Today is the birthday of Georges Simenon (1903-1989), that most prolific of 20th-century authors who penned over 450 novels and volumes of short stories (said to be capable of writing 60 to 80 pages per day). Perhaps that's why he once said "Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness." A Belgian writer who wrote in French, Simenon's work has been translated into 55 languages and sold in 44 countries. He's best known for his 103 novels and short stories which featured Parisian Inspector Maigret. A focus on people and setting in his work is emphasised by the extremely spare language which is a hallmark of his style.
His books continue to be reissued in print well after his death. In addition to several titles published recently by New York Review Books Classics, Penguin Books released My Friend Maigret in December, featuring three Inspector Maigret stories (the titular story as well as "Inspector Cadaver and Maigret" and "The Man on the Boulevard"), and The Widow will be released by Random House in Trade Paperback on March 25.
With a writer that beloved and prolific, it's not too surprising he inspired almost his own cottage industry of TV movies and films. IMDB lists many of these, with new productions as recently as 2007, two in French, one in Belgian, and one in German. You can even subscribe to Maigret stories on iTunes.
This site on the Inspector Maigret character has a bibligraphy, plots, links to articles, and a Maigret forum. For a discussion of why Simenon isn't more popular in the U.S., check out this blog from the lit department at the University of Rochester.
If you want to spread the love, you can buy the T-shirt over at Amazon.
