Arsène Lupin, the monocled Gentleman Thief is a mixture of Sherlock Holmes and Robin Hood, stealing from the wealthy and offering to the less fortunate. Those whom he defeats are worse villains than he is. Arsène is a thief, a master of disguise, a rascal but never a killer. He possesses such wealth that he does not need to steal for material reasons but does so for pleasure and he is famous for always getting away with his crimes. The iconic character of Arsène Lupin, a smart, funny, very elegant and suave fictional burglar and womanizer was originally created by French author Maurice Leblanc in 1905. These ten fascinating short stories are essential for anyone who loves psychological, action-adventure, and crime thrillers.

モーリス・ルブランが描くルパンの本質は、道徳の境界線を弄ぶ稀代の演出家という点にあります。本作は、華麗な知略の裏に潜む彼の孤独や矜持を浮き彫りにします。富裕層から奪い、悪を挫く姿は、冷徹な犯罪者とは対極にあるロマンティシズムに満ちており、読者を魅惑的な不道徳へと誘う文学的磁力を持っています。 映像版では視覚的な華やかさが際立ちますが、原作には行間に漂うルパンの皮肉な微笑みや、心理戦の機微が刻まれています。映像が「見せる」快感なら、本書は「想像させる」知的な深みを与えます。両者を往復することで、怪盗という鏡を通し、人間性の深淵をより鮮烈に目撃できるはずです。