Atlantida (novel)

Did You Know?

• The English translation first appeared in the United States as a serial in Adventure magazine.
• The 1997 video game Atlantis: The Lost Tales draws heavily from Benoit's novel, reimagining Queen Antinea as Queen Rhea.

Plot summary

In 1896 in the French Algerian Sahara, officers André de Saint-Avit and Jean Morhange investigate missing colleagues. They are drugged and kidnapped by a Targui warrior for Queen Antinea, a descendant of Atlantis's rulers. Antinea has 120 niches for lovers; 53 are filled. Saint-Avit, unable to resist her, murders the asexual Morhange, then escapes the desert alive.

Inspiration

Some believe Antinea was inspired by the Berber queen Tin Hinan. Benoit drew on his youth in Tunisia and Algeria, where his father was posted and he attended school. In a 1920 article, Benoit denied plagiarising Sir Henry Rider Haggard's novel She, stating he could neither speak nor read English and that no French translation of Haggard's book was available at the time.

Film adaptations

The first film adaptation was directed by Jacques Feyder in 1920, released in 1921. In 1932–1933, Georg Wilhelm Pabst made three versions: German (Die Herrin von Atlantis), French (L'Atlantide), and English (The Mistress of Atlantis). An American film, Siren of Atlantis (1949), starred María Montez. The Italian peplum Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis (1961) drew heavily on the book, with Queen Antinea capturing Hercules; its alternative US title was Hercules and the Captive Women. The comedy Totò sceicco (1950) parodied the story. Journey Beneath the Desert (1961) was a European co-production directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. A 1972 French television film was directed by Jean Kerchbron. In 1992, Bob Swaim directed L'Atlantide starring Tchéky Karyo, Jean Rochefort, Anna Galiena, and Fernando Rey.