Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count/Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

in 1911 "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of

imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...

and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep

inspiration Inspiration, inspire, INSPIRE, or inspired commonly refers to: * Artistic inspiration, sudden creativity in artistic production * Biblical inspiration, a Christian doctrine on the origin of the Bible * Inhalation, breathing in Inspiration and rel ...

, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations". The main themes in his work are death and the

meaning of life The meaning of life is the concept of an individual's life, or existence in general, having an intrinsic value (ethics), inherent significance or a Meaning (philosophy), philosophical point. There is no consensus on the specifics of such a conce ...

. He was a leading member of the group

La Jeune Belgique ''La Jeune Belgique'' (meaning ''The Young Belgium'' in English) was a Belgian literary society and movement that published a French-language literary review ''La Jeune Belgique'' between 1880 and 1897. Both the society and magazine were founded b ...

, and his plays form an important part of the

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

movement. In later life, Maeterlinck faced credible accusations of

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

Biography

Early life

Maeterlinck was born in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, to a wealthy, French-speaking family. His mother, Mathilde Colette Françoise (née Van den Bossche), came from a wealthy family. His father, Polydore, was a notary who enjoyed tending the

greenhouse A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

s on their property. In September 1874, he was sent to the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

College of Sainte-Barbe, where works of the French

Romantics Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

were scorned and only plays on religious subjects were permitted. His experiences at this school influenced his distaste for the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and organized religion. One of his companions at that time was the writer

Charles van Lerberghe Charles van Lerberghe (21 October 1861 – 26 October 1907) was a Belgians, Belgian author who wrote in French language, French and was particularly identified with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement. The growing atheism and anticlerica ...

, the poems and plays of whom went on to act as mutual influences on each other at the start of the Symbolist period. Maeterlinck had written poems and short novels while still studying, but his father wanted him to go into law. After gaining a law degree at the

University of Ghent Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

in 1885, he spent a few months in Paris, France. He met members of the new Symbolist movement;

Villiers de l'Isle Adam Jean-Marie-Mathias-Philippe-Auguste, comte de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (7 November 1838 – 19 August 1889) was a French symbolist writer. His family called him Mathias while his friends called him Villiers; he would also use the name Auguste wh ...

in particular, who would have a great influence on Maeterlinck's subsequent work.

Career

Maeterlinck instantly became a public figure when his first play, '' Princess Maleine'', received enthusiastic praise from

Octave Mirbeau Octave Henri Marie Mirbeau (; 16 February 1848 – 16 February 1917) was a French novelist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, journalist and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, whilst still app ...

, the literary critic of ''

Le Figaro () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...

'', in August 1890. In the following years he wrote a series of

symbolist plays Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

characterized by

fatalism Fatalism is a belief and philosophical doctrine which considers the entire universe as a deterministic system and stresses the subjugation of all events, actions, and behaviors to fate or destiny, which is commonly associated with the cons ...

and

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

, most importantly ''

Intruder Intruder may refer to: Film and television Film * The Intruder (1914 film), ''The Intruder'' (1914 film), Wallace Reid filmography, directed by Wallace Reid * The Intruder (1933 film), ''The Intruder'' (1933 film), an American film by Albert ...

'' (1890), ''

The Blind Blind often refers to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (1987 film), a documentary by Frederick Wiseman about the ...

'' (1890) and ''

Pelléas and Mélisande ''Pelléas and Mélisande'' () is a Symbolism (movement), Symbolist play by the Belgian playwright and author Maurice Maeterlinck. The play is about the forbidden, doomed love of the title characters and was first performed in 1893 in literature, ...

'' (1892). He had a relationship with the singer and actress

Georgette Leblanc Georgette Leblanc (8 February 1869 – 27 October 1941) was a French operatic soprano, actress, author, and the sister of novelist Maurice Leblanc. She became particularly associated with the works of Jules Massenet and was an admired interpret ...

from 1895 until 1918. Leblanc influenced his work for the following two decades. With the play ''Aglavaine and Sélysette'' (1896) Maeterlinck began to create characters, especially female characters, who were more in control of their destinies. Leblanc performed these female characters on stage. Even though mysticism and metaphysics influenced his work throughout his career, Maeterlinck slowly replaced his Symbolism with a more existential style.Knapp, pp. 87–92. In 1895, with his parents frowning upon his open relationship with an actress, Maeterlinck and Leblanc moved to the district of

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast. It is home to many ...

in Paris. The Catholic Church was unwilling to grant her a divorce from her Spanish husband. The couple frequently entertained guests, including Mirbeau,

Jean Lorrain Jean Lorrain (9 August 1855 in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime – 30 June 1906), born Paul Alexandre Martin Duval, was a French poet and novelist of the Symbolist school. Lorrain was a dedicated disciple of dandyism and spent much of his time am ...

