Arsene Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes

Maurice Leblanc

Description

This volume contains two adventures which pit the gentleman thief Arsene Lupin against Sherlock Holmes, the world's most famous detective. In 'The Blonde Lady', Holmes must discover the identity of a mysterious female thief who is linked to Lupin, while in 'The Jewish Lamp' he finds out that the theft of a lamp containing a precious jewel conceals an astonishing secret. While their tone is at times ironic and firmly tongue-in-cheek, the two stories in Arsene Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes bear all the hallmarks of classic detective fiction, and will put a smile on the lips and set the pulses racing of all fans of mystery and detective fiction.

Informations

• Publié par: Alma Books
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780714546407
• Langue: English

Extrait

Arsène Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes
Maurice Leblanc
Translated by David Carter
Illustrations by Thomas Müller

ALMA CLASSICS




Alma Classics an imprint of
alma books ltd 3 Castle Yard Richmond Surrey TW10 6TF United Kingdom www.almaclassics.com
Arsène Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes first published in French in 1908 This translation first published by Alma Classics Ltd in 2015
Introduction and Translation © David Carter, 2015
Extra Material © Alma Classics Ltd, 2015
Illustrations © Thomas Müller, 2015
Cover design: Jem Butcher Design
Printed in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY
isbn : 978-1-84749-561-7
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be resold, lent, hired out or otherwise circulated without the express prior consent of the publisher.


