Mystery

The Man from London

The Man from London

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  • Create Date：2021-10-15 09:55:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Georges Simenon
  • ISBN：024146157X
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Summary

On a foggy winter's evening in Dieppe， after the arrival of the daily ferry from England， a railway signalman habitually scrutinizes the port from his tiny， isolated cabin。 When a scuffle on the quayside catches his eye， he is drawn to the scene of a brutal murder and his once quiet life changes forever。 A mere observer at first， he soon finds himself fishing a briefcase from the water and in doing so he enters a feverish and secret chase。 As the murderer and witness stalk and spy on each other， they gain an increasingly profound yet tacit understanding of each other until the witness becomes an accomplice。

Written in 1933， soon after the successful launch of the Inspector Maigret novels， this haunting， atmospheric novel soon became a classic and the inspiration for several film and TV adaptations。

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Reviews

Φερειπείν ，

Ο άνθρωπος από το Λονδίνο。 Georges Simenon。📖📖📖📖Στον “άνθρωπο από το Λονδίνο” ο Georges Simenon τοποθετεί το τυχαίο στη βάση της διήγησής του。 Με φορμαλιστικούς όρους， το δεσπόζον στοιχείο της πλοκής του γίνεται η “εκ παραδρομής” πράξη。 Από αυτήν πηγάζει ολόκληρη η στοιχειοθέτηση της ιστορίας του， εξ’ αυτής απορρέουν τα χαρακτηριστικά των ηρώων του， ενώ εκείνοι μετέχοντες και αμέτοχοι την ίδια στιγμή στις εξελίξεις της ζωής， η οποία ως υπεραξία απαλλαγμένη από τις αυτόβουλες μικροσυνειδήσεις των Ο άνθρωπος από το Λονδίνο。 Georges Simenon。📖📖📖📖Στον “άνθρωπο από το Λονδίνο” ο Georges Simenon τοποθετεί το τυχαίο στη βάση της διήγησής του。 Με φορμαλιστικούς όρους， το δεσπόζον στοιχείο της πλοκής του γίνεται η “εκ παραδρομής” πράξη。 Από αυτήν πηγάζει ολόκληρη η στοιχειοθέτηση της ιστορίας του， εξ’ αυτής απορρέουν τα χαρακτηριστικά των ηρώων του， ενώ εκείνοι μετέχοντες και αμέτοχοι την ίδια στιγμή στις εξελίξεις της ζωής， η οποία ως υπεραξία απαλλαγμένη από τις αυτόβουλες μικροσυνειδήσεις των συμμετεχόντων απέχει κατά πολύ της προσωπικής τους αξίας， τους εμπλέκει αυτόματα και ακούσια στα γρανάζια της και η μόνη ιδιότητα που τους επιτρέπει είναι εκείνη της αυθορμησίας， και πάλι όμως ρυθμιζόμενη από παράγοντες που στέκουν σε μάκρος χώρου και χρόνου από την ασημαντότητά τους στο διηνεκές του χρόνου。 📖📖📖📖Αυτή η καταπιεστική ιδιότητα της ζωής διαμορφώνει τον ανθρώπινο χαρακτήρα των ηρώων του， με την έννοια όχι του ανθρωπιστικού αλλά του οικειοποιήσιμου， φθαρτού και πεπερασμένου。📖📖📖📖 Ο Simenon επιλέγει τη μονότονη γραμμική αφήγηση， που ανταλλάσει τις δυνατότητες της σιγουριάς， ασφάλειας και σταθερότητας της φόρμας με την προκλητική ανατροπή του αναπάντεχου， δίνοντας στον άνθρωπο， τον φθαρτό και πεπερασμένο， το δικαίωμα της έκπληξης， του απρόβλεπτου που αποτινάσσει τον εκμηδενισμό της καθημερινότητας， ανάγοντάς τον στον αστάθμητο παράγοντα στον οποίο μπορεί ακόμα κανείς να ελπίζει。📖📖📖📖 Έτσι αυτό που ξεκινά σαν αστυνομικό θρίλερ， φέροντας όλη την ατμοσφαιρικότητα που χαρακτηρίζει το είδος， καταλήγει χωρίς να απεμπολεί αυτή του την ιδιότητα σε ένα ψυχολογικό δράμα， βαθύ και ουσιαστικό， με την μορφή της γραφής του να παραμένει ουδέτερη， αμέτοχη μπροστά στη διαλεκτική σύγκρουση που “βαραίνει” αποκλειστικά το περιεχόμενο。 。。。more