, and

Paul Fort Jules-Jean-Paul Fort (1 February 1872 – 20 April 1960) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. At the age of 18, reacting against the Naturalistic theatre, Fort founded the Théâtre d'Art (1890–93). He also founded and edi ...

. They spent their summers in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. During this period, Maeterlinck published his ''Twelve Songs'' (1896), '' The Treasure of the Humble'' (1896), ''The Life of the Bee'' (1901), and ''Ariadne and Bluebeard'' (1902). In 1903, Maeterlinck received the Triennial Prize for Dramatic Literature from the Belgian government. During this period, and up until the Great War of 1914–1918, he was widely looked up to, throughout Europe, as a great sage, and the embodiment of the

higher thought The New Thought movement (also Higher Thought) is a new religious movement that coalesced in the United States in the early 19th century. New Thought was seen by its adherents as succeeding "ancient thought", accumulated wisdom and philosophy ...

of the time. In 1906, Maeterlinck and Leblanc moved to a villa in

Grasse Grasse (; Provençal dialect, Provençal in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional ) is the only Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur Re ...

in the south of France. He spent his hours meditating and walking. As he emotionally pulled away from Leblanc, he entered a state of depression. Diagnosed with

neurasthenia Neurasthenia ( and () 'weak') is a term that was first used as early as 1829 for a mechanical weakness of the nerves. It became a major diagnosis in North America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries after neurologist Georg ...

, he rented the Benedictine Abbey of St. Wandrille in Normandy to help him relax. By renting the abbey he rescued it from the desecration of being sold and used as a chemical factory and thus he received a blessing from the Pope. Leblanc would often walk around in the garb of an abbess; he would wear roller skates as he moved about the house. During this time, he wrote his essay "The Intelligence of Flowers" (1906), in which he expressed sympathy with socialist ideas. He donated money to many workers' unions and socialist groups. At this time he conceived his greatest contemporary success: the fairy play ''The Blue Bird'' (1908, but largely written in 1906). Stanislavsky's 1908 Moscow production, of extraordinary visual beauty, is still over a century later regularly performed in Moscow, in a shortened version as a children's matinee. After the writing of "The Intelligence of Flowers", he suffered from a period of depression and writer's block. Although he recovered from this after a year or two, he never became so inventive as a writer again. His later plays, such as ''Marie-Victoire'' (1907) and ''Mary Magdalene'' (1910), provided with lead roles for Leblanc, were notably inferior to their predecessors, and sometimes merely repeat an earlier formula. Even though alfresco performances of some of his plays at St. Wandrille had been successful, Maeterlinck felt that he was losing his privacy. The death of his mother on 11 June 1910 added to his depression. In 1910 he met the 18-year-old actress Renée Dahon during a rehearsal of ''The Blue Bird''. She became his companion. After having been nominated by

Carl Bildt Nils Daniel Carl Bildt (born 15 July 1949) is a Swedish politician and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994. He led the Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, appearing as its lead candidate in four general elections, b ...

, a member of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

, he received the

Nobel Prize for Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in t ...

in 1911, which served to lighten his spirits. By 1913, he had become more openly socialist and sided with the Belgian trade unions against the Catholic party during a strike. He began to study mysticism and lambasted the Catholic Church in his essays for misconstruing the history of the universe. By a decree of 26 January 1914, the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

placed his ''opera omnia'' on the

Index Librorum Prohibitorum The (English: ''Index of Forbidden Books'') was a changing list of publications deemed heretical or contrary to morality by the Sacred Congregation of the Index (a former dicastery of the Roman Curia); Catholics were forbidden to print or re ...

. When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, Maeterlinck wished to join the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (, also known simply as , "the Legion") is a corps of the French Army created to allow List of militaries that recruit foreigners, foreign nationals into French service. The Legion was founded in 1831 and today consis ...

