
audiobook
In this striking dramatic poem, the legendary lover finds himself on a dim, spiraling staircase that seems to vanish into an abyss. The marble statue of a long‑dead commander appears, gripping Don Juan’s wrist and urging him onward, while the echo of a plaintive dog and the distant crow of a rooster add an uncanny soundscape. As the hero recites the names of his past conquests, a grim, clawed hand—suggested to be the Devil’s—grabs his coat, pulling the scene into a tense negotiation between temptation and fate.
The verses weave together vivid imagery, ghostly presences, and a chorus of shadowy figures that hover just out of sight. Through lyrical duels with the statue and the infernal grip, the play explores the lingering weight of a life built on seduction and the uneasy promise of redemption. Listeners are drawn into a haunting tableau that balances poetic bravado with the unsettling question of whether the infamous libertine can ever escape his own legend.
Language
fr
Duration
~1 hours (71K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Laurent Vogel (from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr)
Release date
2018-11-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1868–1918
Best known for the swashbuckling wit and romance of Cyrano de Bergerac, this French playwright brought poetic drama roaring back to life at the end of the 19th century. His work mixes sparkling language, big feelings, and theatrical flair in a way that still feels vivid today.
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