books4chess ，

"It was stupid， but that's the way it was！ The most revolting thing was that it could have been different。 It had all been down to chance"。A short story of a poor signal man who， either by luck or misfortune， is a witness to murder and finds a suitcase with a large sum of money。 The tale recalls his battle within and internal conflict surrounding what to do with the money and the original owner's search to recover it。The story is short but sweet， presenting a moral dilemma everyone knows in one "It was stupid， but that's the way it was！ The most revolting thing was that it could have been different。 It had all been down to chance"。A short story of a poor signal man who， either by luck or misfortune， is a witness to murder and finds a suitcase with a large sum of money。 The tale recalls his battle within and internal conflict surrounding what to do with the money and the original owner's search to recover it。The story is short but sweet， presenting a moral dilemma everyone knows in one way or another。 The author doesn't need to say a lot to get his message across and instead relies on the reader to use their imagination and place themselves in the role of the protagonist。 There are few likeable characters but a lot of realistic and raw moments。An enjoyable read。4/5Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more

Sara Morelli ，

Suspenseful， it keeps you hooked and at the edge of your seat without being too over the top。 Maybe a little simple in terms of plot and intrigue， but there’s power in understatement。

Alessandra ，

Il libro in se è scritto bene， nulla da eccepire。 Risulta scorrevole e ti prende fin dall'inizio。 Purtroppo la storia si rovina sul finale。 Il libro in se è scritto bene， nulla da eccepire。 Risulta scorrevole e ti prende fin dall'inizio。 Purtroppo la storia si rovina sul finale。 。。。more

Leah ，

Lead us not into temptation…Maloin is a railway signalman who works the night-shift in the signal box at Dieppe， overlooking the harbour。 One night， he’s watching the various arrivals and departures of cross-channel ferries as usual when he spots one man throwing a suitcase over the fence to another man， thus avoiding customs。 Maloin shrugs – smuggling is commonplace and he’d probably do it himself。 But when he later sees the two men fighting over the suitcase and then one of them killing the ot Lead us not into temptation…Maloin is a railway signalman who works the night-shift in the signal box at Dieppe， overlooking the harbour。 One night， he’s watching the various arrivals and departures of cross-channel ferries as usual when he spots one man throwing a suitcase over the fence to another man， thus avoiding customs。 Maloin shrugs – smuggling is commonplace and he’d probably do it himself。 But when he later sees the two men fighting over the suitcase and then one of them killing the other， during which the suitcase falls in the dock， he doesn’t do what he knows he should – inform the authorities。 Instead， he uses his knowledge of the tides to retrieve the suitcase， which he finds to be full of English banknotes…This was my introduction to Simenon’s non-Maigret books， and turned out to be a very good one to begin with。 It’s a study of a weak man whose greed leads him into an act of which he would not have thought himself capable， and the consequences on his character of the guilt and fear that follow。 Simenon’s settings are always one of his main strengths， and here he gives a great picture of the working life of Dieppe – the shopkeepers， the people who make their living from the fish and shellfish in the sea and on the shore， the hotels and bars， the rather downbeat， humdrum sex trade， and the transient travellers， mostly passing through on their way to somewhere more exciting。 Too big to be a place where everyone knows everyone else， it still has a small town feel – the inhabitants carefully graded according to their station in life。Maloin is an unpleasant character even before he gets himself involved in crime – bullying to his wife and children， using the services of the local prostitute whenever he feels the need to bolster his ego and prove himself a man， jealous of anyone to whom he feels socially inferior。 His night work suits his rather misanthropic personality， allowing him to spend his working hours alone and giving him the days free to pursue his hobbies。 His family are used to being quiet around the house so as not to disturb his daytime sleep， and mostly they propitiate him so as to avoid his outbursts of unreasonable anger。But once he commits the act of retrieving the suitcase he sees visions of wealth and at first feels no guilt。 However， seeing the murderer searching for the suitcase， he feels the first chill of fear， and as the police become involved in the hunt， first for the money， and then for the murderer， he finds himself entirely consumed by it to the point where he can’t sleep or concentrate on anything else。 And then the guilt begins。 Without going further into the story to avoid spoilers， it’s a very credible picture of how someone without any particular intelligence and a loose moral compass might behave when temptation comes his way。 Maloin’s plans for how to convert the money to francs， how to explain its sudden acquisition， never get past the woolly stage， and meantime he finds himself getting sucked into a quagmire of deceit and a criminal investigation that is growing more serious by the day。 What seemed at first like a minor transgression is gradually destroying his state of mind。Novella length， this doesn’t waste any time on unnecessary padding – the length of the book is dictated by how long it takes to tell the story， a skill Simenon had in spades and which many a modern crime writer would do well to emulate。 The suspense element is excellent – while Maloin behaves consistently with the character Simenon has created for him， it’s nevertheless not at all clear where his fear and guilt will ultimately lead him。 And I found the ending entirely satisfactory， showing once again that sudden twists are not necessary to produce true suspense – it’s the fundamental unpredictability of human behaviour that does that。This will certainly encourage me to seek out more of Simenon’s non-Maigret work。 I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it more or thought it was better， exactly， but it has a somewhat different， darker feel and that aspect of being a story complete in itself that I always appreciate in stand-alones， without losing the features I always enjoy most in Maigret – the settings and the characters of his villains。 4½ stars for me， so rounded up。NB This book was provided for review by the publisher， Penguin Classics via NetGalley。www。fictionfanblog。wordpress。com 。。。more

