The Life of the Bee
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Book Overview
In an exuberantly poetic work that is less about bees and more about life, Maurice Maeterlinck expresses his philosophy of the human condition. The renowned Belgian poet and dramatist offers brilliant proof in this, his most popular work, that "no living creature, not even man, has achieved in the center of his sphere, what the bee has achieved." From their amazingly intricate feats of architecture to their intrinsic sense of self-sacrifice, Maeterlinck takes a "bee's-eye view" of the most orderly society on Earth.
An enthusiastic and expert beekeeper, Maeterlinck did not intend to write a scientific treatise, even though he details such topics as the mathematically accurate construction of the hive, the division of labor among community members, the life of the young queen and her miraculous nuptial flight, and the movement and meaning of the swarm.
An enchanting classic by one of the most important figures of world literature in the twentieth century and winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature, this fascinating study is a magnificent tribute to one of the most orderly communities in the world. It is also filled with humble lessons for the human race.
An enthusiastic and expert beekeeper, Maeterlinck did not intend to write a scientific treatise, even though he details such topics as the mathematically accurate construction of the hive, the division of labor among community members, the life of the young queen and her miraculous nuptial flight, and the movement and meaning of the swarm.
An enchanting classic by one of the most important figures of world literature in the twentieth century and winner of the 1911 Nobel Prize in Literature, this fascinating study is a magnificent tribute to one of the most orderly communities in the world. It is also filled with humble lessons for the human race.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0486451437
ISBN13:9780486451435
Release Date:August 2006
Publisher:Dover Publications
Length:192 Pages
Weight:0.55 lbs.
Dimensions:0.4" x 5.4" x 8.5"
Customer Reviews
1 rating
An old classic
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
The date on this item is misleading. It was written in 1901 in French and then translated into English by Alfred Sutro and published in English in 1910. It is a classic bee book written in a lively style. It's reasonably accurate, for a book so old, and has a nice readable style. Maeterlinck, the author describes it thus: "It is not my intention to write a treatise on apiculture, or on practical bee-keeping...I wish to speak of the bees very simply, as one speaks of a subject one knows and loves to those who know it not." I believe he succeded very well.
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