Justice (Simenon novel)
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Justice (1941, French: Cour d'assises) is a 'roman dur' by Georges Simenon, the story of a small-time criminal who is accused of a murder he did not commit.
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Summary
Ever since he quit his job as carpenter, Petit Louis has been putting up a show on the Côte d'Azur. But if he plays gangster, he aims less in fact to break into the milieu than to land a good hideout. He relocates to Nice where he moves in with an 'old tart' with a pretty fortune, Constance Ropiquet, who calls herself Countess of Orval. Shortly after, he lodges Lulu, whom he passes off as his sister; it is a girl whose pimp Gene is currently behind bars.
The three-way household are perfectly happy until the day when Gene leaves prison. Petit Louis flees for a time to Cannes in order to avoid reprisals from the pimp, but when he returns to Constance, he finds her murdered. There is no doubt that the culprit is Gene.
Panicking, Petit Louis cuts the corpse to pieces, removes all traces of the murder and dumps the body in two suitcases in the harbour. He decides to make the best of the situation. By stealing Constance's property by forging documents, Petit Louis makes 30.000 francs and flaunts the coast as if it was he, in short, who had done the job. Soon, however, the police spot him and he is imprisoned. So begins for him a long trial which is only a parody of justice: all the testimonies accuse him, all his actions are turned against him. He will be sentenced to twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Particular aspects of the novel
A tale in two parts: the bluster and escapades of a low-profile thug is followed by the story of a trial of assizes which tragically transfigures the fate of an innocent scoundrel, prisoner of the image he has created for himself.
Time and space
- Le Lavandou, Nice, Menton, Cannes, Porquerolles.
- Contemporary period.
The characters
- Louis Bert, nicknamed Petit Louis. Former carpenter worker. Single. 24 years.
- Constance d'Orval, real name Ropiquet, annuitant
- Louise Mazzone, known as Lulu, public girl
- Gene, protector of Lulu
- The commissioner Battisti.
Production and editions
written in Isola dei Pescatori (Italie) in August 1937, published in 1941 by Gallimard
- Édition originale : Gallimard, 1941
- Tout Simenon, tome 22, Omnibus, 2003 Template:ISBN
- Romans durs, tome 4, Omnibus, 2012 Template:ISBN
- Folio Policier, n° 712, 2013 Template:ISBN
Translations
English
Justice, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985
Blurb:
When Petit Louis, who divides his time between petty crime and profitable affairs with lonely, middle-aged women, is arrested on a charge of murder, this callow punk unexpectedly takes on the entire system of justice
Dutch
De zaak Louis Bert, 1965, A.W. Bruna, Zwarte Beertjes 884, 189pag. vert.van: Cours d'Assises (1965), vert.door: G.J. van Wagensveld, omslagillustratie: Dick Bruna
Adaptations
- 1987 : Cour d'assises, épisode 2 de la série télévisée française L'Heure Simenon, adaptation signée Jean-Charles Tacchella, avec Xavier Deluc (Petit Louis), Catherine Frot (Louise), Anouk Ferjac (Constance), Alain Doutey (linspecteur Lenoir), Sophie Carle (Niuta), Jacques Serres (Eugène), Lucien Barjon (Charles Papin) et Ginette Garcin (la voisine).
Source
- Maurice Piron, Michel Lemoine, L'Univers de Simenon, guide des romans et nouvelles (1931-1972) de Georges Simenon, Presses de la Cité, 1983, p. 94-95 Template:ISBN
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