Newsletter N3 part 2

THE SIMENON/DARD CONFLICT

By Thierry Cazon
TraductionHenryKrasnopolski

ThreeplayshavebeenbasedonSimenon'swork.Thefirstone,QuartierNgre(BlackQuarter)
adaptedbySimenonhimself,wasputonstageinBrusselsin1936.Thesuccessbeingfarfromhis
expectations,Simenonendeditsrunbeforebeingcriticizedbythepublicandcolumnists.Hegave
upthiskindofexercisetemporarily.
In1950,heacceptedtotryagain.However,FrdricDard,youngandprodigiousauthorlookingfor
literaryrecognition,proposedhimtheadaptationofoneofhisnovelsLaNeigeEtaitSale(Dirty
Snow).
SimenonacceptedtheprojectandDard'scollaborationbutkeptthecontroloftheworkminimizing
Dard'scontribution.
ButDarddidnotseeitthatway.HeobtainedthathisnamebeputnexttoSimenon'sontheplay
bill.
DirtySnowwasverysuccessful,itwasplayedonehundredandtwentyfivetimesandmetagreat
responsefromcritics.
In1952,duringareceptioninhonourofhim,SimenonsaidIdonothaveanadapter.Hispride
deeplyhurt,Dardrecountedtheincidentseveraltimestojournalistsandhisbiographersasifhe
wantedtosignifythatSimenonwasnotquitwithit.
Therestwaspassedoverinsilencebutthissilencewasamenacingrevenge.
Twoyearslater,ayoungandunknowncomedian,FrdricValmain,sentSimenon,theadaptationof
aMaigret(Simenon'srecurrentpolicesuperintendent)LibertyBar.Simenonwasseducedby
theproposedworkandacceptedtogiveitatry.TheplaywasputonstageattheCharlesde
RochefortTheatre.Withmorethanfivehundredperformances,theplaywasagreatsuccessbutwas
notthegreatsensationthatwasexpected.
Then,allwentsurprisinglysilent,firstaboutthesuccessoftheplaythenaroundFrdricValmain's
amazingcareer.Whathadhappened?
InthefirstBulletinDesPolarophiles,ItriedanintroductiontotheSimenon/Dardclash.Irecounted
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indetailtheincidentwhichhappenedbetweenSimenonandDardonMarch19th1952.
IfFrdricDardcamebackonthisstoryveryoften,hedidnotdwellonit.
ConsideringanomaliesIhavefoundinotherfields,IcametotheconclusionthatFrdricValmain
wasDard'sstrawman.Iwillnotsaymoreaboutitsinceithasbeenlargelyoutlinedbefore.
AssoonasIstartedmyinvestigation,IhadthefeelingthatIwouldfindanexplanationonValmain's
unexpectedappearanceontheliterarysceneandtheadaptationsforthetheatre.
In2000,afterFrdricDardhadpassedaway,Ipublishedapamphlettohonourthisgreatauthor,
includingamentionaboutValmain(seethearticleonInternetatPolarophiles.comsite).Beforethis
publication,ItriedtogetsomedetailsabouthimfromFleuveNoirwhoconvincedmethathewas
dead.However,thepersonfromtheeditorwhogavemethenewsaboutValmain'sdeath,calledme
latertogivemehistelephonenumber!
Icalledhimandhedidnotsucceedinconvincingmethatmyhypothesiswaswrong.Herefusedto
letmehaveacopyofhiscorrespondencewithG.Simenon.
Ididnotyieldaninchofgroundtopressurenortothreatsofproceedings.
Since,somenewelementshaveclarifiedthismatter.
TheagitationthatIproducedaroundValmainencouragedthelattertoenhancehisliterary
reputation,firstinpublishinganarticlecalledFrdricValmain,apopularwriterincludinghis
bibliographybutexcludinghislastworkUneSacreFripouille(AHellofaCrook)which,
strangely,istheonlyonepublishedunderhisnamewiththeeditorFleuveNoir(collectionSpecial
Police).Thisworkmarksthedefinitiveendofhisnovelistactivities.In2002,heallowedthe
AssociationLesAmisdeGeorgesSimenon(G.Simenon'sFriends)topublishthecorrespondence
herefusedtoletmehave.
TheseletterswerepublishedinfullintheN 16oftheCahiersSimenon(Simenon'snotebooks)
withthetitleLesFeuxDeLaRampe(Footlights)butIlearntofitonlyafterthefirstissueofthe
BulletinN 1desPolarophilesTranquillesdevotedtotheDard/SimenonClashandpublishedsome
timeaftertheCahiersSimenon.TheSimenon'sFriendswroteme:it'sapitythatyouwerenot
awareofourpublicationN 16[...]thiswouldhavehelpedyoutoavoidsomemistakesandbesides,
nottoassimilateDardtoValmain.Valmainisalive,Imethim!Iglancedthroughhisoriginalletters
toSimenonaboutLibertyBar.
IboughttheCahiersN 16whichdidnotcontradictmythesis.Forme,Dard,authorofLiberty
Baradaptation,usedValmaintofoolSimenon.
IwenttoBrusselstomeettheAmisdeSimenon'ssecretaryandlearnthedetailsofthe
Simenon/Valmainencounter(whichwasfollowedbythepublicationofthecorrespondence).
Asaresultofthisvisit,Ifoundoutsomeanomalies:

