Classic in Translation.
Eileen Ellenbogen translated many Maigret mysteries and “gray novels” by
Simenon. The web is totally unhelpful as to whether Ellenbogen taught French
besides translating.
The Delivery –
Georges Simenon
In this pitiless gray novel of the early Forties,
Bergelon is a country doctor in a parish he has lived in all his life except
for med school. Dr. Mandalin, a surgeon new to the town and with a wealthy wife,
makes him an offer: for the first client Bergelon refers to the sumptuous private
clinic that Mandalin owns and operates, Bergelon will receive the full fee;
then, for every following referral he will get half. Thirty-year-old Cosson, a highly-strung
bank clerk, wants his pregnant wife to have a reputable doctor. Though he feels
ignoble for involving himself in Mandalin’s little racket, Bergelon advises Cosson
to choose Mandalin's clinic.
And it ends badly, of course. One night Mandalin has
Bergelon and his abjectly grateful wife over to his ritzy house. The clinic
makes multiple calls about the difficult labor of Cosson’s wife. Mandalin, of
the paternalistic old school, refuses to be pushed around by a mere patient and
does not go to the clinic with Bergelon until many hours pass and many drinks
drunk. Afraid to be regarded as a Nervous Norvus, Bergelon does not insist on
their going to the clinic right away.
Mother and child die. Cosson, enraged and smelling the
stink of malpractice, pursues Bergelon. Cosson feels that the local country doc
let down one of his own. Cosson dreams
of killing Bergelon with a gun or a bomb. Bergelon does not try to avoid Cosson
but instead seeks him in out in various dives where Cosson drinks himself mean
and stupid. Bergelon is tongue-tied and ridiculous and cowardly when he does
engage his nemesis. Cosson settles in with Cécile, his mistress, a young
prostitute who visits Bergelon every week for the required health inspection. Canny
Cécile advises Bergelon to make himself scarce until Cosson cools down.
On the beaches of Riva-Bella where Bergelon flees to rest,
without wife and kiddies, for a few days, he dallies with Edna, whose name
constantly reminds him of a volcano. Edna-Etna is a single mother he met the
day before. But Bergelon spies from afar Germaine, his wife, arriving
unexpectedly. So he decides to flee. Flee Germaine the melancholy pessimist. Flee daughter Annie and son Emile, who judge
him and find him wanting. Flee Cosson who, having obtained his address from a mail carrier, wrote
him a letter that shows no signs of him cooling down.
Fleeing, Bergelon lands in Antwerp. He sees an opportunity
for his entire life to begin anew when he chances upon a childhood friend who
offers him as job as ship’s doctor and thence to Trebizond in Turkey where he
can get a job doctoring easily. Bergelon plays with this idea for a time and
then – you guessed it in one – flakes out of the chance to walk away from
everything, a chance many Simenonian anti-heroes have taken up.
After a final weird meeting with Cosson, Bergelon returns
to his monotonous uneventful life in Bugle. Simenon could care less about
messages, I think, but I’m the kind of guy that likes stories about the
pitfalls of choosing mediocrity, choosing fear over bravery, folly over wisdom,
the cup over coffee.
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