Leroux, Gaston

Gaston Leroux was born in Paris but grew up in a little village in Normandy close to the home of his maternal grandparents. As a child he was interested in swimming, sailing and deep-sea fishing, but he also developed an interest in literature at an early age. He particularly appreciated Alexandre Dumas père and Victor Hugo, and he wrote imitations of their works during his school years. After his matriculation in Caen, he moved to Paris and started studying Law, which his affluent father paid for. In 1890 he completed his legal studies and he worked as a lawyer until 1893 when he switched over to journalism. His father died in 1889, and the son squandered his entire large inheritance.