, but his application was denied due to his age. He and Leblanc decided to leave Grasse for a villa near

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one milliona British film in 1929. He also wrote ''The Betrothal'' (, 1922), a sequel to ''The Blue Bird'', in which the heroine of the play is clearly not a Leblanc archetype. On 15 February 1919, Maeterlinck married Dahon. He accepted an invitation to the United States, where

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (; born Szmuel Gelbfisz; ; July 1879 (most likely; claimed to be August 27, 1882) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer and pioneer in the American film industry, who produce ...

asked him to produce a few scenarios for film. Only two of Maeterlinck's submissions still exist; Goldwyn didn't use any of them. Maeterlinck had prepared one based on his ''The Life of the Bee''. After reading the first few pages Goldwyn burst out of his office, exclaiming: "My God! The hero is a bee!" After 1920, Maeterlinck ceased to contribute significantly to the theatre, but continued to produce essays on his favourite themes of occultism, ethics and natural history. The international demand for these fell off sharply after the early 1920s, but his sales in France remained substantial until the late 1930s. Dahon gave birth to a stillborn child in 1925.

Plagiarism

In 1926, Maeterlinck published ''La Vie des Termites'' (translated into English as ''The Life of Termites'' or ''The Life of White Ants''), an

entomological Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the ...

book that

plagiarised Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 '' Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of anothe ...

the book ''The Soul of the (White) Ant'', by the Afrikaner poet and scientist

Eugène Marais Eugène Nielen Marais (; 9 January 1871 – 29 March 1936) was a South African lawyer, naturalist, and important writer and poète maudit in the Second Language Movement of Afrikaans literature. Since his death by his own hand, Marais has be ...

, David Bignell, in his inaugural address as Professor of Zoology at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

(2003), called Maeterlinck's work "a classic example of academic plagiarism". Marais accused Maeterlinck of having appropriated Marais' concept of the "organic unity" of the

termite nest Termites are a group of detritophagous eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, and soil humus. They are distinguished by their moniliform antennae and the soft ...

in his book. Marais had published his ideas on termite nests in the South African Afrikaans-language press, in ''

Die Burger ''Die Burger'' (English: The Citizen) is a daily Afrikaans-language newspaper, published by Naspers. By 2008, it had a circulation of 91,665 in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa. Along with '' Beeld'' and '' Volksblad'', it ...

'' (January 1923) and in ''

Huisgenoot ''Huisgenoot'' (Afrikaans language, Afrikaans for ''Housemate'') is a weekly South African Afrikaans-language general-interest family magazine. It has the highest circulation figures of any South African magazine and is followed by sister magaz ...

'', which featured a series of articles on termites under the title "Die Siel van die Mier" (The Soul of the (White) Ant) from 1925 to 1926. Maeterlinck's book, with almost identical content, was published in 1926. It is conjectured that Maeterlinck had come across Marais' articles while writing his book, and that it would have been easy for him to translate Afrikaans into French, since Maeterlinck knew Dutch and had already made several translations from Dutch into French.V. E. d'Assonville, ''Eugene Marais and the Waterberg'', Marnix, 2008, pp. 53–54. It was common at the time, moreover, for worthy articles published in Afrikaans to be reproduced in Flemish and Dutch magazines and journals. Marais wrote in a letter to Dr. Winifred de Kock in London about Maeterlinck that

The famous author had paid me the left-handed compliment of cribbing the most important part of my work ... He clearly desired his readers to infer that he had arrived at certain of my theories (the result of ten years of hard labour in the veld) by his own unaided reason, although he admits that he never saw a termite in his life. You must understand that it was not merely plagiarism of the spirit of a thing, so to speak. He has copied page after page verbally.

Supported by a coterie of

Afrikaner Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Casting''. Encyclopæd ...

Nationalist friends, Marais sought justice through the South African press and attempted an international lawsuit. This was to prove financially impossible and the case was not pursued. All the same, he gained a measure of renown as the aggrieved party and as an Afrikaner researcher who had opened himself up to plagiarism because he published in

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

out of nationalistic loyalty. Marais brooded at the time of the scandal: "I wonder whether Maeterlinck blushes when he reads such things ritical acclaim and whether he gives a thought to the injustice he does to the unknown

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

worker?" Maeterlinck's own words in ''The Life of Termites'' indicate that the possible discovery or accusation of plagiarism worried him:

It would have been easy, in regard to every statement, to allow the text to bristle with footnotes and references. In some chapters there is not a sentence but would have clamoured for these; and the letterpress would have been swallowed up by vast masses of comment, like one of those dreadful books we hated so much at school. There is a short bibliography at the end of the volume which will no doubt serve the same purpose.

