Georges Simenon THE TWO-PENNY BAR Translated by David Watson Previously published as The Bar on the Seine PENGUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite700, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 2Y3 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 707 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3008, Australia (adivision of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (SouthAfrica) (Pty) Ltd, Block D, Rosebank Office Park, 181 Jan Smuts Avenue, Parktown North, Gauteng 2193, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England www.penguin.com First published in French as La Guinguette à deux sous by Fayard 1932 This translation first published as The Bar on the Seine in Penguin Books 2003, and revised 2014 Copyright 1932 by Georges Simenon Limited Translation copyright © Georges Simenon Limited, 2003, 2014 GEORGES SIMENON ® Simenon.tm MAIGRET ® Georges Simenon Limited Cover photograph (detail) © Burt Glinn/Magnum Photos Front cover design by Alceu Chiesorin Nunes Cover credit: © Harry Gruyaert/Magnum Photos All rights reserved The moral rights of the author and translator have been asserted Typeset by Palimpsest Book Production Ltd, Falkirk, Stirlingshire ISBN: 978-0-698-18304-9 Title Page Copyright Page About the Author 1. Saturday with Monsieur Basso 2. The Lady's Husband 3. The Two Boats 4. Meetings in Rue Royale 5. The Doctor's Car 6. Haggling 7. The Second-Hand Dealer 8. James's Mistress 9. Twenty-Two Francs of Ham 10. Inspector Maigret's Absence 11. Ulrich's Murderer EXTRA: Chapter 1 from The Shadow Puppet PENGUIN CLASSICS THE TWO-PENNY BAR 'I love reading Simenon. He makes me think of Chekhov' -- William Faulkner 'A truly wonderful writer ... marvellously readable - lucid, simple, absolutely in tune with the world he creates' -- Muriel Spark 'Few writers have ever conveyed with such a sure touch, the bleakness of human life' -- A. N. Wilson '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' -- Guardian 'A novelist who entered his fictional world as if he were part of it' -- Peter Ackroyd 'The greatest of all, the most genuine novelist we have had in literature' -- André Gide 'Superb ... The most addictive of writers ... A unique teller of tales' -- Observer 'The mysteries of the human personality are revealed in all their disconcerting complexity' -- Anita Brookner 'A writer who, more than any other crime novelist, combined a high literary reputation with popular appeal' -- P. D. James 'A supreme writer ... Unforgettable vividness' -- Independent 'Compelling, remorseless, brilliant' -- John Gray 'Extraordinary masterpieces of the twentieth century' -- John Banville ABOUT THE AUTHOR Georges 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 storiesfeaturing Inspector Maigret. Simenon always resisted identifying himself with his famous literary character, but acknowledged that they shared an important characteristic: My 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'. Penguin is publishing the entire series of Maigret novels. 1. Saturday with Monsieur Basso A radiant late afternoon. The sunshine almost as thick as syrup in the quiet streets of the Left Bank. And everything - the people's faces, the countless familiar sounds of the street - exuded a joy to be alive. There are days like this, when ordinary life seems heightened, when the people walking down the street, the trams and cars all seem to exist in a fairy tale. It was 27 June. When Maigret arrived at the gate of the Santé prison he found the guard gazing soppily at a little white cat that was playing with the dog from the dairy. Some days the pavement must be more resonant underfoot: Maigret's footsteps echoed in the vast courtyard. He walked to the end of a corridor, where he asked a warder: 'Does he know? ...' 'Not yet.' A key turned in the lock. The bolt was pulled back. A high-ceilinged cell, very clean. A man stood up, looking unsure as to which expression to adopt. 'All right, Lenoir?' the inspector asked. The man nearly smiled. But a thought came into his mind and his face hardened. He frowned suspiciously, and his mouth twisted into a sneer for a moment or two. Then he shrugged his shoulders and held out his hand. 'I see,' he said. 'What do you see?' A resigned smile. 'Give it a rest, eh? You must be here because ...' 'I'm here because I'm off on holiday tomorrow and ...' The prisoner gave a hollow laugh. He was a tall young man. His dark hair was brushed back. He had regular features, fine brown eyes. His thin dark moustache set off the whiteness of his teeth, which were as sharp as a rodent's. 'That's very kind of you, inspector ...' He stretched, yawned, put down the lid of the toilet in the corner of the cell which had been left up. 'Excuse the mess ...' Then suddenly, looking Maigret in the eye, he said: Excerpted from The Two-Penny Bar by Georges Simenon All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
