Page 9 - Phantom of the Opera

While he wrote for newspapers about performances at the and social changes. During those years of traveling, he also wrote
Opera, Leroux was able to explore parts of the building that the four novels. Then, in 1907, he wrote his first big success: The
public never see. He describes for us in great detail the hundreds Mystery of the Yellow Room. In this novel he introduced his
of rooms and miles of passages; they are on seventeen floors, five detective, Joseph Rouletabille, who appears in other books by
of which are underground. The 2,500 doors and many trap doors Leroux. Besides the detective stories, Leroux wrote several more
excited his imagination. There could be no better scene for the horror stories, including La Double Vie de Theophrastes Longuet (The
stories of mystery and horror that he wrote, and that have Double Life of Theophrastes Longuet) and La Reine du Sabbat (The
remained popular with readers ever since. Queen of Sabbat). Leroux also wrote stage plays, mostly based on
The Phantom of the Opera first appeared in print in Paris in his own books. He wrote screenplays, and in 1919 he formed his
1910, and was immediately popular. It was translated into English own production company. From 1909 Leroux wrote a book a
the following year, and came out in England and the United year until his death in 1927 at the age of 59.
States. By 1925 the silent movie starring Lon Chaney was
frightening audiences around the world, and even today it is
available on video cassette. There have been eighteen movies
based on The Phantom of the Opera, and nine theatrical
productions including the popular musical by Andrew Lloyd
Webber. And, of course, you can find more information and
discussion groups on the internet.
Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) was born in Paris. As a young man
he wanted to become a writer, but he studied law to please his
father, and in 1889 he received his law degree. In the same year
his father died, leaving his son a large amount of money, but
Gaston spent it all within a year. So he began writing stories and
poems for the newspapers to make some money. Later, he wrote
about theatrical performances for L'Echo de Paris. Making use of
his legal training, he became a courtroom reporter, and then
reported from foreign countries.
He traveled to many countries around the world and had many
adventures. In Morocco, in 1905, he dressed in Arab clothes to
learn and write about important events at a time when France
and Germany were struggling for power in that country. Leroux
also traveled to Russia, where he wrote about the great political

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