 First edition | |
| Author | Georges Simenon |
|---|---|
| Original title | La Tête d'un homme |
| Translator | Geoffrey Sainsbury |
| Country | Belgium |
| Language | French |
| Series | Inspector Jules Maigret |
| Genre | Detective fiction |
| Publisher | Fayard |
Publication date | 1931 |
Published in English | 1939 |
| Media type | |
| Preceded by | The Crime of Inspector Maigret |
| Followed by | Maigret and the Yellow Dog |
A Battle of Nerves (French: La Tête d'un homme, also known as A Man's Head) is a detective novel by Belgian writer Georges Simenon, featuring his character Inspector Jules Maigret. Published in 1931, it is one of the earliest of Simenon's "Maigret" novels, and one of eleven he had published that year.
It was one of the most successful of the early titles and among the first Maigrets to be filmed.
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Idiom 'Battle of Nerves' - English Lessons On Idioms
Transcription
Welcome to twominenglish.com. Teaching you English through two-minute lessons. In this lesson you will learn about the idiom 'battle of nerves' and how to use it in your conversations. The situation when two parties are in dispute and are not willing to surrender is called “a battle of nerves” or war of nerves. It's an idiom which means two parties are trying to defeat each other merely by threatening, using words without taking any action. So you mean, a battle of nerves doesn't have a real face-to-face fight, right? Correct, it's a contest in which one tries to beat the opponents by making them worried or afraid. It's also a situation when the party waits for the other side to weaken. For example: The border dispute between the two countries has been a battle of nerves for years. Nice. How about this: The battle of nerves finally ended when the president stepped down from his post. Good example. Let's listen to some conversations now. There's been a battle of nerves going on between the school board and the teachers. I even heard they may suspend classes. That might be good for you! Yeah, it'll give me time to prepare my project. Don't you think the school board is too strict with their new policies? Yeah, we're hoping the teachers win this battle of nerves! Mrs. Mandy's proposal ended the battle of nerves at the university. Are they ready to accept the new curriculum? Yeah! But it's almost time for our papers now. Such a battle of nerves has affected the students in a negative way. It has caused quite a commotion! I've been in a battle of nerves with my dad about smoking. It's really hard to get someone to quit. We've been at it for years. I'm always nagging him about it. I can feel the tension between you two whenever he lights up. It's a battle I'll probably never win. Don't give up! There's been a battle of nerves going on between the school board and the teachers. Yeah, we're hoping the teachers win this battle of nerves! Mrs. Mandy's proposal ended the battle of nerves at the university. Such a battle of nerves has affected the students in a negative way. I've been in a battle of nerves with my dad about smoking.
Plot summary
Maigret had been investigating the murder of Mme. Henderson, a rich American woman, and her maid, at her house in Saint-Cloud. Despite the evidence against the main suspect, Joseph Heurtin, which earned him the death sentence, Maigret feels sure Heurtin is not the guilty party. Convinced Heurtin knows the real killer, he contrives to let the man escape, following him to see where he leads. Heurtin heads for a small inn on the Seine, the Citanguette, where he lies low. Meanwhile Maigret pursues another lead, a note written from the Hotel Coupole. At the hotel, he finds William Kirby, Mme. Henderson's nephew, and an impoverished medical student, Johann Radek. While Maigret is there, Heurtin arrives, at which Radek contrives to have himself arrested on a minor charge. While in custody, Radek taunts Maigret over his lack of success in the case, hinting that he knows the full story and who the real killer is.
Maigret has to endure Radek's needling while pursuing his investigation until he is able to turn the tables on him and unmask the real killer.[1][2]
Other titles
The book has been translated twice into English; in 1939 by Geoffrey Sainsbury as A Battle of Nerves (and variously reprinted as A Man's Head, The Patience of Maigret and Maigret's War of Nerves) and in 2015 by David Coward as A Man's Head.[3]
Adaptations
A Man's Head has been dramatized numerous times, in several languages. First filmed in 1933, just two years after publication, and was among the first to be filmed.
The story has been filmed twice: In French, in 1933, as A Man's Neck; starring Harry Baur in the title role,[4] and in English, in 1950, as The Man on the Eiffel Tower (with Charles Laughton).[5]
It has also been adapted for television seven times: in 1963, the title was changed to Death in Mind and it was filmed for the BBC series starring Rupert Davies; in Italian in 1965 (Gino Cervi) for Le inchieste del commissario Maigret; in Dutch in 1969 (Jan Teulings); and in Russian in 1992 (Vladimir Samoilov). It has been adapted for French TV on three occasions: in 1967, for the Jean Richard series, and re-made for that series in 1983; and in 1996 for the French television series starring Bruno Cremer.[6]
Notes
- ^ Simenon, tr. Sainsbury
- ^ La Tête d'un homme at trussel.com.; retrieved 17 May 2016
- ^ Publication notes at trussel.com; retrieved 17 May 2016
- ^ "Julien Duvivier: Poetic Craftsman of Cinema". Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ "The Screen In Review; 'The Man on the Eiffel Tower,' From Novel by Simenon, Opens at the Criterion". The New York Times. 30 January 1950. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
- ^ Film history at trussel.com.; retrieved 17 May 2016
References
- Georges Simenon A Man's Head (1931; translated G Sainsbury, reprinted 2006) Penguin Red Classics, London ISBN 978-0-141-02589-6
External links
- Maigret at trussel.com
- A Man's Head by Patrick Marnham (2003) at trussel.com.
This page was last edited on 26 December 2023, at 16:54