Reviving Arsène Lupin

Dr. Jassim Taqui

DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, July 26, 2021: My best friend Air Commodore Pervez Akhtar Khan, gave me today the best news. Netflix is sterilizing Arsène Lupin. Lupin is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. He was originally called Arsène Lopin until a local politician of the same name protested. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine Je sais tout. The first story, "The Arrest of Arsène Lupin", was published on 15 July 1905.

Lupin was featured in 17 novels and 39 novellas by Leblanc, with the novellas or short stories collected into book form for a total of 24 books. The number becomes 25 if the 1923 novel The Secret Tomb is counted: Lupin does not appear in it, but the main character Dorothée solves one of Arsène Lupin's four fabulous secrets.

The character has also appeared in several books by other writers as well as numerous film, television, stage play, as well as comic book adaptations. Five authorized sequels were written in the 1970s by the celebrated mystery writing team of Boileau-Narcejac.

I remember that I started to read Lupin when I was 13 years old. However, I read the Arabic rendering of the original Lupin. I love the character and the imagination of the author Maurice Leblanc. I advise all friends to see the serial or to read the novels. You will enjoy Lupin, his tricks, and his women.