Maigret and the Hotel Majestic explained

Maigret and the Hotel Majestic
Author:Georges Simenon
Title Orig:Les caves du majestic
Orig Lang Code:fr
Translator:Caroline Hillier
Language:French
Series:Inspector Jules Maigret
Genre:Detective fiction
Pub Date:1942
English Pub Date:1977
Media Type:Print
Preceded By:Maigret Returns
Followed By:Maigret in Exile

Maigret and the Hotel Majestic (French: Les Caves du Majestic) is a 1942 detective novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon featuring his character Jules Maigret.[1]

This novel was first published in English in 1977 by Hamish Hamilton (London) and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (New York), translated by Caroline Hillier, later also published under the title The Hotel Majestic.

In 2015, this novel was reissued in English under the title The Cellars of the Majestic, newly translated by Howard Curtis .

Synopsis

Maigret is called to the high-class Hotel Majestic to investigate a body. The wife of a wealthy American has been killed - but to Maigret's surprise she has a gun in her purse. He begins to follow up the handful of clues that could explain her secret life and her demise.

Adaptations

It has one major big-screen adaptation. It was filmed in 1945 as Majestic Hotel Cellars starring Albert Préjean as Maigret.[2]

It has been adapted for television on four occasions: In 1963 it was made into an episode of BBC's Maigret starring Rupert Davies (It aired as the fourth episode of the fourth season).

In 1987 it was made into an episode of the long-running French series Les Enquêtes du commissaire Maigret starring Jean Richard. (It aired as episode No. 73.)

In 1993 it was adapted twice, first for the French-language international production of Maigret starring Bruno Cremer, airing in its second season. Also in 1993, it was featured on British TV as an episode of the ITV drama Maigret starring Michael Gambon. (It aired as the second episode of the second season.)[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Hotel Majestic (Inspector Maigret) by Georges Simenon . Fantasticfiction.co.uk . 2013-10-12.
  2. Book: Pitts, Michael R.. Famous Movie Detectives III. 2004. Scarecrow Press. 95. 9780810836907.
  3. Web site: DVD extra: Michael Gambon's 'Maigret' out this week. USA Today. 2 March 2013. 4 January 2020.