James Baquet

    Some people picture “The Saint” created by Leslie Charteris (1907-1993) as a sort of “poor man’s James Bond.” The fact that actor Roger Moore was the original TV Saint, and then went on to play 007 in seven films, may have contributed to the impression. The second Bond after Sean Connery, he is tied with that originator for having starred in the most Bond films.

    But Simon Templar — The Saint — far predates the existence of 007. Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel was published in 1953; Templar made his debut in the novel “Meet the Tiger” in 1928! Altogether, Charteris wrote or co-wrote some 15 “Saint” novels, and over 125 short stories published in around 25 volumes (the numbers vary by country), against Fleming’s 12 “007” volumes and a mere nine short stories in two measly volumes. (I am not counting here the stories written by others featuring each character.)

    Having read all the “Bond” stories and most of “The Saint,” I can say that the stories by Charteris are a lot more fun. Where the 007 character is usually serious, even dark, Simon Templar is flippant and devil-may-care. He is an urbane, witty gentleman working on the edges of the law, rescuing damsels in distress and helping victims get their money back. James Bond is always desperately trying to save the world.

    There have also been over 15 films produced in various countries featuring the Saint, three TV series, a magazine, and a fan club founded by the author himself.

    The Saint’s creator was himself born in Singapore of a Chinese physician (who claimed he could trace his ancestry back to the Shang Dynasty) and a British mother. He was schooled in England, but around age 25 went to work in Hollywood. At first, he could not get permanent residence (due to a law in those days that said anyone with 50 percent or more Oriental blood was to be excluded). But through connections, he was able to obtain an act of Congress specifying himself and his daughter as an exception, and he became an American citizen. The “Chinese Exclusion Act” itself was repealed a year later.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. first appearance (of something)

    2. sophisticated, elegant

    3. withdrawn or taken back officially

    4. wrote with another person

    5. from Asia (now considered insulting)

    6. the cheap version of something

    7. young women, especially in old-fashioned stories

    8. clever

    9. difficult situation, danger

    10. left out, forbidden to come in