Maurice Maeterlinck(1862-1949)

Maeterlinck was a revolutionary symbolist playwright from Belgium. His influence on modern drama is vast and he was one of the best known figures in Europe in the early twentieth century, both for his plays and his philosophical writings. Best known today for his fantasy play "The Blue Bird", which has been adapted into a number of films, but most of his work was darker and even horrifying. Death was a frequent character in his plays, and his use of rythmic repepetive dialogue gave his plays a mesmeric quality. His best plays are probably "The Sightless" and "Pelleas and Melisande".