Welcome to the latest Hercules Editions crowdsourcing campaign
Welcome to the latest Hercules Editions crowdsourcing campaign
Our New Campaign
Impasse
for Jules Maigret
by Sean O’Brien
signed limited edition of 300
Hercules Editions is pleased to announce the publication of Impasse: for Jules Maigret by Sean O’Brien, a tribute in poems to Georges Simenon’s iconic French police detective.
O’Brien writes in his afterword to the book that "Simenon is the only author whose work I’ve wanted to write about like this and I allowed myself a reverie on his turf." The resulting poems are O’Brien at his best, locating Maigret in landscapes "touched by an implacable melancholy".
The Sacred Heart
Behind the hidden towns
that coal has long abandoned,
barges full of ash still ply
the old canals, still hauled
by the skeletons of horses.
You find the locks almost intact,
the rusted gear still turning,
cottages half in the woods
suspicious still, their gaze
averted and omniscient.
Someone should corroborate
these facts, but everyone
is either sleeping or deceased.
Instead there is a room
all corners, with a yellow smell
of want and poor digestion,
plus a glass of glaring teeth
beside the Sacred Heart,
and all of this belongs to France,
the heart of yellow-grey
long dead and beating still.
The book includes images from some of the many films and books based on the Maigret novels, including cover illustrations by Dick Bruna and Ferenc Pintér, plus a new essay by poet and critic Patrick McGuinness on Maigret’s lasting influence, in addition to an afterword by the author.
We rely on the generous assistance of our readers, so we hope you will support this new publication. We are offering some exciting incentives to donors, including an opportunity to have your name listed in the book (a regular feature of all our publications; a way of making our readers integral to the project), a chance to receive an additional unpublished poem not included in the text, and an opportunity to have a one-to-one poetry tutorial with author Sean O’Brien.
Our campaign runs until Friday 14 April 2023
Donations can be made through PayPal, and you will also be required to fill out our online form with your name as you would like it to appear in the book and your postal address.
Pledge 1
£30
For a pledge of £30, your name will be included in the list of donors at the back of Impasse, and you will receive a copy of the publication postage free.
Included rewards
A copy of Impasse with your name listed as a donor
Pledge 2
£40
For a pledge of £40, you will receive a print of a new unpublished poem by Sean O’Brien. In addition, your name will be included in the list of donors at the back of Impasse, and you will receive both print and book postage free.
Included rewards
A copy of Impasse with your name listed as a donor
A print of a new unpublished poem by Sean O’Brien
Pledge 3
£100
For a pledge of £100 you may book a 30-minute one-to-one Zoom tutorial with Sean O’Brien, where he will provide feedback on two of your poems (submitted to Sean in advance of the session). In addition, you will receive a print of a new unpublished poem by Sean O’Brien and your name will be included in the list of donors at the back of Impasse. You will receive the book and print postage free.
Included rewards
A copy of Impasse with your name listed as a donor
A print of a new unpublished poem by Sean O’Brien
A 30-minute one-to-one Zoom tutorial with Sean O’Brien
We thank you for your continued support of the press
and its authors and artists