Cyrano: The Life and Legend of Cyrano de Bergerac - Softcover

Addyman, Ishbel

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37 ratings by Goodreads

9781416522409: Cyrano: The Life and Legend of Cyrano de Bergerac

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1416522409 ISBN 13: 9781416522409

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2009

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Today,Cyrano de Bergerac is generally only remembered as a lovelorn eccentric with a big nose.Edmund Rostand's famous play inspired by the life of Cyrano is a worldwide box-office smash but the man behind the legend is more or less forgotten. The real Cyrano was sharper, funnier and, ironically, more modern than the romantic hero he inspired.

A death-defying soldier-poet in the age of the musketeers, Cyrano's duelling skills were unparalleled, and his wit was every bit as keen as his sword's edge. He employed his sharp tongue and satirical pen in continued criticism of church and state -- his harrowing personal experiences had made him a staunch opponent of Louis XIV's bloody foreign policy--as well as in defiance of social norms -- Cyrano refused to acknowledge his likely homosexuality as a sin: brave and independent thinking that was years ahead of its time but which meant that his life was in constant danger.

Part murder mystery, part literary detective story, Ishbel Addyman presents a fascinating insight into the heroically courageous, sparklingly witty and unfailingly good-humoured man behind the legend.

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About the Author:

Ishbel Addyman was born in North Yorkshire in 1976. She was educated at Oxford University and Paul Val�ry University in Montpellier. She took fencing lessons in preparation for writing about the legendary duellist Cyrano de Bergerac but is not yet up to fighting off one hundred assailants single-handedly. This is her first book.

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