ROSTAND, EDMOND (1869-1918), French dramatist, was born on April 1, 1869, the son of a prominent Marseilles journalist and economist. His first play, a burlesque, Les ro manesques, was produced on the 21st of May 1894 at the The atre Francais. He took the motive of his second piece, La Princesse lointaine (Theatre de la Renaissance, 5th April 1895), from the story of the troubadour Rudel and the Lady of Tripoli. The part of Melisande was created by Sarah Bernhardt, who also was the original Photine of La Samaritaine (Theatre de la Renaissance, 14th April 1897), a Biblical drama in three scenes taken from the gospel story of the woman of Samaria. The pro duction of his "heroic comedy" of Cyrano de Bergerac (28th December 1897, Theatre de la Porte Saint-Martin), with Coque lin in the title role, was a triumph. No such enthusiasm for a drama in verse had been known since the days of Hugo's Her nani. The play was quickly translated into English, German, Russian and other European languages. For his hero he had drawn on French 17th-century history; in L'Aiglon he chose for his theme the unhappy life of the duke of Reichstadt, son of Napoleon I. and Marie Louise, under the surveillance of Metter
nich at the palace of Schonbrunn. L'Aiglon, in six acts and in verse, was produced (March 15, 190o) by Sarah Bernhardt at her own theatre, she herself playing the part of the duke of Reich stadt, one of her most famous later roles. In 1902 Rostand was elected to the French Academy. Chantecler, produced in Feb ruary 1910, had Lucien Guitry in the title role. During the World War he wrote chiefly patriotic verse. He died in Paris on Dec. 2, 1918.
His son, MAURICE ROSTAND, author of plays, made a sensation in 1928 by the production of Napoleon IV., in which it was sought to ascribe responsibility for the death of the Prince Imperial to Queen Victoria.
The following works by Edmond Rostand were published post humously: La derniere nuit de Don Juan (1921) ; Le cantique de Valle (1922 ) ; Le Vol de to Marseillaise (1922) . See G. Haraszti Edmond Rostand (1913) ; J. Suiberville, Le Theatre d'Edmond Rostand (1919).