Whatever Maeterlinck's misgivings at the time of writing, the bibliography he refers to does not include Eugène Marais. Professor V. E. d'Assonville referred to Maeterlinck as "the Nobel Prize winner who had never seen a termite in his whole life and had never put a foot on the soil of Africa, least of all in the Waterberg".

Robert Ardrey Robert Ardrey (October 16, 1908 – January 14, 1980) was an American playwright, screenwriter and science writing, science writer perhaps best known for ''The Territorial Imperative'' (1966). After a Broadway (theatre), Broadway and Cinema of th ...

, an admirer of Eugène Marais, attributed Marais' later suicide to this act of plagiarism and theft of intellectual property by Maeterlinck, although Marais' biographer, Leon Rousseau, suggested that Marais had enjoyed and even thrived on the controversy and the attention it generated. Another allegation of plagiarism concerned Maeterlinck's play ''

Monna Vanna ''Monna Vanna'' () is an unfinished opera by Sergei Rachmaninoff after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Rachmaninoff had completed Act I in short vocal score, with piano accompaniment, and then he went to ask for permission to set the text in a ful ...

'', which was said to have been based on

Robert Browning Robert Browning (7 May 1812 – 12 December 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian literature, Victorian poets. He was noted for irony, characterization, dark humour, social commentar ...

's little-known play '' Luria''.

Later life

In 1930, he bought a

château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

in Nice, France, and named it ''Orlamonde'', a name occurring in his work ''Quinze Chansons''. He was made a count by Albert I, King of the Belgians in 1932. According to an article published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in 1940, he arrived in the United States from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

on the Greek Liner ''Nea Hellas''. He had fled to Lisbon in order to escape the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

invasion of both Belgium and France. While in Portugal, he stayed in Monte Estoril, at the Grande Hotel, between 27 July and 17 August 1939. The ''Times'' quoted him as saying, "I knew that if I was captured by the Germans I would be shot at once, since I have always been counted as an enemy of Germany because of my play, ''The Mayor of Stilmonde,'' which dealt with the conditions in Belgium during the German Occupation of 1918." As with his earlier visit to America, he still found Americans too casual, friendly and Francophilic for his taste. He returned to Nice after the war on 10 August 1947. He was President of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

, the worldwide association of writers, from 1947 until 1949. In 1948, the

French Academy French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

awarded him the Medal for the French Language. He died in Nice on 6 May 1949 after suffering a heart attack.

Honours

* 1920: Grand Cordon of the

Order of Leopold Order of Leopold may refer to: * Order of Leopold (Austria), founded in 1808 by emperor Francis I of Austria and discontinued in 1918 * Order of Leopold (Belgium), founded in 1832 by king Leopold I of Belgium * Order of Leopold II, founded in Congo ...

. * 1932: Admitted by Royal Decree to start the procedure to join the Belgian nobility with the title of count. However, he never fulfilled the obligations to lift the patent letters (including the obligation to create a coat of arms). Since the necessary registrations and tax payments were never fulfilled, he as well as his family were never incorporated into the Belgian nobility.

Static drama

Maeterlinck's posthumous reputation depends entirely on his early plays (published between 1889 and 1894), which created a new style of dialogue, extremely lean and spare, where what is suggested is more important than what is said. The characters have no foresight, and only a limited understanding of themselves or the world around them. That the characters stumble into tragedy without realizing where they are going may suggest that Maeterlinck thought of man as powerless against the forces of fate, but the kinship is not with ancient Greek tragedy but with modern dramatists such as Beckett and Pinter who bring out human vulnerability in a world beyond our comprehension. Maeterlinck believed that any actor, due to the hindrance of physical mannerisms and expressions, would inadequately portray the symbolic figures of his plays. He concluded that

marionette A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by ...

s were an excellent alternative. Guided by strings operated by a puppeteer, Maeterlinck considered marionettes an excellent representation of fate's complete control over man. He wrote ''

Interior Interior may refer to: Arts and media * ''Interior'' (Degas) (also known as ''The Rape''), painting by Edgar Degas * ''Interior'' (play), 1895 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck * ''The Interior'' (novel), by Lisa See * Interior de ...

