-Leroux's exquisite blend of Gothic horror and tragic romance, which formed the basis for a world-renowned stage musical. 1911 first English edition- When the new managers of the Paris Opera House ignore their predecessors' warnings about the hideous 'Opera ghost' stalking the theatre, it is a fatal mistake... Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) was a French journalist and writer. In 1907 he gave up journalism to become a writer, and quickly found success with Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune (1908). He became well-known for his popular and acclaimed crime and thriller novels (The Phantom of the Opera, 1910), but Leroux also wrote poetry and short fiction.