Thesecretary,whowenttoValmain'shomeafterhisdeath,didnotfindanymanuscriptin
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hispersonalarchives.
ThemanuscriptoftheLibertyBaradaptationandValmain'scorrespondencearealso
missingfromSimenon'sarchiveskeptatLigeUniversity.ProfessorBenoitDenisconfirmed
so.

Atthistime,DeniseSimenon(Simenon'swife)wasthesecretary.Alldocumentsweremeticulously
indexedandclassified.ThelostcorrespondencewithValmainprobablyshowsSimenon'swillto
throwadiscreetveilonthisepisode.
IwaslefttostudythecorrespondencepublishedbytheAmisdeG.Simenon.Thisanalysisisquite
longandrunstheriskofwearinganonspecialistreader.SoIwillshowthelasttwoletterssupplied
byValmain:

Firstletter:
October29th,1955
MydearValmain,
Thankyouforthenewsyougaveme.Mycongratulations.Amverybusyandansweryouina
somewhattelegraphicmode.AMaigretquitedifferentandeasilyadaptableisMaigretSe
Trompe(Maigretiswrong).AnotheronewhichwillfollowMaigretAPeur(Maigretisafraid)
(bothwiththeEditorPressesDeLaCit)
Oncepublished,itwillbeeasiertosendsomecopiesoftheplayabroad.Accordingtoour
agreement,asforLaNeigeEtaitSale(DirtySnow),IkeeptheforeigncountriesbecauseIam
translatedbasedessentiallyonmyreputationandmostofthetime,theadaptationresultsfromthe
bookmorethanfromtheplay.However,iftherearetranslationsfromtheplay,Iproposetogiveyou
25%ofthecopyrightsthatIwilldealdirectlywithyou.Doyouagree?Youcansendmethecheckof
77.500francshere.Mybestregardstoallofyou.G.Simenon
Please,justsendmetheforeignrequests.Iwillanswerthem.Also,sendmesomecopiesofParis
ThatrethatIwillsenddirectlytothepeopleconcerned.
GeorgesSimenon
GoldenGateAv.delaReineElisabethCannesAlpesMaritimes

Secondletter(writtenletter):
Cannes,the10thofNovember
MydearValmain,
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Youdidmisunderstandme.Thearticle10specifiesthatitconcernsthe25%ofmyshareofthe
copyrightintheforeigncountries,whichmeansfromtheshareattributedtotheFrenchauthor.The
foreignadaptergets50%ofthecopyrightsforitisneveratranslationbutanadaptation.
Thisgivestheforeigncopyrights:50%fortheadapter,50%fortheFrenchauthor.
Itisonthese50%thatIgiveyouashare.Thatis25%of50%.AllyoursG.Simenon.