Pirate ，

Simenon was much more than just the author of Inspector Maigret。。。and this one illustrates perfectly his ability to write about crime away from the comforts of the bistros of Paris or Madame Maigret's excellent home cooking。。。this is a salutary tale where the principal character a hardworking blue collar worker by all accounts swayed by temptation is several times presented with the better option and yet。。。it is indeed a Road to Calvary。。。。 superb characters。。from locals to those from farther af Simenon was much more than just the author of Inspector Maigret。。。and this one illustrates perfectly his ability to write about crime away from the comforts of the bistros of Paris or Madame Maigret's excellent home cooking。。。this is a salutary tale where the principal character a hardworking blue collar worker by all accounts swayed by temptation is several times presented with the better option and yet。。。it is indeed a Road to Calvary。。。。 superb characters。。from locals to those from farther afield 。。。。。here's to you you old philandering rascal Simenon！ 。。。more

Tina Tamman ，

It takes no time at all to read 151 pages but I am not in a hurry to go to the next book on my shelf。 This is the beauty of Simenon's non-Maigret books that they leave me with so many thoughts that I want to stay with the characters and situations， for at least a short while。Like his other novels， this is the story about a small and insignificant man in his forties who， working as a railway signalman， witnesses two men smuggling a suitcase from England into France。 Chance is not infrequent in Si It takes no time at all to read 151 pages but I am not in a hurry to go to the next book on my shelf。 This is the beauty of Simenon's non-Maigret books that they leave me with so many thoughts that I want to stay with the characters and situations， for at least a short while。Like his other novels， this is the story about a small and insignificant man in his forties who， working as a railway signalman， witnesses two men smuggling a suitcase from England into France。 Chance is not infrequent in Simenon's novels and what follows， in some other novels as well as here， changes the course of the signalman's life。 When he has time to inspect the contents of the case， he finds that it is full of English banknotes。 Suddenly he is rich。 It is fascinating what Simenon does with this idea， how he handles it， how many people he packs into this small story。Can't say I liked any of the characters but Simenon has drawn them in a way that it impossible not to feel for them。 His skill is in sketching his characters in very few words。 I would love to write the way he did。 。。。more

Gary Homewood ，

A railway signalman witnesses a murder in fog bound Dieppe， becomes entangled in the crime。 Atmospheric and doomy。

