TEHRAN-The Persian version of “Maigret at the Crossroads,” another novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon from his detective Maigret’s stories, has been released in the Iranian book market.

Translated by Abbas Agahi, the book has been brought out by Jahan-e Ketab Publishing House, based in Tehran, in the ‘Neqab’ (mask) series, which focuses on detective stories, Mehr reported.

Originally published in 1931, “Maigret at the Crossroads” is one of the earliest novels to feature Inspector Maigret in the role of the chief police investigator, a character that has since become one of the best-known detectives in fiction.

The plot of the novel is driven by the murder of Isaac Goldberg, a Jewish diamond merchant, in a place outside Paris known as the Three Widows' Crossroads. 

It is a sensational tale of deceit and back-stabbing in an isolated community in which only Inspector Maigret, the commissioner of the Paris Criminal Affairs Brigade, can intervene.

Georges Simenon (1903-1989) was most famous for his fictional detective Jules Maigret. One of the most popular authors of the 20th century, he published around 400 novels, 21 volumes of memoirs and many short stories, selling over 500 million copies.

Between 1931 and 1972, 75 novels and 28 short stories about Maigret were published. 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.

The character of Maigret was influenced by Chief Inspector Marcel Guillaume (1872-1963), said to be the greatest French detective of his day, who became a long-time friend of Simenon. 

Abbas Agahi, 83, is a prominent translator of French literature. A graduate of Paris-Sorbonne University, he has translated over 80 books, mainly works of detective fiction, which is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective investigates a crime, often murder.

The veteran translated has rendered works by various authors into Persian, including George Simenon, Frederic Dard, Michel Bussi, Olivier Norek, Jean-Christophe Grangé, Fred Vargas, Stanislas-Andre Steeman, Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac among others.

Neqab series of Jahan-e Ketab Publishing House is a rich collection of more than 100 books in the genres of crime, thriller and mystery. Although most of the works are from French literature, there are translations from English and German literature as well.

SS/SAB