The Phantom of the Opera

von Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera, or Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, is novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published in a serialized form, then was released as a book in 1910. It is the classic story of Christine Daae, an opera singer who is coached in her singing by a mysterious voice emanating from the walls of her room. It is set in the Paris Opera house, and like the novel Dracula, is a collection of supposed news clippings and police reports. There is also the dashing nobelman Raoul de Chagney,who is also in love with her...but the thrilling mystery kicks in... when the voice says she's to love only it! Gaston Leroux was born in Paris in 1868. He was a lawyer who at one point inherited millions of francs, which he spent like a maniac until he went bankrupt. Later he'd becomes a court reporter and theater critic for L'Écho de Paris. He'd cover the Russian Revolution in 1905, and later the former Paris Opera, which was discovered to contain a secret jail for prisoners of the...