The Phantom of the Opera (novel)
One of the five watercolors by André Castaigne illustrating the first American edition of the Phantom of the Opera (1911). | |
| Author | Gaston Leroux |
|---|---|
| Original title | Le Fantôme de l'Opéra |
| Language | French |
| Subject | |
| Genre | Gothic fiction, Theatre-fiction |
| Publisher | Pierre Laie |
Publication date | 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1911 |
| Media type | Print (Serial) |
| Pages | ~145 including the glossary |
Original text | Le Fantôme de l'Opéra at French Wikisource |
| Translation | The Phantom of the Opera at Wikisource |
The Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, pronounced [lə fɑ̃tom də lɔpeʁa]) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in Le Gaulois from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierre Lafitte. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century, and by an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in an 1841 production of Carl Maria von Weber's Der Freischütz. It has been successfully adapted into various stage and film adaptations, most notable of which are the 1925 film depiction featuring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical.