The popularity of Inspector Maigret.

Georges Simenon,
10 May 1965.
Anefo, Dutch Nat Archives

On The Conversation, Véronique Duché (A. R. Chisholm Professor of French at the University of Melbourne) explains why Inspector Maigret is her favorite detective: "Sucking on his pipe, Maigret observes from a distance, inhaling the soul of people and places. Then he slowly closes in."