Maurice Maeterlinck

The Burgomaster of Stilemonde Maurice Maeterlinck

Maurice Maeterlinck was born in August 1862 in Belgium to a wealthy family. Thanks to their fortune, Maeterlinck was able to complete law school at the University of Ghent, travel and write. Instead of practicing law, as his father wished, Maeterlinck focused on writing. He found success with his first play, Princess Maleine. He wrote several books that were well received, such as Twelve Songs (1896), The Treasure of the Humble (1896), and The Life of the Bee (1901). For his works, in 1903 Belgium awarded him the Triennial Prize for Dramatic Literature. Several of Maeterlinck's writings had challenged the Catholic Church. He had attended the Jesuit College of Sainte-Barbe, which had left him with a disdain for organized religion in general, and Catholicism in particular. He also railed against Germany during both World Wars, which caused him to flee to the United States in 1940. He left for France after the war ended in 1947. Maeterlinck died in 1949 in France, after suffering a heart attack. The Burgomaster of Stilemonde: A Play in Three Acts was very well received when it was released in 1918, and went on to become a silent film a decade later. The play takes place during World War I in Belgium, and depicts atrocities committed by German troops.