Edmond Rostand

Edmond Rostand (1868–1918) was a French poet and dramatist whose work helped revive verse drama on the late‑19th‑century stage. Born in Marseille, he achieved international fame with *Cyrano de Bergerac* (1897), a romantic comedy in alexandrine verse centered on a brilliant swordsman and poet with an outsized nose. The play’s wit, lyricism, and idealism made it a lasting classic. Rostand also wrote *Les Romanesques* (1894) and *L’Aiglon* (1900), the latter starring Sarah Bernhardt. In 1901 he was elected to the Académie française. He died in Paris in 1918.