Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Regarded as one of the greatest dramas ever written, Cyrano de Bergerac is the story of the silver-tongued soldier whose unfortunate looks drive him to woo his love by speaking for his handsome but dull-witted rival. Cyrano de Bergerac occupies a unique place in the modern theater. Deliberately disavowing realism and contemporary relevance, Edmond Rostand's masterpiece represents a turning back in both time and spirit to an earlier age of high adventure and soaring idealism. Its magnificent hero, Cyrano--noble of soul and grotesque in appearance, gallant Gascon soldier, brilliant wit, and timid lover, alternately comic, heroic, tragic--represents one of the most challenging of all acting roles in its complexity and mercurial changes of mood. From its original production to the present day, Cyrano de Bergerac has enjoyed a charmed existence on the stage, its unflagging pace of action and eloquence of language enchanting critics and public alike. Here, in a superlative translation, is the ultimate triumph of the great French romantic tradition--a work which, in the words of the French critic Lema tre, prolongs, unites and blends...three centuries of comic fantasy and moral grace. Translated by Lowell BairWith an Introduction by Eteel Lawson
and an Afterword by Cynthia B. Kerr
Edmond Rostand was born in Marseilles in 1868 and died in 1918. His thirty-year literary career is marked primarily by one astronomical success and a number of plays of lesser note. Early on, Edmond displayed an interest in marionette theater and poetry. While attending the College Stanislas in Paris, Rostand studied French literature, history, and philosophy. He followed his own inclination and deviated from the course his father had designed for him as a lawyer, although he did finally earn a legal degree and gain admission to the bar. His first poetry appeared in the small academy review Mireille. In 1888, his LeGantRouge was produced and, in 1890, Rostand published his first book of poetry, LesMusardises. His play LesRomanesques was produced in 1894, followed a year later by LaPrincessLointaine. The playwright's name and influence spread. Rostand's fame peaked in 1898 with the first production of CyranodeBergerac, a five-act verse drama. The play was important to the drama of its time for its romantic nature, a departure from the realistic conventions then in vogue. It was an enormous success. After his next success, L'Aiglon (1900), ten years followed before Rostand completed another play. He spent the remaining years of his life in semiretirement, and died in 1918.?
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780451531988 |
| ISBN 10 | 0451531981 |
| Title | Cyrano de Bergerac |
| Author | Edmond Rostand |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Putnam Inc |
| Year published | 2012-03-06 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |