Leroux was a French novelist who wrote in the Gothic style—a type of prose that gave primacy to the irrational and inexplicable, and a reaction to the calculated, progressive, and scientific aura of Victorian-era literature. He is best known for his 1910 work, The Phantom of the Opera, which gained more fame decades later through various film renditions, most notably through Andrew Lloyd Webber's theatrical version (a version that, in 2005, became the longest-running Broadway show in history).
After completing his education, Leroux worked as a clerk in a law office, writing essays and short stories in his free time. By 1890 he had become a full-time journalist, and from 1894 to 1906 he...
