Edmond Rostand

Born in Marseille on April 1, 1868, Edmond Rostand became one of France's most celebrated dramatists and poets. He is closely linked with neo-Romanticism, and his writing stood out for its elegance, feeling, and love of grand language.

His fame rests above all on Cyrano de Bergerac, first performed in 1897 and still one of the best-known plays in French literature. He also wrote works including Les Romanesques, La Princesse Lointaine, La Samaritaine, and L'Aiglon, building a reputation for verse drama that was both playful and deeply heartfelt.

Rostand was elected to the Académie française while still relatively young, a sign of how quickly his work had made an impact. He spent part of his later life in Cambo-les-Bains in the French Basque Country, and he died in Paris on December 2, 1918.