TEHRAN-A new detective novel by the Belgian writer Georges Simenon featuring his character detective Jules Maigret has been published in Persian.

“Maigret and the Dosser” is the name of the new title in the ‘Neqab’ (mask) series of Jahan-e Ketab Publishing House, which has been translated by Abbas Agahi, Mehr reported.

The French title was first published in 1963. In the story, Maigret investigates the circumstances when a homeless tramp is recovered from the Seine, after being attacked and badly wounded. 

The tramp, identified as François Keller, proves to be a former doctor. He was rescued by Jef van Houtte, a Belgian barge owner, and whilst in hospital, refuses to talk. But Maigret suspects that Keller knows his attacker and is keeping quiet for a good reason. He also believes that the Belgian is not telling him the whole story.

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.

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