Our Eternity 1913

by Maurice Maeterlinck, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos (Translator)

""Our Eternity 1913"" is a philosophical and metaphysical book written by Maurice Maeterlinck. Published in 1913, the book explores the concept of eternity and the human understanding of time and space. Maeterlinck delves into the nature of existence and the idea of immortality, examining various religious and spiritual beliefs and their implications. He also discusses the role of death in human life and how it shapes our understanding of the world. The book is written in a poetic and meditative style, with Maeterlinck drawing on his own experiences and observations to create a thought-provoking and introspective work. Overall, ""Our Eternity 1913"" offers a unique perspective on the nature of existence and the human quest for meaning and understanding.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Philosophy, Death

260 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2004

About the author

Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (also called Count Maeterlinck from 1932) was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was a Fleming, but wrote in French.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1911 "in appreciation of his many-sided literary activities, and especially of his dramatic works, which are distinguished by a wealth of imagination and by a poetic fancy, which reveals, sometimes in the guise of a fairy tale, a deep inspiration, while in a mysterious way they appeal to the readers' own feelings and stimulate their imaginations".

The main themes in his work are death and the meaning of life. His plays form an important part of the Symbolist movement.

Reviews

[Dennis Petito · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Maeterlink's reasoning, use of language and clarity of thought excellent. The translation is clear and crisp and quite poetic. I have to read more of his works and started on the Life of the Bee.

[Dara Salley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Parts of this essay by Maeterlinck were extremely insightful. His explanation of why we can’t look to religion for clues about death is rational and persuasive. The discussion of the nature of consciousness is also excellent. He lost me when he got into the “incontestable” proof of ghosts. It was a prejudice of his age that advances in science had led people to believe that they could prove the existence of spirits. It’s an unfortunate distraction, but Maeterlinck’s overall treatise still holds up.