears a thick black overcoat, a bowler hat (which he later swaps out for a fedora) and frequently smokes a tobacco pipe. He is described as tall and heavy, with broad shoulders, large hands, a thick face, thick hair, thick eyebrows and bright eyes of a "greenish gray" colour. He has strongly growing facial hair and therefore shaves every morning.
In his investigations, Maigret's method is to put himself in another person's place in order to discover why the crime was committed, rather than just finding out whodunit. He is described as a person with extraordinary humanity.

## List of novels

List of Maigret novels with date of French-language publication as well as the Penguin reissue dates and titles.
| Title | French-language publication date | Penguin UK reissue date | Reissue # | Reissue title | Other English title(s) |
| Pietr-le-Letton | 1931 | 7 Nov 2013 | 1 | Pietr the Latvian | The Strange Case of Peter the Lett The Case of Peter the Lett Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett |
| Le Charretier de la Providence | 1931 | 6 Feb 2014 | 4 | The Carter of La Providence | The Crime at Lock 14 Maigret Meets a Milord Lock 14 |
| M. Gallet décédé | 1931 | 5 Dec 2013 | 2 | The Late Monsieur Gallet | The Death of Monsieur Gallet Maigret Stonewalled |
| Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien | 1931 | 2 Jan 2014 | 3 | The Hanged Man of Saint-Pholien | The Crime of Inspector Maigret Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets |
| La Tête d'un homme (L'Homme de la Tour Eiffel) | 1931 | 3 July 2014 | 9 | A Man's Head | A Battle of Nerves Maigret's War of Nerves |
| Le Chien jaune | 1931 | 6 Mar 2014 | 5 | The Yellow Dog | A Face for a Clue Maigret and the Concarneau Murders Maigret and the Yellow Dog |
| La Nuit du carrefour | 1931 | 3 Apr 2014 | 6 | Night at the Crossroads | Maigret at the Crossroads The Night at the Crossroads |
| Un Crime en Hollande | 1931 | 1 May 2014 | 7 | A Crime in Holland | Maigret in Holland |
| Au Rendez-vous des Terre-Neuves | 1931 | 5 June 2014 | 8 | The Grand Banks Café | The Sailors' Rendezvous Maigret Answers a Plea |
| La Danseuse du Gai-Moulin | 1931 | 7 Aug 2014 | 10 | The Dancer at the Gai Moulin | At the Gai Moulin Maigret at the Gai Moulin |
| La Guinguette à deux sous | 1932 | 4 Sep 2014 | 11 | The Two-Penny Bar | Guinguette by the Seine Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine Maigret to the Rescue A Spot by the Seine The Bar on the Seine |
| L'Ombre chinoise | 1932 | 2 Oct 2014 | 12 | The Shadow Puppet | The Shadow in the Courtyard Maigret Mystified |
| L'Affaire Saint-Fiacre | 1932 | 6 Nov 2014 | 13 | The Saint-Fiacre Affair | Maigret and the Countess Maigret Goes Home Maigret on Home Ground |
| Chez les Flamands | 1932 | 4 Dec 2014 | 14 | The Flemish House | Maigret and the Flemish Shop The Flemish House |
| Le Port des brumes | 1932 | 5 Feb 2015 | 16 | The Misty Harbour | Death of a Harbour Master Maigret and the Death of a Harbor Master The Port of Shadows |
| Le Fou de Bergerac | 1932 | 1 Jan 2015 | 15 | The Madman of Bergerac | |
| Liberty Bar | 1932 | 5 Mar 2015 | 17 | Liberty Bar | Maigret on the Riviera |