Richard ，

Having read all his Maigret novels。 I was delighted to see one ofGeorges Simenon ‘s other crime thrillers was also being re-published。The man from London is a quiet brooding novel about a railway employee who witnesses a crime。 From his vantage point working nights he is able to retrieve a suitcase which he assumes is some kind of contraband。Well he is debating in his own mind what he should do; he becomes aware that the “rightful owner” of the case his following him。He is an Englishmen using th Having read all his Maigret novels。 I was delighted to see one ofGeorges Simenon ‘s other crime thrillers was also being re-published。The man from London is a quiet brooding novel about a railway employee who witnesses a crime。 From his vantage point working nights he is able to retrieve a suitcase which he assumes is some kind of contraband。Well he is debating in his own mind what he should do; he becomes aware that the “rightful owner” of the case his following him。He is an Englishmen using the name Mr Brown and he follows but stops short of challenging the Frenchman who he suspects has witnessed the events and taken the suitcase for himself。 Maloin is unsettled by this as he believes Mr Brown is a thief and a murderer。 Who knows about his life， where he works and where he lives。Meanwhile an English detective from Scotland Yard arrives with an elderly man who was the victim of the robbery。If Old Michell just gets the contents of the case back he’ll not press charges。The psychology of Maloin’s behaviour; his temptations but also an affinity for Brown is what interests Simenon。A quite fascinating tale where Maloin even imagines he could have been friends under different circumstances。Events seem to overtake Maloin and all his good intentions lead to a thrilling conclusion after he and Brown meet。Missed the mind of a Maigret making sense of this all， but Maloin is a complex character who appears never to have gained authority and respect other than the warm greetings he gets around the town of Dieppe。 His dreams are re-imagined here but you fear he has insufficient friends or counsel to extricate himself from this situation。 。。。more

Georgia ，

A maigret sans maigret but with all the maigret accoutrements （misty harbour， people observing other people while smoking a pipe and drinking French digestifs， humanistic reflections on the fallibility of man， etc etc）

Archana Aggarwal ，

Thank you Netgalley。 This novella from Mr。 Simenon was a gripping read and held my interest throughout。 I recommend it highly。

Massimo Burioni ，

Con Simenon non si sbaglia mai！

Jazzy Lemon ，

When a French railway signalman witnesses first a smuggled suitcase and then a murder in which the victim fell off the dock， grabbing the suitcase from his attacker as he did so， the signalman decides to fish the suitcase out of the water and discovers a lot of English banknotes。 He hides the suitcase but after repeatedly encountering the murderer， he waits to see the outcome instead of going to the police。

Ian Williams ，

This is an engaging short novel from the master of psychological short novels， Georges Simenon。 The story is about of a man who both sees a murder and retrieves a suitcase full of money， neither of which he reports to the police。 All the fine touches of Simenon are here: realistic charactisation， vivid but brief detail， taut writing， and the ability to convincingly draw you into the murky psychological depths of the main protagonist。 The ending is the only let down， but the telling of the story This is an engaging short novel from the master of psychological short novels， Georges Simenon。 The story is about of a man who both sees a murder and retrieves a suitcase full of money， neither of which he reports to the police。 All the fine touches of Simenon are here: realistic charactisation， vivid but brief detail， taut writing， and the ability to convincingly draw you into the murky psychological depths of the main protagonist。 The ending is the only let down， but the telling of the story is masterly。 。。。more

Iain ，

A bank robbery， a couple of murders， a guilty conscience eating away at the soul of a man。 All in a refined low key。

Mandy ，

A wonderfully atmospheric and claustrophobic psychological thriller set in a damp and gloomy Dieppe in the 1930s。 A railway signalman watches a fight， apparently over a suitcase， on the dockside and finds himself impelled to investigate rather than report a possible crime。 Almost against his will he determines to recover the suitcase and gradually becomes more and more conflicted in an internal struggle between temptation and greed， and his conscience and sense of guilt。 Under pressure he begins A wonderfully atmospheric and claustrophobic psychological thriller set in a damp and gloomy Dieppe in the 1930s。 A railway signalman watches a fight， apparently over a suitcase， on the dockside and finds himself impelled to investigate rather than report a possible crime。 Almost against his will he determines to recover the suitcase and gradually becomes more and more conflicted in an internal struggle between temptation and greed， and his conscience and sense of guilt。 Under pressure he begins to disintegrate and the spectacle is engrossing and convincing。 Simenon’s characterisation is astutely observed， and his cool and detached style adds to the bleakness of the narrative。 A short， but powerful， read。 。。。more

