Biography gaston leroux

Gaston Leroux

French writer, author of the novel 'The Phantom of the Opera'
Date of Birth: 06.05.1868
Country: France

Content:
  1. Gaston Leroux: French Writer and Author of "The Phantom of the Opera"
  2. Legal Career and Journalism
  3. Inspiration for "The Phantom of the Opera"
  4. Literary Career
  5. "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" and Detective Rouletabille
  6. Personal Life
  7. Death and Legacy

Gaston Leroux: French Writer and Author of "The Phantom of the Opera"

Early Life and Education

Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was born on May 6, 1868, in Paris, France. He grew up in the northeastern region of Lorraine and studied at the school in the historic Norman town of Eu. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in literature from the lycée in Caen, Leroux moved back to Paris in October 1886 and entered law school, graduating in 1889.

Legal Career and Journalism

Leroux became a lawyer in 1890 and practiced until 1893. However, he inherited several million francs, which he spent lavishly, leading to near bankruptcy. To supplement his income, Leroux began writing court reports and theater reviews for the newspaper 'L'Écho de Paris'.

He eventually became an international crime reporter for 'Le Matin', the largest newspaper in Paris at the time. From June 1904 to March 1906, Leroux was a special correspondent for the newspaper in Russia, covering the events of the 1905 Russian Revolution.

Inspiration for "The Phantom of the Opera"

An important event that influenced Leroux's writing was his investigation of the former Paris Opera building (now the Paris Ballet), where he discovered a chamber in the basement that had housed prisoners of the Paris Commune. This exposure to the criminal underworld and his opposition to capital punishment provided inspiration for his future characters.

Literary Career

From 1901 onwards, Leroux traveled extensively as a reporter, visiting France, Spain, and Morocco. In 1903, he published a serialized novel, 'The Treasure Seeker', which was adapted into the novel 'The Double Life of Théophraste Longuet' the following year.

In 1907, Leroux abruptly left journalism to focus on his writing full-time. In 1909, he co-founded his own production company, 'Société des Cinéromans', to publish novels and simultaneously adapt them into films.

"The Mystery of the Yellow Room" and Detective Rouletabille

Leroux's 1908 novel, 'The Mystery of the Yellow Room', established his reputation as a master of detective fiction. The amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille became a worthy rival to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Maurice-Marie-Émile Leblanc's Arsène Lupin.

Personal Life

Leroux married Marie Lefran in 1899, but they soon separated. In Switzerland, he met Jeanne Cayatte, with whom he lived as his wife for many years. They had two children, Alfred Gaston Leroux and Madeleine Leroux. Marie Lefran eventually consented to a divorce, and Leroux married Jeanne in 1917.

Death and Legacy

Gaston Leroux died from a urinary tract infection on April 15, 1927, in Nice, at the age of 58. His most famous novel, 'The Phantom of the Opera', has become a timeless classic, inspiring numerous film adaptations, stage plays, and musicals, including Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway smash hit.