Friedrich Glauser is a legendary fígure in European noir. A morphine and opium addict most of his life, he began writing one of his novels, Thumbprint (Bitter Lemon) while an inmate at the Swiss insane asylum, Waldau. Glauser is often compared to Simenon and had a strong influence on Friedrich Durenmatt. Germany's most prestigious and best-known crime writing award is the Glauser prize.