The Treasure of the Humble [Paperback]

Maurice Maeterlinck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001

The "Treasure of the Humble" was published in 1896, it was dedicated to the actress Madame Georgette Leblanc, his wife.

This volume include a collection of philosophical essays, some of them metaphysical in nature, including: The Awakening of the Soul, Mystic Morality, The Pre-Destined Silence, On Women, The Tragical in Daily Life, The Star, The Invisible Goodness, The Deeper Life and The Inner Beauty.

With Maurice Maeterlinck as a dramatist the world is pretty well acquainted. This little volume presents him in the new character of a philosopher and an aesthetician. And it is in some sort an ‘apology’ for his theatre, the one being to the other as theory to practice. Reversing the course prescribed by Mr. Squeers for his pupils, Maeterlinck, having cleaned w-i-n-d-e-r, winder, now goes and spells it. He began by visualizing and synthesizing his ideas of life; here you shall find him trying to analyze these ideas and consumed with anxiety to tell us the truth that is in him.

The mystery of life is what makes life worth living. Maeterlinck is penetrated by the feeling of the mystery in all human creatures, whose every act is regulated by far-off influences and obscurely rooted in things unexplained. Mystery is within us and around us. Of reality we can only get now and then the merest glimpse.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) was a Belgian author, the outstanding exponent of symbolist drama and the author of The Blue Bird and Pelléas and Mélisande.

Maeterlinck was born August 29, 1862, in Ghent and educated in law at the university there. He abandoned the legal profession when he moved to Paris in 1886 and came under the influence of the symbolist poets. Reacting against the prevailing naturalism of French literature, Maeterlinck wrote some symbolist poetry, notably Les serres chaudes (Hothouses, 1889). He is known principally for his plays, for which he received the 1911 Nobel Prize. He lectured in the U.S. in 1921 and spent World War II there. Maeterlinck returned to Europe following the war and died May 6, 1949, in Nice, France.

Maeterlinck's plays are characterized by clear and simple writing, by a dreamlike atmosphere, and by the suggestion rather than the direct expression of ideas and emotions. His early plays are marked by an attitude of profound melancholy and pessimism in the face of evil and death; in his later plays this attitude gives way to a belief in the redeeming power of love and in the reality of human happiness.

His plays include The Princess Maleine (1889); the melancholy fantasy masterpiece Pelléas et Mélisande (1892), made into an opera (1902) by the French composer Claude Debussy; and The Blue Bird (1909), which has become a classic for children. Less popular are Monna Vanna (1902) and The Burgomaster of Stilmonde (1918). Maeterlinck was also the author of many works in prose that deal with philosophic questions and with nature; they include The Treasure of the Humble (1896), The Life of the Bee (1901), and The Intelligence of Flowers (1907).

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589633849
• ISBN-13: 978-1589633841
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,364,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT FIND, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Treasure of the Humble (Hardcover)

I found this book, a 1937 ed., in the back of a library. I wanted to read this book after i had learned that one of my favorite poets, Kahlil Gibran, cherished it. The power behind the book outweighed its tiny scale. An overall fabolous book if you can find it. I am searching now for my own copy.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best books in my life, August 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Treasure of the Humble (Hardcover)

I read this book during college days and have been always reaching for it as and when possible.It always stayed in my heart and till date its a rare book with amazing thoughts and insight.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book of outstanding spiritual strength., August 15, 2000

By 

Andria Rogava (Heverlee Belgium) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasure of the Humble (Hardcover)

I think that this is a shame and a misery of our modern civilization that books of this kind are not available to general reader. This collection of essays is a great source of spiritual vigour and a fruit of very profound work of mind and very pure sentiments. As Maeterlinck says in one of the essays "this is the disgrace of whole our existence that we live so far from our own souls..." This book just helps to make this wretched, miserably pragmatic existence at least realized and to try to find the way to disclose the world of human spirituality for ourselves.