Thesetwolettersspeakforthemselves.Theygivethekeystothestory.ItissurprisingthatValmain
gavethemoutwithoutassessingtherisks.
Thefirstletterdatedthe29thofOctober1955,writtenafterthefirstperformance,showsthat
Simenonwasexultant:theplaywasasuccessandhehadfoundtheadapterhewasdreamingof.
Usuallysoreticentwithhisadapters,heproposedtwoothertitlesinordertocontinuethisfruitful
collaboration(bringing77.500francseach)Whatistheauthorbeingabeginnerfor,whowouldnot
haveseizedtheopportunitytogetfameandfinancialeaseatthesametime?
Onlyacreatorcertainofhisownvalue(thiswasDard'spositionbetween1950and1955)could
affordtorefuseaproposal,tonotexpectanythingfromSimenonafterhavingprovedthathewashis
bestadapter.Thisadapterdealtwiththenovelistasanequal,imposingnowhisownconditions:
TheplayLibertyBarpublishedinLesOeuvresLibresNumber114(November1955)mentions
aFrdricValmaincopyrightallreproductionoradaptationrightsreservedforallcountries
includingUSSR.ThisstrikeonlyhadthemotivationtoerasetheaffronthesustainedforLaNeige
EtaitSale(DirtySnow).ItcouldonlybeDard.
Thankstothistrick,FrdricDardtoppledhisfatherinliterature,hisoldidol,tosucceedhim.
SomecriticslikeAnthonyBurgess(British,19171993),writinganarticleaboutSimenon,
highlightedthisexampleoffiliation/emancipation:SanAntonio,FrdricDard,Simenon's
acknowledgedsuccessor,isprobablyamanwithmorefameandanauthoroffarmoreoriginal
policenovels(inTributetoQwertYuiop,EditorGrasset,Paris,1988).
IleaveBurgesstheresponsibilityoftheformulabecauseIdonotallowmyselftosetupascaleof
valuesbetweenthesetwo,twentiethcentury,Frenchliteraturegiants,asIwouldnotdaretocompare
thegeniusofPicassoandtheoneofMatisse.
Whathappenedafterwards?Darddidnotfeeltheneedtounveiltheendofthepartywhichprobably
wasplayedbetweenthetwonovelists.HedidhavethelastwordfortheMaigretwerenolonger
adaptedforthetheatre.Simenonhadmethismatch.
AsfarasDardwasconcerned,hehadtestedfullscaletheefficiencyofhisstratagem.
Truetohimselfnottoloseanythingofhiswriting,euphoricofthegoodtrickplayedonSimenon
withthecomplicityoftheatricalsurroundings,heputontheyoungValmainthefollowupofhis

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personalstrategywhichconsistedinadaptingacertainnumberofnovelsfromfirstrateauthors.
DidhenotstarthimselfwiththeadaptationofNoOrchidForMissBlandishsignedtogetherwith
ElianeCharles(probablythesisterofacertainFrdricCharlesaDardpseudonym)andMarcel
Duhamel,followedbyLaNeigeEtaitSale(DirtySnow)andalltheincidentsaroundit.
Afterhavinggropedaround,thisexperiencebecamehisstrongpointandallowedhimtoadjusthis
tacticsandentrusttheroleofamenialadaptertoValmain.
Andthissmokescreengamewasrepeatedfirstforthetheatrethenforthebookspublishedbyeither
FayardorFleuveNoir.AnditwasthesameforthecinemaandtelevisionuntilDardhaddecidedto
regainhisrealfunction.
ForFrdricDard'sgreatloversandadmirers,thediscoveryofthetextstheauthordidnotwishto
publishwithhisname,isahappyeventandadelight.IamsurethatFrdricDardhassome
additionalsurprisesinstore.

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