| L'Écluse nº 1 | 1933 | 2 Apr 2015 | 18 | Lock No. 1 | The Lock at Charenton Maigret Sits It Out |
| La femme rousse | 1933 | | | | The Redhead |
| Maigret | 1934 | 7 May 2015 | 19 | Maigret | Maigret Returns |
| La Maison du juge | 1940 | 6 Aug 2015 | 22 | The Judge's House | Maigret in Exile |
| Les Caves du Majestic | 1942 | 2 July 2015 | 21 | The Cellars of the Majestic | Maigret and the Hotel Majestic The Hotel Majestic |
| Cécile est morte | 1942 | 4 June 2015 | 20 | Cecile is Dead | Maigret and the Spinster |
| Signé Picpus | 1944 | 3 Sep 2015 | 23 | Signed, Picpus | Maigret and the Fortuneteller |
| Félicie est là | 1944 | 5 Nov 2015 | 25 | Félicie | Maigret and the Toy Village |
| L'Inspecteur Cadavre | 1944 | 1 Oct 2015 | 24 | Inspector Cadaver | Maigret's Rival |
| Maigret se fâche | 1947 | 3 Dec 2015 | 26 | Maigret Gets Angry | Maigret in Retirement |
| Maigret à New York | 1947 | 7 Jan 2016 | 27 | Maigret in New York | Inspector Maigret in New York's Underworld Maigret in New York's Underworld |
| Les Vacances de Maigret | November 1947 | 4 Feb 2016 | 28 | Maigret's Holiday | A Summer Holiday No Vacation for Maigret Maigret on Holiday |
| Maigret et son mort | January 1948 | 3 Mar 2016 | 29 | Maigret's Dead Man | Maigret's Special Murder |
| La Première enquête de Maigret, 1913 | October 1948 | 7 Apr 2016 | 30 | Maigret's First Case | Maigret's First Case |
| Mon ami Maigret | February 1949 | 5 May 2016 | 31 | My Friend Maigret | The Methods of Maigret |
| Maigret chez le coroner | July 1949 | 2 June 2016 | 32 | Maigret at the Coroner's | |
| L'Amie de M$^{me}$ Maigret | December 1949 | 4 Aug 2016 | 34 | Madame Maigret's Friend | Madame Maigret's Own Case The Friend of Madame Maigret |
| Les Mémoires de Maigret | September 1950 | 1 Sep 2016 | 35 | Maigret's Memoirs | |
| Maigret et la vieille dame | December 1950 | 7 July 2016 | 33 | Maigret and the Old Lady | |
| Maigret au "Picratt's" | December 1950 | 6 Oct 2016 | 36 | Maigret at Picratt's | Maigret and the Strangled Stripper Maigret in Montmartre Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper |
| Maigret en meublé | February 1951 | 3 Nov 2016 | 37 | Maigret Takes a Room | Maigret Rents a Room |
| Maigret et la grande perche | May 1951 | 1 Dec 2016 | 38 | Maigret and the Tall Woman | Maigret and the Burglar's Wife |
| Maigret, Lognon et les gangsters | September 1951 | 5 Jan 2017 | 39 | Maigret, Lognon and the Gangsters | Inspector Maigret and the Killers Maigret and the Gangsters |
| Le Revolver de Maigret | June 1952 | 2 Feb 2017 | 40 | Maigret's Revolver | |
| Maigret et l'homme du banc | 1953 | 2 Mar 2017 | 41 | Maigret and the Man on the Bench | Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard The Man on the Boulevard |
| Maigret a peur | March 1953 | 6 Apr 2017 | 42 | Maigret is Afraid | Maigret Afraid |
| Maigret se trompe | August 1953 | 4 May 2017 | 43 | Maigret's Mistake | |
| Maigret à l'école | December 1953 | 1 June 2017 | 44 | Maigret Goes to School | |
| Maigret et la jeune morte | January 1954 | 6 July 2017 | 45 | Maigret and the Dead Girl | Inspector Maigret and the Dead Girl Maigret and the Young Girl |