'', ''

The Death of Tintagiles ''The Death of Tintagiles'' () is an 1894 play by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck. It was Maeterlinck's last play for marionettes. Maeterlinck dedicated the play to Aurélien Lugné-Poe, a theatre director who had supported several of hi ...

'', and ''Alladine and Palomides'' for marionette theatre. From this, he gradually developed his notion of the "static drama." He felt that it was the artist's responsibility to create something that did not express human emotions but rather the external forces that compel people. Maeterlinck once wrote that "the stage is a place where works of art are extinguished. ... Poems die when living people get into them." He explained his ideas on the static drama in his essay "The Tragic in Daily Life" (1896), which appeared in '' The Treasure of the Humble''. The actors were to speak and move as if pushed and pulled by an external force, fate as puppeteer. They were not to allow the stress of their inner emotions to compel their movements. Maeterlinck would often continue to refer to his cast of characters as "marionettes." Maeterlinck's conception of modern

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

rejects the intrigue and vivid external action of traditional drama in favour of a dramatisation of different aspects of life: He cites a number of classical Athenian tragedies—which, he argues, are almost motionless and which diminish psychological action to pursue an interest in "the individual, face to face with the universe"—as precedents for his conception of static drama; these include most of the works of

Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...

and

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

' ''

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

'', ''

Antigone ANTIGONE (Algorithms for coNTinuous / Integer Global Optimization of Nonlinear Equations), is a deterministic global optimization solver for general Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLP). History ANTIGONE is an evolution of GloMIQO, a global ...

'', ''

Oedipus at Colonus ''Oedipus at Colonus'' (also ''Oedipus Coloneus''; , ''Oidipous epi Kolōnō'') is the second of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles. It was written shortly before Sophocles's death in 406 BC and produced by his grandson ...

'', and ''

Philoctetes Philoctetes ( ''Philoktētēs''; , ), or Philocthetes, according to Greek mythology, was the son of Poeas, king of Meliboea (Magnesia), Meliboea in Thessaly, and Demonassa or Methone (Greek myth), Methone. He was a Greek hero, famed as an archer ...

''. With these plays, he claims:

Maeterlinck in music

'' inspired several musical compositions at the turn of the 20th century: * 1897: a suite for orchestra by

William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...

: '' Pelleas and Melisande'' * 1898: an orchestral suite (sometimes described as

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as th ...

) by

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

: see ''

Pelléas et Mélisande (Fauré) ''Pelléas et Mélisande'', Op. 80 is a suite derived from incidental music by Gabriel Fauré for Maurice Maeterlinck's Pelléas and Mélisande, play of the same name. He was the first of four leading composers to write music inspired by Maeterli ...

'' (Op. 80) * 1893–1902: an opera by

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

(L. 88, Paris): see ''

Pelléas et Mélisande (opera) ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' (''Pelléas and Mélisande'') is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's symbolist play of the same name. It premiered at the Salle Favart in Pari ...

'' * 1902–1903: a

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

(Op. 5) * 1905: incidental music by

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

(Op. 46): see ''

Pelléas et Mélisande (Sibelius) ''Pelléas et Mélisande'' (''Pelléas och Mélisande''), JS 147 is incidental music by Jean Sibelius for Maurice Maeterlinck's 1892 play '' Pelléas and Mélisande''. Sibelius composed in 1905 ten parts, overtures to the five acts and fi ...

'' Other musical works based on Maeterlinck's plays include: * ''Aglavaine and Sélysette'' ** orchestral prelude by

Arthur Honegger Arthur Honegger (; 10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss-French composer who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. Honegger was a member of Les Six. For Halbreich, '' Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' is "more even ...

** orchestral overture by

Cyril Scott Cyril Meir Scott (27 September 1879 – 31 December 1970) was an English composer, writer, poet, and occultist. He created around four hundred musical compositions including piano, violin, cello concertos, symphonies, and operas. He also wrot ...

* ''Aladina and Palomid'' ** opera by Burghauser ** opera by

Osvald Chlubna Osvald Chlubna (July 22, 1893 in Brno – October 30, 1971 in Brno) was a prominent Czech people, Czech composer. Intending originally to study engineering, Chlubna switched his major and from 1914 to 1924, he studied composition with Leoš Janá� ...

