Cyrano de Bergerac (Signet Classics) [Paperback]

Edmond Rostand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1972 | Series: Signet Classics

Cyrano, the gallant soldier and brilliant wit, also is a timid lover, and, because of his nose, woos his love by proxy of a more handsome man.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Verse drama in five acts by Edmond Rostand, performed in 1897 and published the following year. Set in 17th-century Paris, the action revolves around the emotional problems of the noble, swashbuckling Cyrano, who, despite his many gifts, feels that no woman can ever love him because he has an enormous nose. Secretly in love with the lovely Roxane, Cyrano agrees to help his inarticulate rival, Christian, win her heart by allowing him to present Cyrano's love poems, speeches, and letters as his own work. Eventually Christian recognizes that Roxane loves him for Cyrano's qualities, not his own, and he asks Cyrano to confess his identity to Roxane; Christian then goes off to a battle that proves fatal. Cyrano remains silent about his own part in Roxane's courtship. As he is dying years later, he visits Roxane and recites one of the love letters. Roxane realizes that it is Cyrano she loves, and he dies content. Cyrano de Bergerac was based only nominally on the 17th-century nobleman of the same name, known for his bold adventures and large nose. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

This is Edmond Rostand's immortal play in which chivalry and wit, bravery and love are forever captured in the timeless spirit of romance. Set in Louis XIII's reign, it is the moving and exciting drama of one of the finest swordsmen in France, gallant soldier, brilliant wit, tragic poet-lover with the face of a clown. Rostand's extraordinary lyric powers gave birth to a universal hero--Cyrano De Bergerac--and ensured his own reputation as author of one of the best-loved plays in the literature of the stage. This translation, by the American poet Brian Hooker, is nearly as famous as the original play itself, and is generally considered to be one of the finest English verse translations ever written. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (May 1, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451525485
• ISBN-13: 978-0451525482
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #716,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The greatest play of all time..., December 29, 2000

By 

Gary S (Washington DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cyrano de Bergerac (Bantam Classics reissue) (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been around theater for quite a while, and I was lucky enough to be in this play twice, once as Cyrano. I've done Shakespeare, O'Neill, Chekhov...and I've never been in a play that comes close to this in terms of dramatic force.

The fashion in French theater at the time it was written was simple domestic drama: husbands and wives and their various conflicts. This play exploded on the scene and there was extremely strong public reaction. (I think there may even have been riots.)

For modern American audiences, I must confess, it's a pretty long haul. Even with some judicious cutting, it's tough to get the thing down close to three hours. But what a ride! Poetry, fight scenes, comedy, tears...it's just incredible.

In all the plays I've done, I've never done one that comes so close to, literally, the meaning of life. Why are we here? What makes human beings act the way they do? Why do people try things that are clearly impossible? It's all in there.

I knew someone in college who gave this paperback edition to everyone he knew as a gift, because it spoke so strongly to him.

Looking back on it now, I'm amazed that I was able to memorize all the text, because I'm convinced that this is the longest role in Western theater...longer than Hamlet, I think.

Hooker's translation has been called the greatest translation of poetry ever, and while I'm not a poetry student, I can agree. Squishing the 6-foot French lines into 5-foot English lines and still retaining the dramatic flow must have been a daunting task.

Anyway, it's the greatest play I have ever seen, read or performed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best play ever written., October 28, 1999

By 

J. Kane "AbleKane" (Balad, Iraq) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cyrano De Bergerac: Heroic Comedy in Five Acts (Hardcover)

I love this play! It has wit, comedy, adventure, danger and intellectual swordplay. But most importantly, it has a character(Cyrano) who values his life and principles above all else. Read it now! Also, if you enjoyed Cyrano as much as I did, check out "The Lost Sonnets of Cyrano de Bergerac" by James Carcioppolo. I read it hoping for more of Cyrano's spirit and love of life; I was not disapointed!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Play, Mediocre Translation, April 20, 2008

By 

Matthew Asnip "bibliophile" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cyrano De Bergerac: Heroic Comedy in Five Acts (Hardcover)

Cyrano de Bergerac by Rostand is my favourite play. The French original is a gem in almost every respect. It is wonderfully well written in Alexandrine (a difficult form of verse). Rostand's romantic masterpiece shines not only as a play, but as poetry.

This particular translation (unattributed) is pedestrian. It is accurate, but tin-eared. It is not the Brian Hooker translation. I state that because I wound up buying it in the belief that it was the Hooker translation and was consequently much disappointed.

For any literary work originally written in another language (this, Don Quixote, All Quiet on the Western Front), it is important to pay attention to who is responsible for the translation. Some translators are awful. Some are mediocre (such as whoever did this one). And some are wonderful (Brian Hooker).

For those who are not as enamored of Brian Hooker's work as I am, the Anthony Burgess translation is also quite good.

Caveat Emptor.