The Book, Cat, & Cat Book Lovers Almanac

of historical trivia regarding books, cats, and other animals. Actually this blog has evolved so that it is described better as a blog about cats in history and culture. And we take as a theme the advice of Aldous Huxley: If you want to be a writer, get some cats. Don't forget to see the archived articles linked at the bottom of the page.

February 13, 2012

February 13, 1903

Georges Simenon (February 13, 1903 to September 4, 1989 ) was Belgian, and his French language novels, especially those featuring Inspector Maigret, made him rich and famous. Somewhere I got these statistics: he wrote "190 potboilers signed with 17 pseudonyms, 358 novels and short stories signed Simenon, 25 autobiographical works." Still doubt remains about many aspects of his life, particularly his relations with the Germans during the occupation. 

One of his stories is Le Chat, (1967) a novel about an old couple who are  widow and widower  when they meet, and, in their sixties when they marry. They only communicate in writing, but they depend on their mutual hatred. The plot involves the possibility the woman has poisoned an alley cat, named Joseph. This cat her husband had before he moved into the woman's house. Pierre Granier-Deferre turned this story into a film-- 
Le Chat (1971.)

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