** opera by

Emil František Burian Emil František Burian (11 June 1904 – 9 August 1959) was a Czech poet, journalist, singer, actor, musician, composer, dramatic adviser, playwright and director. He was also a longtime activist in the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. Ear ...

** unfinished opera by

Anton Webern Anton Webern (; 3 December 1883 – 15 September 1945) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and musicologist. His music was among the most radical of its milieu in its lyric poetry, lyrical, poetic concision and use of then novel atonality, aton ...

* ''

Ariane et Barbe-bleue ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' (, ''Ariadne and Bluebeard'') is an opera in three acts by Paul Dukas. The French libretto is adapted (with very few changes) from the symbolist play of the same name by Maurice Maeterlinck, itself loosely based on the ...

'' ** opera in 3 acts by

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His best-k ...

** incidental music by

Anatoly Nikolayevich Alexandrov Anatoly Nikolayevich Alexandrov (, Moscow – April 16, 1982, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian composer of works for piano and for other instruments, and pianist. His initial works had a mystical element, but he downplayed this to better fit s ...

* ''The Betrothal'' ** incidental music by

Armstrong Gibbs Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (10 August 1889 – 12 May 1960) was a prolific and versatile English composer. Though best known for his choral music and, in particular, songs, Gibbs also devoted much of his career to the amateur choral and festival move ...

* ''

'' ** opera by

Beat Furrer Beat Furrer (born 6 December 1954) is a Swiss-born Austrian composer and conductor. He has served as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz since 1991. He was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2018 ...

** chamber opera ''Ślepcy'' by Polish composer Jan Astriab after Maeterlinck's ''Les aveugles'' ** opera by

Lera Auerbach Lera Auerbach (, born Valeria Lvovna Averbakh, ; October 21, 1973) is a Soviet-born Austrian-American classical composer, conductor and concert pianist.Charles Martin Loeffler Charles Martin Tornov Loeffler (January 30, 1861 – May 19, 1935) was a German-born American violinist and composer. Family background Charles Martin Loeffler was born Martin Karl Löffler on January 30, 1861, in Schöneberg near Berlin to par ...

** incidental music by

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams ( ; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

** opera by

Lawrance Collingwood Lawrance Arthur Collingwood CBE (14 March 1887 – 19 December 1982) was an English conductor, composer and record producer. Career Collingwood was born in London and attended Westminster Choir School, beginning his musical career as a choirboy ...

** overture by

Carse In Scottish geography, a Carse (the modern form of older Scots ; Scottish Gaelic or ) is an area of fertile, low-lying (typically alluvial) land occupying certain Scottish river valleys, such as that of the River Forth. Carse of Forth The C ...

** opera by Nougues ** symphonic poem by Santoliquido ** orchestral prelude by Voormolen * ''

Herzgewächse ''Herzgewächse'' (German language, German, 'Foliage of the Heart'), Op. 20, is a brief that Austrian (and later American) composer Arnold Schoenberg finished in late 1911, during his atonal period in Vienna. Using the German translation by and ...

'' (Foliages of the Heart) ** ''Lied'' for soprano with small ensemble by

* ''

'' ** opera in 3 acts by

Emil Ábrányi Emil Ábrányi (22 September 1882 11 February 1970) was a Hungarian composer, conductor, and opera director. Life He was conductor at the Royal Hungarian Opera House from 1911 to 1919, and director there from 1919 to 1920. In 1921, he became ...

** ''

'', opera in 4 acts by

Henry Février Henry Février (; 2 October 18756 July 1957) was a French composer. Biography Henry Février was born in Paris, France, on 2 October 1875, the son of architect Jules Février. He married and had a son, the pianist Jacques Février. He studied ...

** ''

'', unfinished opera by

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

** opera in 4 acts by Nicolae Brânzeu * '' L'oiseau bleu'' ** opera by Albert Wolff ** 13 scenes for orchestra by

Fritz Hart Fritz Bennicke Hart (11 February 1874 – 9 July 1949) was an English composer, conductor, teacher and unpublished novelist, who spent considerable periods in Australia and Hawaii. Early life Hart was born in Brockley, originally in the English ...

** incidental music by Leslie Heward ** incidental music by Engelbert Humperdinck ** overture by Kricka ** incidental music by

Norman O'Neill Norman Houston O'Neill (14 March 1875 – 3 March 1934) was an English composer and conductor of Irish background who specialised largely in works for the theatre. Life O'Neill was born at 16 Young Street in Kensington, London, the youngest son ...