Translator’s Introduction
The very title of Maurice Leblanc’s book arouses the reader’s curiosity and expectations. Any established fan of Arsène Lupin will be immediately attracted of course, but even someone coming for the first time upon tales about this suave, French gentleman thief cannot fail to be intrigued by the coupling of his name with that of the world-renowned fictional English private detective. For the Englishman’s name is so thinly disguised that the real identity of Lupin’s opponent is unmistakable. In the French original he appears as “Herlock Sholmès”, which the first English translator reinterpreted imaginatively as “Holmlock Shears”. Why bother with such a transparent ruse? The answer is to be found in the historical context of the original publication of the stories.
The author, Maurice Leblanc (1864–1941), might have been condemned to literary obscurity if it had not been for the runaway success of his Arsène Lupin stories. He was born in Rouen, Normandy, and was educated in a local lycée. He studied in various countries, went to law school but dropped out, and finally settled down in Paris to become a writer of short fiction and novels. For a long time his works were admired but did not meet with much commercial success. Then, in 1905, the editor of a new periodical approached him with a request to write a story in the manner of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The new magazine itself, Je Sais Tout , was closely modelled on the English Strand magazine, in which the original Sherlock Holmes stories were published. The Holmes stories were already popular in France, so that there was a ready market. It is clear therefore that there is a close relationship between the Lupin adventures and those of Holmes, although the majority of those about Lupin do not also feature Holmes as a character. Altogether Leblanc wrote twenty-one works, some of them novels and others collections of short stories, which feature the gentleman thief.
The first collection of short stories about Arsène Lupin to be published together in book form was Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar , in 1907. The stories had originally appeared separately in Je Sais Tout . It is in one of these stories that Sherlock Holmes makes his first appearance alongside Arsène Lupin. When he heard of it, Conan Doyle objected to the use of his fictional character and the name which he had invented. Thus it came about that in the book edition the name was changed to “Herlock Sholmès”. Under this name the character reappeared in two more stories published in the second volume of stories, Arsène Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès , 1908, which is the basis of the present volume. The first story, ‘ The Blonde Woman’ , appeared originally in the magazine between November 1906 and April 1907, and the second story, ‘ The Jewish Lamp’ , appeared there in September and October , 1907. The first English translations were available in 1910.
Thus Leblanc clearly exploited the popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories while staying within the law and only parodying the creations of the English writer. He was also careful to modify names in other allusions in his stories, but not so much that any intelligent reader could not easily identify them. Thus Watson becomes Wilson, “221b Baker Street” becomes “219 Parker Street” and, rather oddly perhaps, the car brand Peugeot becomes “Peugeon”.
Fans of Conan Doyle’s stories will soon realize that his two famous characters are affectionately parodied in Leblanc’s treatment of them. The following exchange is typical of them as represented in Leblanc’s stories:
“Wilson, give me your opinion: Why was Lupin in that restaurant?”
Wilson did not hesitate.
“To eat.”
“Wilson, the more we work together, the more I perceive how you continue to progress. My word, you are becoming amazing.”
Sholmes appears so obsessed with his own genius that he is completely insensitive to his friend’s injuries and subsequent sufferings. And Wilson is lost in wide-eyed admiration of Sholmes to the point of unquestioning obedience to his instructions.
Leblanc was not the only writer tempted to keep Sherlock Holmes alive by incorporating him in his own fiction. In fact, it became a popular sport in many countries, including not only France, but also Germany, Spain and Russia. A detailed account, with examples, of the most successful of these resuscitations can be found in The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes , collected and introduced by Richard Lancelot Green (1983), and the extensive influence of Conan Doyle’s creations is explored in Shadows of Sherlock Holmes , selected and introduced by David Stuart Davis (1998).
Arsène Lupin himself has had a considerable afterlife. A remarkable reincarnation occurred in a Japanese manga comic in 1967. A certain Arsène Lupin III appears, claiming to be the grandson of the original gentleman thief. The Leblanc estate gave no permission for this metamorphosis of the character and a lawsuit ensued. When the animé version of this ( Rupan sansei , 1971–72) was finally released in France, the character was renamed “ Edgar, le détective cambrioleur ” (“Edgar, the burglar detective”).
There have also been various attempts to adapt the adventures of Arsène Lupin as films. Amongst others, there was an early silent version made in America in 1917, entitled Arsene Lupin (and lacking the accent), starring Earle Williams and directed by Paul Scardon, for the Vitagraph company. It was based on a play by Francis le Croisset. John Barrymore played Lupin in the MGM version of the same play in 1932, with Barrymore’s brother Lionel as Chief Inspector Ganimard. And in Arsène Lupin Returns , also by MGM, in 1938, Lupin was played by Melvyn Douglas. Then in 1944 Charles Korvin played Lupin in Enter Arsène Lupin , made by Universal under the direction of Ford Beebe. There was a French film directed by Jacques Becker, in 1957, called Les Aventures d’Arsène Lupin , starring Robert Lamoureux. Then in 1971 there was a French TV series, directed by Jean-Pierre Decourt, with Georges Déscrières as Lupin, broadcast between 1971 and 1972. One episode broadcast in 1971 was in fact based on Lupin’s encounters with the great English sleuth, and starred Henri Virlojeux as “Herlock Sholmès”. Most recently there has been Les Aventures d’Arsène Lupin (2004), directed by Jean-Paul Salomé and starring Romain Duris. The consensus of critical opinion would seem to be that this film failed to capture the irony, wit and charm of Leblanc’s character.
Finally it should be mentioned that a computer game was released in October, 2007 with the title Sherlock Holmes versus Arsène Lupin , but its plotline bears little resemblance to Leblanc’s stories.
Conventions in the present translation
As already indicated, Leblanc modified the names and other details borrowed from the works of Conan Doyle. These modifications have been retained in the present translation, with the exception of the spelling of the name “Herlock Sholmès”. It has been decided to drop the accent grave and render it thus as “Herlock Sholmes”, as this is more natural for an English reader to pronounce. Leblanc also utilizes many ellipses in his writing. These have been retained where they clearly indicate uncertainty or omission, etc. Many which have no clear expressive purpose have been omitted. The names of French streets and places have been left in the original language.
– David Carter, 2015


Arsène Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes


First Episode
The Blonde Woman






1 Number 514 – Series 23
O n 8th of December last year, M. Gerbois, a teacher of mathematics at the Versailles secondary school, discovered among the jumble of things in an old curiosity shop a small mahogany writing desk which he liked on account of its large number of drawers.
“That’s just what I need for Suzanne’s birthday,” he thought.
And as he did his best – as far as his modest means would allow – to please his daughter, he negotiated a price and paid the sum of sixty-five francs.
Just as he was giving his address, a young man with an elegant figure, and who was already rummaging around left and right, noticed the item of furniture and asked:
“How much?”
“It’s sold,” replied the shopkeeper.
“Ah!… to this gentleman, perhaps?”
M. Gerbois nodded and, all the happier to have acquired the piece of furniture now that one of his fellow men was coveting it, he left.
But he had not gone ten paces along the street before he was joined by the young man, who, with his hat in his hand and in an extremely courteous tone, said to him:
“I beg your pardon most humbly, sir… I wish to ask you an indiscreet q