Alan ，

Rating between 3。5 & 4A very good standalone novel by Simenon who is more well known for the maigret series。This short-ish novel centres on a man who whilst working as a signalman on the docks at dieppe witnesses 2 men newly arrived from England on the ferry， bring something into France illegally， then argue which brings about the death of one of them。The witness is a very ordinary man， in a job he doesn’t really like， married with a family that at times he loves and at times he hates。 Probably Rating between 3。5 & 4A very good standalone novel by Simenon who is more well known for the maigret series。This short-ish novel centres on a man who whilst working as a signalman on the docks at dieppe witnesses 2 men newly arrived from England on the ferry， bring something into France illegally， then argue which brings about the death of one of them。The witness is a very ordinary man， in a job he doesn’t really like， married with a family that at times he loves and at times he hates。 Probably like the majority of the readers then。 The fallout from what he witnessed and subsequently did bring about his mental disintegration really and the loss of everything he has。The book covers only a few days but in that time anyone can lose everything。A bit of a slow burner I thought but definitely recommended。 。。。more

Mana ，

The story takes place in Dieppe， when signalman from his office observes the murder and his life turns around。 The game between cat and mouse （murderer and witness） beginns。The reader is absorbed into signalman's inner turmoil which leads to some gruesome action。True Simenon's classic！ Atmospheric and psychological。 The story takes place in Dieppe， when signalman from his office observes the murder and his life turns around。 The game between cat and mouse （murderer and witness） beginns。The reader is absorbed into signalman's inner turmoil which leads to some gruesome action。True Simenon's classic！ Atmospheric and psychological。 。。。more

Elaine Tomasso ，

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for an advance copy of The Man from London， a stand-alone psychological thriller set in Dieppe， originally published in 1934。Railway signalman Maloin witnesses a murder and instead of reporting it he goes down to the water to retrieve the suitcase being fought over。 The murderer wants it back and a game of cat and mouse ensues。The Man from London is， essentially， a study of greed and temptation。 It is more a novella than a full length novel， f I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin Press UK for an advance copy of The Man from London， a stand-alone psychological thriller set in Dieppe， originally published in 1934。Railway signalman Maloin witnesses a murder and instead of reporting it he goes down to the water to retrieve the suitcase being fought over。 The murderer wants it back and a game of cat and mouse ensues。The Man from London is， essentially， a study of greed and temptation。 It is more a novella than a full length novel， fortunately for me as it didn’t really interest me。 I like Maigret as I am always entranced by the author’s matter of fact tone that makes even the most outrageous acts appear banal。 It is the same in this novel as it follows Maloin’s thought processes and actions after he retrieves the suitcase and examines the contents。 I’m not even going to pretend that I understand his thinking， so， as a result， the psychology of the duel between him and the killer was wasted on me。On a more positive note the novel is extremely atmospheric。 I could smell the Gaulloises and taste the coffee， never mind all the other small details that take me back to small town France， not in the 30s I hasten to add。 The Man from London is a short， atmospheric read that I can see being well suited to a more visual medium where the nuances would be more obvious。 。。。more

Stephanie Jane ，

See more of my book reviews on my blog， Literary FlitsThe Man From London is a wonderfully atmospheric novel set in the French port town of Dieppe。 It is December， rainy and with frequent sea fogs， when the story takes place and I was in thrall to Simenon's masterly evocation of the town and its people throughout this novel。 The crime that， ostensibly should be at its heart is at times almost incidental to the goings on at the Moulin Rouge nightclub， the Cafe Suisse， or the daily fish market。 Si See more of my book reviews on my blog， Literary FlitsThe Man From London is a wonderfully atmospheric novel set in the French port town of Dieppe。 It is December， rainy and with frequent sea fogs， when the story takes place and I was in thrall to Simenon's masterly evocation of the town and its people throughout this novel。 The crime that， ostensibly should be at its heart is at times almost incidental to the goings on at the Moulin Rouge nightclub， the Cafe Suisse， or the daily fish market。 Simenon paints such a foreboding picture that I was frequently reminded of Pascal Garnier's crime noir novels， also set in deceptively everyday French towns。Simenon chose to tell The Man From London's story primarily from the point of view of a railway signalman， Maloin， working nights in his gantry cabin， who observes a fracas that sets the whole case in motion。 Generally in crime fiction this character would be peripheral to the main narrative， with our concentration instead directed towards the visiting Inspector tasked with solving the crime。 I loved following this story from Maloin's perspective instead。 It makes for a pretty unique setup and the scene where the two men， the witness Maloin and the murderer from London， become aware of each other's presence and knowledge is breathtakingly tense even though， by modern day crime fiction standards， absolutely nothing happens！I was pleasantly surprised at Simenon writing several plausible and rounded female characters。 Women here don't just scream or die！ Maloin himself is by far the most complex person though and even on finishing the book I am still not sure I understood everything about him。 His persona is gruff and guarded， yet tenderly kind at other times and I did strongly get the impression of a man in over his head， perhaps not quite believing himself how far he had allowed himself to go。 The Man From London is a thoughtful novel that confidently steps away from the norm in this genre。 I felt it had more in common with other standalone Simenon novels such as The Stain On The Snow rather than his Maigret series so might confound readers who come to it expecting a detective story。 I was impressed！ 。。。more