** incidental music by Szeligowski * ''Princess Maleine'' **

overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...

by Pierre de Bréville ** overture by

** unfinished opera (or incidental music) by

Lili Boulanger Marie-Juliette Boulanger (; 21 August 189315 March 1918), professionally known as Lili Boulanger (), was a French composer and musician who was the first female winner of the Grand Prix de Rome composition prize. Her older sister was the noted ...

** incidental music by

Maximilian Steinberg Maximilian Osseyevich Steinberg (; – 6 December 1946) was a Russian composer of classical music. Though once considered the hope of Russian music, Steinberg is far less well known today than his mentor (and father-in-law) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsa ...

* ''The Seven Princesses'' ** incidental music by Pierre de Bréville ** opera by Vassili Vassilievitch Netchaïev ** unfinished opera by Anton Webern * ''Sœur Beatrice'' ** opera by

Alexander Grechaninov Alexander Tikhonovich GretchaninovAlso commonly transliterated as ''Aleksandr/Alexandre'' ''Grechaninov/Gretchaninoff/Gretschaninow'' ( rus, Алекса́ндр Ти́хонович Гречани́нов, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲɪtɕɐˈnʲin� ...

** chorus by

Anatoly Liadov Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (; ) was a Russian composer, teacher and conductor. Biography Lyadov was born in 1855 in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, into a family of eminent Russian musicians. He was taught informally by his conductor st ...

** opera ''Sor Beatriu'' by Antoni Marquès i Puig ** opera by

Dimitri Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos (; – 2 November 1960) was a Greek and American conductor, pianist, and composer. Life and career Mitropoulos was born in Athens, the son of Yannis and Angelikē (Angeliki) Mitropoulos. His father owned a leather goods s ...

** opera by Rasse (composer) ** incidental music by

Erkki Melartin Erkki Gustaf Melartin (7 February 1875 – 14 February 1937) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. Melartin is generally considered to be one of Finland's most significant national Romant ...

* ''Intérieur'' ** opera by

Giedrius Kuprevičius Giedrius Antanas Kuprevičius (born April 8, 1944 in Kaunas) is a Lithuanian composer and music educator. Life Giedrius Kuprevičius graduated from Prof. Eduardas Balsys' composition class at the Lithuanian Academy of Music in 1968. From 1966 t ...

* A piano piece that bears his name, composed b
Honorio Siccardi

Works

Poetry

* ''Serres chaudes'' (1889) * ''Douze chansons'' (1896) * ''Quinze chansons'' (expanded version of ''Douze chansons'') (1900)

Drama

* ''La Princesse Maleine'' ('' Princess Maleine'') (published 1889) * ''L'Intruse'' (''

'') (published 1890; first performed 21 May 1891) * ''Les Aveugles'' (''

'') (published 1890; first performed 7 December 1891) * ''Les Sept Princesses'' (''The Seven Princesses'') (published 1891) * ''

'' (published 1892; first performed 17 May 1893) * ''Alladine et Palomides'' (published 1894) * ''Intérieur'' (''

'') (published 1894; first performed 15 March 1895) * ''La Mort de Tintagiles'' (''

'') (published 1894) * ''Aglavaine et Sélysette'' (first performed December 1896) * ''Ariane et Barbe-bleue'' (''Ariane and Bluebeard'') (first published in German translation, 1899) * ''Soeur Béatrice'' (''Sister Beatrice'') (published 1901) * ''

'' (first performed May 1902; published the same year) * ''Joyzelle'' (first performed 20 May 1903; published the same year) * ''Le Miracle de saint Antoine'' (''The Miracle of Saint Antony'') (first performed in German translation, 1904) * ''L'Oiseau bleu'' ('' The Blue Bird'') (first performed 30 September 1908) * ''Marie-Magdeleine'' (''

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

'') (first performed in German translation, February 1910; staged and published in French, 1913) * ''Le Bourgmestre de Stilmonde'' (first performed in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, 1918; an English translation was performed in Edinburgh in 1918; published 1919) * ''Les Fiançailles'' (published 1922) * ''Le Malheur passe'' (published 1925) * ''La Puissance des morts'' (published 1926) * ''Berniquel'' (published 1926) * ''Marie-Victoire'' (published 1927) * ''Judas de Kerioth'' (published 1929) * ''La Princess Isabelle'' (published 1935) * ''Jeanne d'Arc'' (''Joan of Arc'') (published 1948) * '' L'Abbé Sétubal'' (published 1959) * ''Les Trois Justiciers'' (published 1959) * ''Le Jugement dernier'' (published 1959) * ''Le Miracle des mères'' (first published in book form 2006)

