Rostand, Edmond, << raw STAHN, ehd MAWN >> (1868-1918), was a French playwright best known for his fourth play, Cyrano de Bergerac (1897). It is set in the 1600’s and tells the touching story of Cyrano, a swashbuckling poet who has a long, ugly nose. Because of his appearance, he is ashamed to woo the beautiful woman he loves. Instead, he writes letters to her signed by a handsome young friend who also loves her. The woman falls in love with the young man through the letters, not knowing that Cyrano is the true author.
Rostand wrote Romantic plays in verse during a period when most dramatists preferred a style known as Naturalism. A typical Naturalistic play is extremely realistic, pessimistic, and written in prose. Rostand’s first play, Les Romanesques (1894), is a charming story of young love. It became the basis for the American musical The Fantasticks (1960). Edmond Eugene Alexis Rostand was born on April 1, 1868, in Marseille. He died on Dec. 2, 1918.