| Maigret chez le ministre | August 1954 | 3 Aug 2017 | 46 | Maigret and the Minister | Maigret and the Calame Report |
| Maigret et le corps sans tête | January 1955 | 7 Sep 2017 | 47 | Maigret and the Headless Corpse | |
| Maigret tend un piège | July 1955 | 5 Oct 2017 | 48 | Maigret Sets a Trap | |
| Un échec de Maigret | March 1956 | 2 Nov 2017 | 49 | Maigret's Failure | |
| Maigret s'amuse | September 1956 | 7 Dec 2017 | 50 | Maigret Enjoys Himself | Maigret's Little Joke None of Maigret's Business |
| Maigret voyage | August 1957 | 4 Jan 2018 | 51 | Maigret Travels | Maigret and the Millionaires |
| Les scrupules de Maigret | December 1957 | 1 Feb 2018 | 52 | Maigret's Doubts | Maigret Has Scruples |
| Maigret et les témoins récalcitrants | October 1958 | 1 Mar 2018 | 53 | Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses | |
| Une confidence de Maigret | May 1959 | 5 Apr 2018 | 54 | Maigret's Secret | Maigret Has Doubts |
| Maigret aux assises | November 1959 | 3 May 2018 | 55 | Maigret in Court | |
| Maigret et les vieillards | June 1960 | 7 June 2018 | 56 | Maigret and the Old People | Maigret in Society |
| Maigret et le voleur paresseux | January 1961 | 5 July 2018 | 57 | Maigret and the Lazy Burglar | Maigret and the Idle Burglar |
| Maigret et les braves gens | September 1961 | 2 Aug 2018 | 58 | Maigret and the Good People of Montparnasse | Maigret and the Black Sheep |
| Maigret et le client du samedi | February 1962 | 6 Sep 2018 | 59 | Maigret and the Saturday Caller | |
| Maigret et le clochard | May 1962 | 4 Oct 2018 | 60 | Maigret and the Tramp | Maigret and the Dosser Maigret and the Bum |
| La colère de Maigret | June 1962 | 1 Nov 2018 | 61 | Maigret's Anger | Maigret Loses His Temper |
| Maigret et le fantôme | June 1963 | 6 Dec 2018 | 62 | Maigret and the Ghost | Maigret and the Apparition |
| Maigret se défend | July 1964 | 3 Jan 2019 | 63 | Maigret Defends Himself | Maigret on the Defensive |
| La Patience de Maigret | March 1965 | 7 Feb 2019 | 64 | Maigret's Patience | The Patience of Maigret Maigret Bides His Time |
| Maigret et l'affaire Nahour | February 1966 | 7 March 2019 | 65 | Maigret and the Nahour Case | |
| Le voleur de Maigret | November 1966 | 4 April 2019 | 66 | Maigret's Pickpocket | Maigret and the Pickpocket |
| Maigret à Vichy | September 1967 | 6 June 2019 | 68 | Maigret in Vichy | Maigret Takes the Waters |
| Maigret hésite | January 1968 | 2 May 2019 | 67 | Maigret Hesitates | |
| L'ami d'enfance de Maigret | June 1968 | 4 July 2019 | 69 | Maigret's Childhood Friend | Maigret's Boyhood Friend |
| Maigret et le tueur | April 1969 | 1 Aug 2019 | 70 | Maigret and the Killer | |
| Maigret et le marchand de vin | September 1969 | 5 Sep 2019 | 71 | Maigret and the Wine Merchant | |
| La Folle de Maigret | May 1970 | 3 Oct 2019 | 72 | Maigret's Madwoman | Maigret and the Madwoman |
| Maigret et l'homme tout seul | February 1971 | 7 Nov 2019 | 73 | Maigret and the Loner | |
| Maigret et l'indicateur | June 1971 | 5 Dec 2019 | 74 | Maigret and the Informer | Maigret and the Flea |
| Maigret et Monsieur Charles | February 1972 | 9 Jan 2020 | 75 | Maigret and Monsieur Charles | |

