Léo Malet (1909–1996) was a French crime novelist and
surrealist
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
. He was known for creating the Parisian private eye Nestor Burma.
Biography
Leo Malet was born in
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
.
In the 1930s, he was closely aligned with the Surrealists, and was close friends with
André Breton
André Robert Breton (; ; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') ...
,
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...
and Yves Tanguy, amongst others. During this time, he published several volumes of
poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
.
Selected bibliography
* ''120, rue de la Gare'' (1943)
* ''Le cinquième procédé'' (1948)
* ''Le soleil naît derrière le Louvre'' (1954) (First of the "New Mysteries of Paris" series)
* ''Des kilomètres de linceuls'' (1955)
* ''Fièvre au Marais'' (1955)
* ''La nuit de Saint-Germain-des-Prés'' (1955)
* ''M'as-tu vu en cadavre'' (1956)
* ''Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac'' (1956)
* ''Casse-pipe à la Nation'' (1957)
* ''Micmac moche au Boul' Mich' '' (1957)
* ''Nestor Burma court la poupée'' (1971)
* ''Poste restante'' (1983)
Comic book adaptations
* Brouillard au pont de Tolbiac (Casterman, 1982); drawn by: Jacques Tardi
* 120, rue de la Gare (Casterman, 1988); drawn by: Jacques Tardi
* Une gueule de bois en plomb (Casterman, 1990); drawn by: Jacques Tardi
* Casse-pipe à la Nation (Casterman, 1996); drawn by: Jacques Tardi
* M'as-tu vu en cadavre ? (Casterman, 2000); drawn by: Jacques Tardi
The Enigma of the Folies-Bergere
''The Enigma of the Folies-Bergere'' (French: ''Enigme aux Folies-Bergère'') is a 1959 French crime film directed by Jean Mitry and starring Bella Darvi, Frank Villard and Dora Doll. The police investigate a series of murders at the Folies-Bergè ...
'', directed by
Jean Mitry
Jean-René Pierre Goetgheluck Le Rouge Tillard des Acres de Presfontaines, whose pseudonym was Jean Mitry (; 7 November 1904 – 18 January 1988), was a French Film theory, film theorist, Film criticism, critic and Filmmaking, filmmaker, a co-fo ...
Frank Villard
Frank Villard (24 March 1917 – 19 September 1980) was a French film actor.Goble p.121 He was born François Drouineau in Saint-Jean-d'Angély.
Selected filmography
* ''The Last of the Six'' (1941) - Un homme (uncredited)
* ''Cartacalha, reine ...
, Dora Doll
*''La Nuit de Saint-Germain-des-Prés'', directed by Bob Swaim (1977), with Michel Galabru (as Nestor Burma)
*''Nestor Burma, détective de choc'', directed by Jean-Luc Miesch (1982), with Michel Serrault (as Nestor Burma),
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin ( ; 14 December 1946 – 16 July 2023) was a British and French actress, singer, and designer. She had a prolific career as an actress, mostly in French cinema.
A native of London, Birkin began her career as an actress, ...
*''Les Rats de Montsouris'', directed by Maurice Frydland (TV film, 1988), with Gérard Desarthe (as Nestor Burma)
*''Nestor Burma'' (TV series, 39 episodes, 1991–2003), with Guy Marchand (as Nestor Burma)