More on Michel Clerc

If you look closely at the top left image in the l'Officiel article (previous item), you'll see several copies of the Michel Clerc book Bakchich on the tabletop. Here is the cover of the 1976 French edition and of several of Clerc's later novels.

There is not a great deal of biographical or even critical material available about Clerc, even though he actively published novels throughout the 1980s and '90s. One thing I did find is a Paris Match magazine article written by him in 1960 about the novelist Georges Simenon, the creator of Inspector Maigret mysteries and other works.

There is wonderful photography with the article—here is one image. The text is mostly about Simenon's writing process, and you can sense the envy the author has for his subject's considerable success. Michel may even model his later career as a novelist on his admiration and/or jealousy for Simenon. Make sure you read the hilarious note at the bottom of the page that suggests what Simenon thought of Clerc.

Georges Simenon in his study. Credit: Izis, Paris Match, 1960