Essays

* ''Le Trésor des humbles'' ('' The Treasure of the Humble'') (1896) * ''La sagesse et la destinée'' (''Wisdom and Destiny'') (1898) * ; * ''Le temple enseveli'' (''The Buried Temple'') (1902) * ''Le Double Jardin'' (''The Double Garden'', a collection of sixteen essays) (1904) * ''L'Intelligence des fleurs'' (''The Intelligence of Flowers'') (1907) * ''La Mort'' (''Our Eternity'', first published in English, incomplete version entitled ''Death'', 1911; in enlarged and complete version in original French, 1913) * ''L'Hôte inconnu'' (first published in English translation, 1914; in original French, 1917) * ''Les Débris de la guerre'' (1916) * ''Le grand secret'' (''The Great Secret'') (Fasquelle, 1921;

Bernard Miall Arthur Bernard Miall (1876 – March 1953) was a British translator and publisher's reader. Born in Croydon, He published a poem in ''The Yellow Book'' in 1897, and published a couple of volumes of poetry in the 1890s. In 1914, he became publisher ...

trans., 1922) * ''La Vie des termites'' (''The Life of Termites'') (1926) Plagiarized version of ''Die Siel van die Mier'' (The Soul of the White Ant) by Eugene Marais (1925) * ''La Vie de l'espace'' (''The Life of Space'') (1928) * ''La Grande Féerie'' (1929) * ''La Vie des fourmis'' (''The Life of the Ant'') (1930) * ''L'Araignée de verre'' (1932) * ''Avant le grand silence'' (''Before the Great Silence'') (1934) * ''L'Ombre des ailes'' (''The Shadow of Wings'') (1936) * ''Devant Dieu'' (1937) * ''La Grande Porte'' (1938) * ''L'Autre Monde ou le cadran stellaire'' (''The Other World, or The Star System'') (1941)

Memoirs

*''Bulles bleues'' (1948)

Translations

*''Le Livre des XII béguines'' and ''L'Ornement des noces spirituelles'', translated from the Flemish of Ruusbroec (1885) *''L'Ornement des noces spirituelles de Ruysbroeck l'admirable'' (1891) *''Annabella'', an adaptation of

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's ''

'Tis Pity She's a Whore ''Tis Pity She's a Whore'' (original spelling: ''Tis Pitty Shee's a Who'' 'o'''re'') is a tragedy written by John Ford (dramatist), John Ford. It was first performed or between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. ...

'' (performed 1894) *''Les Disciples à Saïs'' and ''Fragments de Novalis'' from the German of

Novalis Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (; ), was a German nobility, German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and Mysticism, mystic. He is regarded as an inf ...

, together with an ''Introduction'' by Maeterlinck on Novalis and German Romanticism (1895) *Translation and adaptation of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' (performed 1909)

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

* * * *
Works by Maurice Maeterlinck
at

The Online Books Page The Online Books Page is an index of e-text books available on the Internet. It is edited by John Mark Ockerbloom and is hosted by the library of the University of Pennsylvania. The Online Books Page lists over 2 million books and has several fe ...

* * ttp://noblib.internet-box.ch/NLEW.php?authorid=12 List of Works* Transcript of the ttp://www.nobel.se/literature/laureates/1911/press.html Nobel prize presentation speech
Video clips from four different productions of Maeterlinck's works

* ttp://pen-international.org/ PEN International* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maeterlinck, Maurice 1862 births 1949 deaths Writers from Ghent Belgian fantasy writers Belgian male dramatists and playwrights Belgian Nobel laureates Belgian poets in French Counts of Belgium Ghent University alumni Modernist theatre Nobel laureates in Literature Symbolist dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Belgian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Belgian male writers 20th-century Belgian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Belgian poets 20th-century Belgian poets Belgian male poets Belgian essayists Members of the Académie royale de langue et de littérature françaises de Belgique

Biography

Early life

Career

Plagiarism

Later life

Honours

Static drama

Maeterlinck in music

Works

Poetry

Drama

Essays

Memoirs

Translations

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links