Belphégor is a 1927 horror novel by French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 Arthur Bernède

Arthur Bernède

Arthur Bernède was a French writer, poet, opera libretist, and playwright.He was born in Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine department, in Brittany....

, about a "ghost" which haunts the Louvre Museum, in reality a masked villain

Villain

A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...

 trying to steal a hidden treasure

Treasure

Treasure is a concentration of riches, often one which is considered lost or forgotten until being rediscovered...

. It was simultaneously adapted as a movie serial starring René Navarre

René Navarre

René Navarre was a French actor of the silent era. He appeared in 109 films between 1910 and 1946.He was born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne and died in Azay-sur-Cher, Indre-et-Loire.-External links:...

 as Chantecoq

Chantecoq

Chantecoq is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France....

, Bernède's fictional detective

Detective

A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...

 and Elmire Vautier as the villainous Belphégor.

Belphégor inspired several other adaptations, including an eponymous 1965 French television series starring Juliette Greco

Juliette Gréco

Juliette Gréco, — also Michelle – is a French actress and popular chanson singer.-Early life and family:Juliette Gréco was born in Montpellier to a Corsican father and a mother who became active in the Résistance, in the Hérault département of southern France. She was raised by her maternal...

 in the title role (but without Chantecoq), a 1965 comic daily strip, a 2001 film

Belphégor - Le fantôme du Louvre

Belphegor, Phantom of the Louvre is a 2001 French feature film directed by Jean-Paul Salomé. It is based on a novel by Arthur Bernède...

 starring Sophie Marceau

Sophie Marceau

Sophie Marceau is a French actress director, screenwriter, and author. She has appeared in 38 films. As a teenager, Marceau achieved popularity with her debut films La boum and La boum 2 , receiving a César Award for Most Promising Actress...

, and a 2001 French-Canadian animated television series.

The 1966 film La Malédiction de Belphégor has nothing to do with Bernède's version and was made to cash in on the 1965 television series' popularity.

Editions

• 1927, J. Tallandier
• 1929, World Wide Publishing Co., Inc. (English)
• 2001, Fayard, ISBN 2213609098
• 2001, Hachette, ISBN 2013218753

External links

• The French Wold Newton Universe - Belphegor