- Excerpts, backgrounds, and contexts of an underrated masterpiece of Gothic literature -

114 years ago, the celebrated journalist and writer Gaston Leroux published a "romantic crime epic" that takes the reader from the Persian royal court deep into the cellars of the Paris Opera.

Although the novel is a literary treasure chest full of historical fantasies and meticulously researched details about the Opéra Garnier, most of which would be forgotten today without the book, the story is often reduced to its various adaptations. But there is a reason that Walter Benjamin, one of the greatest cultural critics of the 20th century, said: "With The Phantom of the Opera, one of the great novels about the nineteenth century, [Gaston Leroux] helped this genre achieve it‘s apotheosis."

With this short version of our lecture, we would like to invite visitors to explore with us some of the mysteries of The Phantom and its world.

The event is free, donations are welcomed!