## List of short stories

List of Maigret short stories by date of first publication in French.
| Title | Date | English title(s) |
| "L'affaire du boulevard Beaumarchais" | 1936 | "The Affair of the Boulevard Beaumarchais" "The Mysterious Affair in the Boulevard Beaumarchais" |
| "La péniche aux deux pendus" | 1936 | "The Barge with Two Hanging Bodies" "Inspector Maigret Thinks" "Dead Man's Barge" "Two Bodies on a Barge" |
| "La fenêtre ouverte" | 1936 | "The Open Window" "Inspector Maigret Smokes His Pipe" |
| "Peine de mort" | 1936 | "Inspector Maigret's War of Nerves" "Death Penalty" |
| "Les larmes de bougie" | 1936 | "Journey into Time" "Journey Backward into Time" "Death of a Woodlander" |
| "Rue Pigalle" | 1936 | "Maigret in Rue Pigalle" "Inspector Maigret Investigates" "In the Rue Pigalle" |
| "Monsieur Lundi" | 1936 | "Mr. Monday" "Inspector Maigret Hesitates" |
| "Une erreur de Maigret" | 1937 | "Maigret's Mistake" |
| "Stan le tueur" | 1938 | "Stan the Killer" |
| "L'auberge aux noyés" | 1938 | "The Inn of the Drowned" "The Drowned Men's Inn" |
| "L'Étoile du Nord" | 1938 | "At the Étoile du Nord" |
| "Tempête sur la Manche" | 1938 | "Storm in the Channel" "Storm over the Channel" |
| "Mademoiselle Berthe et son amant" | 1938 | "Maigret and the Frightened Dressmaker" "Mademoiselle Berthe and her Lover" |
| "L'improbable Monsieur Owen" | 1938 | "The Unlikely Monsieur Owen" |
| "Ceux du Grand Café" | 1938 | "The Group at the Grand-Café" |
| "Le notaire de Châteauneuf" | 1938 | "Inspector Maigret and the Missing Miniatures" "The Three Daughters of the Lawyer" |
| "La vieille dame de Bayeux" | 1939 | "The Old Lady of Bayeux" |
| "L'amoureux de Madame Maigret" | 1939 | "The Stronger Vessel" "Madame Maigret's Admirer" |
| "L'homme dans la rue" | 1940 | "The Man on the Run" "Inspector Maigret Pursues" "The Man in the Street" |
| "Vente à la bougie" | 1941 | "Under the Hammer" "Inspector Maigret Directs" "Sale by Auction" |
| "Menaces de mort" | 1942 | "Death Threats" |
| "Jeumont, 51 minutes d'arrêt" | 1944 | "Jeumont, 51 Minutes Wait!" "Inspector Maigret Deduces" "Jeumont, 51 Minutes Stop" |
| "La pipe de Maigret" | 1947 | "Maigret's Pipe" |
| "Le témoignage de l'enfant de chœur" | 1947 | "Elusive Witness" "According to the Altar Boy" "Crime in the Rue Sainte-Catherine" "The Evidence of the Altar-Boy" |
| "Le client le plus obstiné du monde" | 1947 | "The Most Obstinate Man in Paris" "The Most Obstinate Customer in the World" "The Most Obstinate Man in the World" |
| "Maigret et l'inspecteur malgracieux" | 1947 | "Maigret and the Surly Inspector" |
| "On ne tue pas les pauvres types" | 1947 | "Death of a Nobody" |
| "Un noël de Maigret" | 1951 | "Maigret's Christmas" |
| "Sept Petites Croix dans un carnet" | 1951 | "Seven Little Crosses in a Notebook" |

## In other media
### Audiobooks

Following the Penguin reissue of the 75 novels, actor Gareth Armstrong started recording each for Audible. Recordings took one day per book. By September 2015, he had recorded 25 of them. He has since completed all 75 recordings.

### Theatre

A production called Maigret and the Lady by Philip Mackie toured in England and Scotland in 1965, before playing at the Strand Theatre in London in October 1965. Madame Maigret was played by Charmian Eyre, and Maigret was Rupert Davies.

### Film

The cinematic potential of Maigret was realized quickly: the first screen Maigret was Pierre Renoir in 1932's Night at the Crossroads, directed by his brother Jean Renoir; the same year brought The Yellow Dog with Abel Tarride, and Harry Baur played him in 1933's A Man's Neck, directed by Julien Duvivier.
In 1950, Charles Laughton played the first English-language Maigret in The Man on the Eiffel Tower, adapted from the 1931 novel A Battle of Nerves. The film co-starred Franchot Tone, Burgess Meredith, and Wilfrid Hyde-White. Back in France, Michel Simon played the character in Full House.
Albert Préjean portrayed Maigret in three films; Picpus, Cecile Is Dead, and Majestic Hotel Cellars. A decade later, Jean Gabin played the part in three other films; Maigret Sets a Trap, Maigret et l'Affaire Saint-Fiacre, and Maigret voit rouge. Maurice Manson appeared in Maigret dirige l'enquête (1956), whilst Heinz Rühmann played the lead in a 1966 European international co-production Enter Inspector Maigret.
Gerard Depardieu starred as Maigret in a 2022 French film, entitled Maigret, adapted from Maigret and the Dead Girl.
In 2024, director Pascal Bonitzer announced he will write and direct Maigret in Society, starring Denis Podalydès.

