Origins & Early Life

Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; French: [ləblɑ̃]; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French counterpart to Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlock Holmes. The first Arsène Lupin story appeared in a series of short stories that was serialized in the magazine Je sais tout, starting in No. 6, dated 15 July 1905. Clearly created at editorial request, it is possible that Leblanc had also read Octave Mirbeau's Les 21 jours d'un neurasthénique (1901), which features a gentleman thief named Arthur Lebeau, and he had seen Mirbeau's comedy Scrupules (1902), whose main character is a gentleman thief.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

By 1907, Leblanc had graduated to writing full-length Lupin novels, and the reviews and sales were so good that Leblanc effectively dedicated the rest of his career to working on the Lupin stories. Like Conan Doyle, who often appeared embarrassed or hindered by the success of Sherlock Holmes and seemed to regard his success in the field of crime fiction as a detraction from his more "respectable" literary ambitions, Leblanc also appeared...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akashi Motojiro — Contemporary (Born in 1864) (1864): General in the Imperial Japanese Army and Governor-General of Taiwan.
• Alvah Curtis Roebuck — Contemporary (Born in 1864) (1864): Co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company, pioneering American retail businessman.
• Banjo Paterson — Contemporary (Born in 1864) (1864): Iconic Australian bush poet, journalist, and author of 'Waltzing Matilda'
• Adnan Khayr Allah — Contemporary (Born in 1941) (1941): Iraqi military officer and Minister of Defense, closely associated with the Ba'ath regime.
• Alan Mullery — Contemporary (Born in 1941) (1941): Iconic English footballer and manager known for his time at Fulham and Spurs.
• Aldrich Ames — Contemporary (Born in 1941) (1941): American CIA analyst and notorious Soviet spy convicted of espionage.
• Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn — Shared historical date (12-11 · Born) (1918): Dissident author who exposed Soviet repression, notably the Gulag system.
• Amon Göth — Shared historical date (12-11 · Born) (1908): Austrian SS functionary and war criminal, commandant of Płaszów concentration camp.
• Alfred F. Young — Shared historical date (11-06 · Died) (2012): Pioneering American historian of the Revolution and working-class social history.
• Cesare Lombroso — Shared historical date (11-06 · Born) (1835): Founder of modern criminology, known for atavistic theory of criminality.
• 1864 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1864
• December 11 (12-11) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on December 11
• 1941 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1941
• November 6 (11-06) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on November 6