813 (novel)
 | This article is missing information about Reviews and significance in Arsene Lupin canon'''. (November 2021) |
 The murder of Rudolph Kesselbach. Poulbot advertising poster for the publication of the serial in the daily Le Journal. | |
| Author | Maurice Leblanc |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | |
| Country | France |
| Series | Arsène Lupin |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Publisher | Éditions Pierre Lafitte |
| Media type | |
| Pages | Est.500 |
| Preceded by | The Hollow Needle |
| Followed by | The Crystal Stopper |
813 is a detective novel by Maurice Leblanc, featuring the adventures of the gentleman thief, Arsène Lupin, published in June 1910.
The story of 813 concerns the theft and murder of a wealthy diamond dealer, with the central protagonist Arsène Lupin as the prime suspect. Over the course of the mystery of "813", Arsène Lupin, the national police chief Lenormand, and the mysterious murderer "L.M." are engaged in a deadly battle, spreading across Europe.
813 is considered a landmark Lupin story amongst fans. [citation needed]
Plot summary
South African billionaire Rudolf Kesselbach is murdered in Paris. Arsène Lupin's adversary throughout this affair is the mysterious "L.M.", an assassin. Lupin tries to evade the police, but ends up getting arrested.
Knowing that the German Emperor turned to Herlock Sholmes to solve the mystery of "813", without success, Lupin "summons" the Kaiser to his prison. The latter orders the freedom of Lupin, who can thus dedicate himself to solving the riddle.
Back in France, Lupin hopes to marry his daughter, Geneviève, to the heir of the duchy Deux-Ponts-Veldenz (actually Gérard Baupré whom he groomed for this role). However, he falls in love with Dolorès Kesselbach, in whom Lupin had already taken an interest. Tragedies precipitate, leading to the death of Dolorès and Baupré. Rejected by Victoire, defeated, Arsène fakes his death and disappears.
After having re-encountered the German Emperor in Italy, Lupin, depressed, tries to kill himself by launching himself from the top of a cliff. He survives the fall in the Mediterranean and joins the Foreign Legion under the identity of Don Luis Perenna.
History
Unlike the previous Arsène Lupin's stories, which were serialized in Je sais tout, the "813" was published in the daily Le Journal, one of the most important of the time, from March 5 to May 24, 1910.[1]
The Lafitte editions released in June 1910, in a thick volume of est. 500 pages[citation needed]. The story of this release was largely truncated, with several scenes missing. It misses in particular the arrest of Lupin by Lenormand, the romance between Geneviève and Marcel Landat, the Steeple Course and the pickpockets, the murder of Gertrude, etc.[2] The novel will be republished in 1917 in two volumes entitled "813" and "Les Trois Crimes d'Arsène Lupin".
Unique aspects of the novel
The tone of this novel is quite different from prior Arsène Lupin stories; we are dealing with a complex characterization of Arsène Lupin.[citation needed] 813 also contains a fairly large number of very violent deaths, and a formidable and disturbing antagonist in "L.M."
At the end of the story, Arsène Lupin throws himself into the sea from the diving platform of Tiberius on the island of Capri, seemingly resulting in his death. Around this time, Maurice Leblanc had started to grow weary of writing Lupin stories and 813 marks the first time when Leblanc attempts to kill the titular character.[citation needed]
In the last scene however, it is revealed that he had survived, taking the guise of Don Luis Perenna in the French Foreign Legion in the city of Algeria, setting up the character's return in the 1917 story "The Golden Triangle" (also known as "Return of Arsène Lupin").[citation needed]
Adaptations
The novel would serve as the basis for the 1980 French miniseries Arsène Lupine joue et perd. In film, it had been adapted to a 1920 silent film "813" directed by Charles Christie and Scott Sidney, and a 1923 Japanese silent film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi.
References
- ↑ Maurice Leblanc (5 March 1910). "813 GRAND ROMAN INÉDIT". Le Journal (in français). p. 2.
- ↑ Maurice Leblanc (14 March 1910). "813 GRAND ROMAN INÉDIT". Le Journal (in français). p. 2.
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