Cyrano de Bergerac (Author Biography)

Author Biography

Edmond (Eugene Alexis) Rostand was born on April 1, 1868 in Marseilles, France. The son of a prominent journalist and economist; Rostand was encouraged to write from a very early age. In his teens he began creating plays for marionette (puppet) theater, and, at the age of sixteen, had several poems and essays published in the literary magazine Mireille. At the College Stanislas in Paris he studied literature, philosophy, and history before going on to study law at the local university. Rostand’s ambition, however, was to be a writer, and though he completed the coursework, he never practiced law.

Rostand’s first play, he gant rouge(1888), and his first book of poetry, Les musardises (1890), were largely ignored by both critics and the public. It was Les romanesques {The Romancers, 1894) which served as his breakthrough. Produced at the Comedie Francaise in 1894, its romantic style stood in contrast to the naturalism and symbolism practiced by many of his contemporaries such as Henrik Ibsen and Maurice Maeterlinck.

On April 8, 1890, Rostand married Rosemonde Gerard, who was herself a poet. Their marriage produced two children, Maurice and Jean.

La princesse lointaine (The Princess Far-Away, 1895) solidified Rostand’s reputation and its production marked the beginning of his professional alliance with the famous French actress Sarah Bernhardt. Known for her passionate performances, Bernhardt went on to star in several of Rostand’s later plays, including Cyrano de Bergerac. Though she did not create the role of Roxane, she did portray it on the French stage during its initial run.

It was Rostand’s alliance with renowned French actor Constant-Benoit Coquelin, however, which resulted in his masterpiece: Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). Coquelin had asked Rostand to write a play that would both challenge and showcase the numerous facets of his acting ability. Rostand delivered a heroic comedy about a swashbuckling poet with an abnormally large nose, a tale based on his own favorite writer. The real-life Cyrano was, like his fictional counterpart, both a soldier and a writer, his famously large nose, however, was Rostand’s invention.

Just two years after the critical and popular success of Cyrano de Bergerac, illness forced Rostand to move back to his country estate. His last two finished plays: L’Aiglon {The Eaglet, 1900), and Chanticler (1910), were critical disappointments. L’Aiglon (about the life of the Duke of Reichstadt, son of Napoleon I) was, according to most critics, considered too simplistic and predictable. Chanticler (about a barnyard rooster who defends the importance of his role in the world) had critics divided: while some found it obscure and too long; some found its allegorical verse profound, and view it as a poem to be read and not performed.

Rostand’s final play La derniere nuit de Don Juan {The Last Night of Don Juan, 1922), was left unfinished upon his death in 1918.

Rostand was the youngest member ever elected to the Academie Francaise (one of the highest honors France bestows on scholars of letters) in 1901. He is remembered for his skillful verse and the robust theatricality of his plays, most notably, Cyrano de Bergerac.