later Comte Maeterlinck
born Aug. 29, 1862, Ghent, Belg.
died May 6, 1949, Nice, France
Belgian playwright and poet.
He studied law in Ghent but soon turned to writing poems and plays. His Pelléas et Mélisande (1892), considered the masterpiece of Symbolist drama (see Symbolist movement ), was the basis of Claude Debussy 's opera (1902). In his Symbolist plays, Maeterlinck used poetic speech, gesture, lighting, setting, and ritual to create images that reflect his protagonists' moods and dilemmas. His other writings include a collection of Symbolist poems ( Hothouses , 1899) and plays such as Monna Vanna (1902), The Blue Bird (1908), and The Burgomaster of Stilmonde (1918). He was also noted for his popular treatments of scientific subjects, including The Life of the Bee (1901) and The Intelligence of Flowers (1907). Maeterlinck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1911.