SueLucie ，

There is no detection going on here。 We watch the main action play out within the first few pages and then follow an ordinary working class man give in to temptation and then grapple with his conscience for the rest of this seemingly slight novella。 It is highly atmospheric - a dingy working environment between the docks and the railway tracks， overlooking a nightclub/brothel， and an impoverished， cliff-edge， home setting - and to my mind this atmosphere is central to the story and the character There is no detection going on here。 We watch the main action play out within the first few pages and then follow an ordinary working class man give in to temptation and then grapple with his conscience for the rest of this seemingly slight novella。 It is highly atmospheric - a dingy working environment between the docks and the railway tracks， overlooking a nightclub/brothel， and an impoverished， cliff-edge， home setting - and to my mind this atmosphere is central to the story and the character of Louis Maloin。 He is an utterly believable and sympathetic creation， along with his wife and daughter， and I’d recommend this book highly for those characters。 Perfect cover art for the Penguin version I read - many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC。 。。。more

Catherine Vamianaki ，

πολύ ωραίο με απρόβλεπτο τέλος！！

Massimiliano ，

Mi è venuta voglia di leggerlo questo romanzo dopo aver visto il film omonimo di Bela Tarr， uno dei maestri （miei， quantomeno） del cinema。Nonostante il plot sia abbastanza banale （alla fine anche questo è un noir， e come tutti i noir dopo un po' non mi dicono nulla）， questo primo Simenon che leggo mi ha colpito tanto da convincermi a leggere， magari in futuro， altri suoi romanzi。Il punto di forza di questo libro secondo me è la resa che l'autore dà delle atmosfere e del clima dell'ambientazione Mi è venuta voglia di leggerlo questo romanzo dopo aver visto il film omonimo di Bela Tarr， uno dei maestri （miei， quantomeno） del cinema。Nonostante il plot sia abbastanza banale （alla fine anche questo è un noir， e come tutti i noir dopo un po' non mi dicono nulla）， questo primo Simenon che leggo mi ha colpito tanto da convincermi a leggere， magari in futuro， altri suoi romanzi。Il punto di forza di questo libro secondo me è la resa che l'autore dà delle atmosfere e del clima dell'ambientazione （nebbia， grigio， umido， notte， freddo。。。）。Interessante anche il fatto di scegliere come protagonista un uomo semplice， anche abbastanza meschino e detestabile， ma nel quale non ci si fatica a rispecchiare se per caso ci si trovasse in quella situazione。Simenon promosso。 。。。more

