Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac remains a fixture in literature for pioneering the science fiction genre, particularly through his posthumous publication of extraterrestrial voyages. Beyond the romanticized portrayals found in later drama, his actual life involved military service, extensive philosophical study, and a series of satirical exchanges that defined his short, volatile career in 17th-century France.
Early Life and Military Service
Born in Paris in 1619, he attended the Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague and later studied under Jean Grangier at the college de Dormans-Beauvais. At nineteen, he enlisted in a corps of the guards, participating in the military campaigns of 1639 and 1640. During the Siege of Arras in 1640, he sustained a neck injury while serving alongside notables such as Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan and Baron Christian of Neuvillette.
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His legacy is anchored in his role as a novelist, playwright, and poet. He authored Le Pédant joué in 1654, a comedy that later provided source material for Molière. He is recognized for writing early science fiction classics: L'Autre Monde: ou les États et Empires de la Lune, published in 1657, and Les États et Empires du Soleil, published in 1662. These works notably featured the first descriptions of space flight using rocket-propelled vessels and introduced extraterrestrial concepts.
Philosophical Associations and Rivalries
A student of the polymath Pierre Gassendi, he engaged deeply with the libertine intellectual climate of his era. His life was marked by public hostility toward contemporaries, including a bitter rivalry with the musician Charles Coypeau d'Assoucy. This conflict generated a series of satirical texts, such as Contre Soucidas and Contre un ingrat, which underscored the era's contentious literary environment.
Death and Historical Legacy
He died in Sannois on July 28, 1655, at the age of 36. Circumstances surrounding his final months remain debated; while some records suggest he suffered an injury near the house of the Duc D'Arpajon in 1654, other accounts point to a potential assassination attempt or forced confinement in a private asylum. He was interred in a church in Sannois, leaving behind a body of work that influenced writers ranging from Jonathan Swift to Edgar Allan Poe.
Fast facts
- Born: 1619, Paris
- Died: 1655, Sannois
- Citizenship: France
- Primary Occupations: writer, poet, playwright, philosopher
- Education: Lycée Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague
- Language: French
- Military service: Campaigns of 1639 and 1640
Questions readers ask
Did he actually exist as portrayed in the famous 1897 play?
Edmond Rostand's play includes elements of his life but relies heavily on myth and fictional invention, particularly regarding his romantic relationships.
What specific contributions did he make to science fiction?
He was the first writer to depict space travel using rockets and introduced extraterrestrial Moon-Men in his novels.
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