Cyrano de Bergerac

Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand. In these fictional works he is featured with an overly large nose, which people would travel from miles around to see. Portraits suggest that he did have a big nose, though not nearly as large as described by Rostand.

Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) was a playwright born out of his time. In a period when naturalism was the order of the day Rostand's plays seemed to hark back to a more romantic, chivalric period. His plays proved popular with the French public bolstered by a number of roles specifically created for the great Parisian actress Sarah Bernhardt.