Alex ，

Αρκούσε να απλώσει το χέρι να σηκώσει το βαλιτσάκι και να κατευθυνθεί προς τον ήλιο。 Την στιγμή την ίδια που συμβαίνει， θεωρεί κανείς ότι πρόκειται για ώρες σαν όλες τις άλλες， κι αργότερα μόνο αντιλαμβάνεται ότι είχε συμβεί κάτι το εξαιρετικό και αγωνίζεται να ξαναβρεί το κομμένο νήμα， να αναπαραστήσει απ'την αρχή ως το τέλος τα λεπτά που του είχαν διαφύγει。 Πολύ πιθανά ο κύριος Μαλουέν， ένας εργάτης του σιδηροδρομικού σταθμού της Διέππης και πρωταγωνιστής αυτής της σοσιαλ-νουάρ νουβέλας， να εί Αρκούσε να απλώσει το χέρι να σηκώσει το βαλιτσάκι και να κατευθυνθεί προς τον ήλιο。 Την στιγμή την ίδια που συμβαίνει， θεωρεί κανείς ότι πρόκειται για ώρες σαν όλες τις άλλες， κι αργότερα μόνο αντιλαμβάνεται ότι είχε συμβεί κάτι το εξαιρετικό και αγωνίζεται να ξαναβρεί το κομμένο νήμα， να αναπαραστήσει απ'την αρχή ως το τέλος τα λεπτά που του είχαν διαφύγει。 Πολύ πιθανά ο κύριος Μαλουέν， ένας εργάτης του σιδηροδρομικού σταθμού της Διέππης και πρωταγωνιστής αυτής της σοσιαλ-νουάρ νουβέλας， να είναι ο πιο συντετριμμένος， ο πιο διχασμένος， και ο πιο ηθικά και συναισθηματικά μοναχικός ήρωας που χύθηκε από την πένα του Σιμενόν。 Υ。γ。 Μόνο σε μένα φάνηκαν πολύ συχνές οι αναφορές του πατέρα προς την γύμνια και το όμορφο κορμί της κόρης του; 。。。more

António Lima ，

Se não estou em erro （e agora estou com preguiça de ir procurar） Simenon foi um daqueles escritores ultra prolíficos que escreveu livros a um ritmo que muitos não têm nem sequer para lê-los。Mas é indubitável que sabe contar uma estória， criar um ambiente， dar rapidamente e de forma despretensiosa carácter a um personagem。 Sabe assim escrever o que eu escabrosamentr chamo novelas de rápido retorno sobre investimento （devia ser proibido escrever isto）， romances que se lêem com prazer， virando rapi Se não estou em erro （e agora estou com preguiça de ir procurar） Simenon foi um daqueles escritores ultra prolíficos que escreveu livros a um ritmo que muitos não têm nem sequer para lê-los。Mas é indubitável que sabe contar uma estória， criar um ambiente， dar rapidamente e de forma despretensiosa carácter a um personagem。 Sabe assim escrever o que eu escabrosamentr chamo novelas de rápido retorno sobre investimento （devia ser proibido escrever isto）， romances que se lêem com prazer， virando rapidamente as páginas e sem requererem do leitor aquela atenção que o leitor nem sempre tem capacidade para dar。 。。。more

Tilly ，

3，5/5

Amaranta ，

Uno sguardo dall’alto nella notte， di chi è preposto al traffico degli scambi sulla ferrovia。 Un occhio ai convogli， un altro alle navi e a chi transita sulla banchina， per noia， per passare le ore che lo separano dalla fine del suo turno a far qualcosa。 E’ in una notte come tutte le altre che qualcosa di straordinario avviene proprio su quella banchina e che un semplice ferroviere si ritrova ricco。 Che fare？L’assassino si ritrova vittima。 Il povero ricco con tutto quello che il carico del denar Uno sguardo dall’alto nella notte， di chi è preposto al traffico degli scambi sulla ferrovia。 Un occhio ai convogli， un altro alle navi e a chi transita sulla banchina， per noia， per passare le ore che lo separano dalla fine del suo turno a far qualcosa。 E’ in una notte come tutte le altre che qualcosa di straordinario avviene proprio su quella banchina e che un semplice ferroviere si ritrova ricco。 Che fare？L’assassino si ritrova vittima。 Il povero ricco con tutto quello che il carico del denaro comporta。 Ma è davvero in grado di gestire tutto questo？ Un racconto che si sviluppa prevalentemente nella mente di Maloun， in un paesaggio di brughiera dove il mare è a sua volta protagonista e spettatore。 。。。more

Matteo Fulghèri ，

Boh？！？ Ma che è？

ForenSeek ，

Above average suspense novel with a subtext dealing with the ultimately relative nature of justice。 At the end of the day， any one of us can end up on the wrong side of the law while trying to do right by those we love。 Well written， with strong evocation of the French seaside。 Unexpected， satisfying ending。 Good "light reading"。 Above average suspense novel with a subtext dealing with the ultimately relative nature of justice。 At the end of the day， any one of us can end up on the wrong side of the law while trying to do right by those we love。 Well written， with strong evocation of the French seaside。 Unexpected， satisfying ending。 Good "light reading"。 。。。more

