Arsène Lupin, that gentleman-thief created by Maurice LeBlanc, is the hero of The Mysterious Mansion, reviewed on the podcast this week, as well as several other novels. But he began life in short stories, and much of his career may be traced through those stories, which today's readers may still find thoroughly entertaining.
There's a fine Penguin collection of the stories called, appropriately enough, Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief
Adventure exists everywhere, in the meanest hovel, under the mask of the wisest of men. Everywhere, if you are only willing, you will find an excuse for excitement, for doing good, for saving a victim, for ending an injustice.
That, I think, is exactly what you can expect to find in these stories. That's why Arsène Lupin has remained popular in France for a century now - and, I think, why his adventures are likely to continue being read in many languages.
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