The Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera) is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910. Initially, the story sold very poorly upon publication in book form and was even out of print several times during the twentieth century, despite the success of its various film and stage adaptations.[citation needed] The most notable of these were the 1925 film depiction and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Originally produced for the West End, The Phantom of the Opera musical is now the longest running Broadway show in history, and one of the most lucrative entertainment enterprises of all time.

The novel opens with a controversial prologue in which Gaston Leroux claims that Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, was a real person. We are then introduced to Christine Daaé, whose mother died when she was very young. She and her father, a famous violinist, traveled all over Sweden playing folk and religious music. Her father was known to be the best wedding fiddler in the land.