"Manon Lescaut" was the first opera for which Puccini chose the story himself. It is the same story as Massenet’s opera "Manon". This made Puccini internationally famous. His next opera, "La bohème", produced in 1896, is often thought to be his best opera. He worked with two poets on this opera and, although they quarrelled a lot, the result was a work in which the music flowed beautifully like a conversation. 