This is the first full-length biography of Edmond Rostand in English. It relates the poet's life to his work, showing how Rostand expressed his own character and ideals in his heroes, especially Cyrano. The book throws new light on the origins of Rostand's most famous play, and introduces readers to his other plays, such as Chantecler, thought by many to be his masterpiece. Written for the non-specialist, but with much to offer to specialists too, it portrays Rostand as a sensitive, modest man, who found his sudden fame hard to bear. In spite of periods of depression, however, he continued to write, hoping to continue to inspire the French public with his own idealistic attitude to life through his plays and poetry. Until now, little has been available in English about Edmond Rostand and his work. The author, Sue Lloyd, BA, M.Phil, hopes to inspire non-French speakers with her own enthusiasm for Rostand and his plays. She is best-known for her major new editions of Roget's Thesaurus (Longman, 1982; Penguin, 1984), but has also contributed to various dictionaries, and given talks about words on the BBC World Service. She has also worked in schools in East Africa as a language teache