Maurice Maeterlinck

Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck,Spelled Maurice (Mooris) Polidore Marie Bernhard Maeterlinck on the official Nobel Prize page  also called Comte (Count) Maeterlinck from 1932,Maeterlinck, Maurice in Encyclopædia Britannica (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949) was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist.  He wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911. The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life. His plays are an important part of the Symbolist movement.

He finished his law studies at the University of Ghent in 1885.  He then spent a few months in Paris, France. His first play, Princess Maleine, was well received in August 1890.

He had a relationship with the singer and actress Georgette Leblanc from 1895 till 1918. On 15 February 1919 Maeterlinck married Renée Dahon.  She was actress he met during a rehearsal of The Blue Bird in 1910.

When Germany invaded Belgium in 1914, Maeterlink wished to join the French Foreign Legion.  His application was denied due to his age.

In 1919 he accepted an invitation to the United States. He worked with Samuel Goldwyn on movies but did not find success.

He was made a count by Albert I, King of the Belgians in 1932.

He returned to Nice after the war on 10 August 1947. In 1948, the French Academy awarded him the Medal for the French Language. He was the president of PEN International from 1947 to 1949. He died in Nice on 6 May 1949 after suffering a heart attack.

References

Category:1862 births
Category:1949 deaths
Category:Belgian Nobel Prize winners
Category:Belgian poets
Category:Belgian essayists
Category:Belgian playwrights
Category:Nobel Prize in Literature winners