Maurice Maeterlinck Biography
Belgian Playwright, Poet and Essayist, Famous for Symbolism
Jun 8, 2009
Maurice Maeterlinck was a Belgian playwright, poet and essayist who became involved with Symbolism, a French literary movement which uses symbols to represent ideas and emotions. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1911.
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard, Count Maeterlinck, was born in Ghent, Belgium on August 29, 1862. He studied law at the University of Ghent where he was profoundly influenced by Symbolism. His early works were not in plays but poetry. He published his first poem, The Rushes, when he was a 21-year-old university student.
The Poet Focuses on Plays
Maeterlinck moved to Paris after graduation, gave up law and became closely involved with the symbolist movement. He was 27 when his first book of poetry, Hot Houses, was released However, the call to write plays beckoned and it was this that eventually became his distinct contribution to the movement. In the same year he wrote his first play, The Princess Maleine. Although this was printed, it was never performed.
At age 30, Maeterlinck wrote one of his best-known plays, Pelléas and Mélisande, which has a dream-like quality and uses dark stage sets. The sound effects are haunting, and the play is created to elicit emotional response from the audience. Later, it was made into an opera by the French composer Claude Debussy.
Maeterlinck Turns to Philosophy and Mysticism
By 1896, Maeterlinck had moved away from his symbolist-inspired writing into a more realistic approach. Many works were written for his companion from 1895 to 1918, the actress Georgette Leblanc. After their affair ended, he married Renée Dahon.
In later years, Maeterlinck became interested in philosophy and mysticism. He also wrote another well-known play, The Blue Bird in which children search for a bird that represents happiness. This play recaptures the fairy-tale, dreamlike quality of Pelléas and Mélisande.
His experimental work, although different in style prepared the way for playwrights Eugène Ionesco and Harold Pinter. He died at the age of 86, on May 6, 1949.
“When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we loved not enough.” ~ Maurice Maeterlinck
Works by Maurice Maeterlinck
- The Rushes, 1883
- Hot Houses, 1889
- The Princess Maleine, 1889, play
- The Blind, 1891, play
- Pelléas and Mélisande, 1892, play
- Aglavaine and Selysette, 1896
- Ariadne and Bluebeard, 1901
- Sister Beatraice, 1902
- Monna Vanna, 1902, play
- The Blue Bird, 1908
- The Burgomaster of Stilmonde, 1918
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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