Arsene Lupin is a fictional character who appears in a book series of detective fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of sequels and numerous film, television, stage play and comic book adaptations. A contemporary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) was the creator of the character of gentleman thief Arsene Lupin who, in Francophone countries, has enjoyed a popularity as long-lasting and considerable as Sherlock Holmes in the English-speaking world."