Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano de Bergerac (1619-1655), French writer, whose many duels and other escapades gained him a reputation as a romantic hero. He also became known for his prominent nose, though this characteristic may have been invented by a later writer. Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac was born in Paris. He became a soldier but soon abandoned this career because of a battle wound. He wrote several tragedies and then turned his attention to satirical comedies in which he lampooned his associates. Cyrano's most famous works are two prose fantasies, L'Histoire comique des états et empires de la lune (1656) and L'Histoire comique des états et empires du soleil (1662), which in 1923 were combined and translated by English writer Richard Aldington as Voyages to the Moon and Sun. The works are considered precursors to modern science-fiction writing. A fictional verse drama by French author Edmond Rostand concerning Cyrano was first performed in 1897.