Cyrano de Bergerac
(1619–1655)
Cyrano de Bergerac (B * PARIS, 1619 – D † PARIS, 1655) French writer and philosopher whose fantasies of the moon and sun and their inhabitants enabled him to voice his satirical social views. He also wrote comedic and tragic plays. Apparently he was graced with a large nose, which gave the late-19th century playwright Edmond Rostand (1868 – 1918) the basis for his play Cyrano de Bergerac (1897), one of the instantly popular, enduring classics of the French stage. It is the story of the homely…