A brilliant new translation of one of Simenon's best loved masterpieces.
'A certain furtive, almost shameful emotion ... disturbed him whenever he saw a train go by, a night train especially, its blinds drawn down on the mystery of its passengers'
Kees Popinga is a respectable Dutch citizen and family man. Then he discovers that his boss has bankrupted the shipping firm he works for - and something snaps. Kees used to watch the trains go by to exciting destinations. Now, on some dark impulse, he boards one at random, and begins a new life of recklessness and violence. This chilling portrayal of a man who breaks from society and goes on the run asks who we are, and what we are capable of.
'Classic Simenon ... extraordinary in its evocative power' Independent
'What emerges is the bare human animal' John Gray
'Read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss' Sunday Times
- ISBN10 0241258553
- ISBN13 9780241258552
- Publish Date 3 November 2016 (first published 30 January 1986)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
- Imprint Penguin Classics
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 256
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780241258552