Dr. Mabuse

Norbert Jacques was born on 6 June 1880 in Luxembourg-Eich. He was a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, and translator who wrote in German. He died on 15 May 1954 in Koblenz, West Germany. In between, he created Dr. Mabuse, one of the most influential villains in 20th century pop culture. Jacques is perhaps the most famous writer from his country. He is also, today, practically unknown.[1][2]

Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, the first novel to feature the character, was published in 1921. It was one of the bestsellers of its time, selling over 500,000 copies in Germany. Mabuse is a genius of disguise, a manipulator, a seducer, an agitator. He wants to collapse the structure of the state and establish a reign of crime. In 1922, the year he received German citizenship, Jacques saw his character adapted for the screen by Fritz Lang, one of the greatest filmmakers of the era. Lang would return to Mabuse twice more: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933) and The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960).[1][2]

In the 1960 film, smoke fills a meeting room at the Federal Criminal Office. Nine men sit at a long table, nervously pulling on their cigarettes. A crime has been committed, a reporter killed by a steel needle. "Does the name Dr. Mabuse mean anything to you?", one asks. He remembers a similar case, before the war. He shudders. Mabuse. The name stands for chaos, for terror. "A genius of crime," the man says. "Mabuse wanted to bring down the structure of the state and establish a reign of crime."[3]

A man from Luxembourg-Eich created a villain who wanted to bring down the state. The villain was adapted by Fritz Lang, the filmmaker who also made Metropolis. The villain was adapted three times. The villain became a phantom, a shadow, a cipher for the genius of evil. The man who created the villain is perhaps the most famous writer from his country. He is also practically unknown. The country is Luxembourg. The country is known for finance, for the EU, for quality of life. The country is not known for creating one of the most influential villains in 20th century pop culture. But it did. The man was born in Luxembourg-Eich in 1880. The man wrote in German. The man got German citizenship in 1922. The man died in Koblenz in 1954. The man had a divided relationship with his homeland. The homeland is Luxembourg. The villain is Dr. Mabuse. The man who created the villain is Norbert Jacques. The villain is more famous than the man. The villain is more famous than the country.[1][2][3]