### Television

There have been numerous incarnations of Maigret on the small screen all around the world. He has been portrayed by French, British, Irish, Austrian, German, Italian, Dutch, Japanese, and Russian actors. A French version, Les Enquêtes du Commissaire Maigret, starred Jean Richard in 88 episodes between 1967 and 1990; however, Simenon himself is said to have disliked Richard's Maigret because he would not take his hat off when entering a room. Later, Bruno Cremer played the character in 54 adaptations between 1991 and 2005.
Romney Brent played Maigret in the Studio One episode "Stan the Killer", whilst Luis van Rooten starred in an episode of Suspense entitled "The Old Lady of Bayeux". Louis Arbessier appeared in a televised film of Liberty Bar. The Italian actor Gino Cervi played the character on Italian television from 1964 up to 1972 in Le inchieste del commissario Maigret; Simenon himself considered Cervi's interpretation of the character to be "very good." This series resulted in 14 novels and 2 short stories being adapted.
In the late 1960s, Simenon's son Marc created a television spinoff entitled Les Dossiers de l'Agence O. Pierre Tornade starred as Maigret's former sidekick Torrence, now working for a private investigation agency. The series featured guest appearances by other characters from the Maigret canon, including inspectors Lucas (Pierre Mondy), and Janvier (Louis Arbessier).
In the Soviet Union, Russian theatre actor Boris Tenin portrayed Maigret in several TV films in the 1970s. In Soviet cinema, apart from Boris Tenin, Maigret was portrayed by cinema actors Vladimir Samoilov and Armen Dzhigarkhanyan.
In Japan, Kinya Aikawa played Megure, a Japanese-born equivalent to the French Maigret, reinvented in a modern Japanese setting, in Tōkyō. Megure Keishi, a 25-episode TV series aired from 14 April to 29 May 1978 on Asahi TV. Megure's wife was played by Sato Tomomi, who earned the praises of Simenon himself: "The best 'Madame Maigret' in my opinion, even including the French ones, was the 'Madame Maigret' on Japanese television. She was exactly right".
Rupert Davies played the title role in the 1960s British Maigret TV series, which debuted on 31 October 1960. Davies took over the part after Basil Sydney, who appeared as Maigret in the original transmitted pilot, proved unavailable owing to ill-health. Davies went on to star in 52 adaptations for BBC TV in that decade. His portrayal won two of the highest accolades: his versions were dubbed into French and played across the Channel; and Simenon himself said of Davies "At last, I have found the perfect Maigret!" The theme tune to the TV series, "Midnight in Montmartre", was composed by Ron Grainer. Kees Brusse and Jan Teulings also portrayed the character in separate Dutch adaptations produced around the same time.
Granada Television produced an adaptation of Maigret for ITV in 1992 and 1993 in which Michael Gambon starred as Maigret; there were 12 adaptations in the two series. An earlier version, Maigret (1988) on ITV cast Richard Harris in the lead role.
In 2004, Sergio Castellitto played Maigret in two Italian TV movies: La trappola ("The Trap") and L'ombra cinese ("The Chinese Shadow").
Rowan Atkinson played Maigret in four television films made by ITV from 2016 to 2017. The first two episodes were adapted from Maigret Sets a Trap and Maigret's Dead Man. Two further episodes were broadcast in 2017, adapted from Maigret at the Crossroads and Maigret in Montmartre.
In 2021, the Simenon estate signed a co-production and licensing deal with Playground Entertainment and Red Arrow Studios to produce a new English-language series, with the option extending to the entire Maigret canon. In September 2024, the cast and crew for the series was announced, led by Ben Wainwright as Maigret.

### Radio

Maurice Denham played Chief Inspector Maigret in a series of three-quarter-hour dramatizations of the novels on BBC Radio 4 beginning in 1976, with Michael Gough playing Georges Simenon. The format of each play would begin with Maigret and Simenon sitting together discussing some fact or event which would then lead into Maigret's recounting a particular case, with Simenon asking questions or commenting from time to time. After Denham's death, the series was continued in 2003 with Nicholas Le Prevost playing a gruffer, more earthy Maigret and Julian Barnes playing Simenon.
In the interim, Bernard Hepton starred in a 1986 Saturday Night Theatre adaptation of Maigret's Special Murder, whilst Barry Foster played the detective in 1998's Maigret's Christmas for the Afternoon Play.
In 1990-1991, abridgments of some of the novels (including "Madame Maigret's Case," "Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine," and "Maigret in Montmartre") were serialized in daily one-minute installments on WNCN, a classical music station in New York City. They were read every night at midnight in a radio program called the "H.B.J. Midnight Murder Mystery Minute."

### Comics

Jacques Blondeau adapted the novels into the comic series Maigret (1950–53), published in Samedi Soir and Paris Journal. Rumeu (drawings) and Camille Dulac (script) adapted the Maigret story L'Affaire Nahour into the comic strip Maigret in 1969. Between 1992 and 1997 the series Maigret inspired five albums, drawn by Philippe Wurm [fr] and Frank Brichau [fr].