Orsodimondo ，

GRIGIO FUMODei quattro adattamenti cinematografici di questo romanzo， l’ultimo （2007） firmato dal regista ungherese Béla Tarr， è senz’altro il più interessante。 Tarr， celebre per il suo “Satantango” （1994） di sette ore， è anche famoso per i suoi piano sequenza che certo non aiutano a rendere la durata delle sue opere più scorrevole – lo stesso “L’uomo di Londra” supera abbondantemente le due ore。Anche questo uscito a puntate （ventitre！） come molti romanzi di Simenon， subito tradotto in Italia da GRIGIO FUMODei quattro adattamenti cinematografici di questo romanzo， l’ultimo （2007） firmato dal regista ungherese Béla Tarr， è senz’altro il più interessante。 Tarr， celebre per il suo “Satantango” （1994） di sette ore， è anche famoso per i suoi piano sequenza che certo non aiutano a rendere la durata delle sue opere più scorrevole – lo stesso “L’uomo di Londra” supera abbondantemente le due ore。Anche questo uscito a puntate （ventitre！） come molti romanzi di Simenon， subito tradotto in Italia da Mondadori （stesso anno per la pubblicazione francese e italiana， 1934）， è ambientato tra binari e porto come parecchie altre storie di GS， ha geografia di provincia， e anche questo aspetto è ricorrente nella sua letteratura。Il perno della storia diventerà un classico di molta letteratura e anche molto cinema: un tizio che nulla c’entra trova per caso una valigia piena di denaro， la tiene e nasconde， spera di godersi il malloppo che sa essere frutto di illecito， aspetto quindi che giustifica il suo gesto， gli da quasi una valenza di giustizia riparatrice。 Ovviamente， chi ha smarrito la valigia piena di soldi torna a cercarla， non rinuncia tanto facilmente alla somma – ovviamente da qui si mette in moto un meccanismo di pericolo per il protagonista che la fortuna ha apparentemente premiato， e di solito è un pericolo che non sa fronteggiare perché impreparato， perché chi cerca il malloppo è un professionista del crimine。Tilda Swinton interpreta la moglie di Maloin。Qui c’è una scena clou che ha l’imprinting di Simenon come poche altre: Louis Maloin， scambista nella stazione marittima di Dieppe （sul canale de La Manica） – scambista nel senso che è addetto agli scambi ferroviari， a mantenerli funzionanti ed efficienti – una notte vede attraverso i vetri della sua cabina un uomo vestito di grigio che fuma sulla banchina… Il tutto è circondato dalla nebbia… Maloin vede arrivare un altro uomo， con una valigia， che finisce in mare quando i due uomini iniziano a lottare e quello venuto col traghetto uccide quello che lo aspettava a terra… （scambio di valigia allo scambio ferroviario…）Sembra di vedere cento scene di film， ci sono tutte le gradazioni e sfumature del bianco e nero， vince il grigio， il colore che presumo Simenon amasse di più （dopo il giallo， beninteso）。 Vince l’indeterminatezza visiva， l’incertezza…E ovviamente， oltre la notte， la nebbia， la sporca trasparenza dei vetri della cabina， c’è la pioggia， sottile e insistente， c’è l’asfalto lucido， il fumo delle sigarette， le luci dei piccoli bar e caffè…Come in questo genere di storie。 Il meccanismo thriller si affianca a quello psicologico。 Maloin è un adulto tranquillo che vive una vita regolare e monotona， una vita piatta e mediocre， che d’improvviso ha la possibilità di trasformarsi in un’esistenza riscattata…L’uomo di Londra del titolo è quello arrivato col traghetto， l’assassino e forse il ladro， che vuole recuperare la sua valigia e sa che Maloin l’ha trovata…Sul momento ci sembrano ore come tutte le altre。 Solo in seguito ci rendiamo conto che erano eccezionali， e allora cerchiamo disperatamente di ricostruirne il filo smarrito， di ripercorrere in sequenza ogni singolo minuto。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Man from London

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Man from London&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Man from London&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0