''The Blind'' (french: Les aveugles), also known as ''The Sightless'', is a play that was written in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

by the Belgian playwright

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

Information

It is an intense one-act play, which was one of the pieces mentioned in a list of

Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize i ...

’s most characteristic plays. This list was highlighted in the speech given to honour Maeterlinck with the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

in 1911. The play was originally written in

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

later to be translated into several different languages, such as

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. The piece is not only a study of human condition in general but it appears to confront its reader with the effect of hope on the latter. Unlike most other theatrical pieces ''The Blind'' does not introduce its readers to readily shaped characters, but twelve de-personalised beings. These beings were not provided with names but titles describing their general condition, for instance ''the eldest blind man''. This method of writing gives an audience, or theatre professional an opportunity to read between the lines and interpret the piece according to personal desire.

has since been considered as the founder of a new type of dramatic writing, ''

Symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sy ...

''. Parallels have often been drawn with

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

’s '' Waiting for Godot'', which was produced in the mid 20th century and appears to construct a similar world of waiting and hoping, which is evident in ''The Blind''.

Translations and sources

*''The Blind'', translated by Richard Hovey (1894?) *''The Sightless'', translated by

Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...

(1895?) *''Three Pre-Surrealist Plays: "The Blind", "Ubu the King", "The Mammaries of Tiresias"'' translated by Maya Slater (1997) *''I ciechi'', translated in Italian by Momo Longarelli (1913), edited by Casa Editrice Humanitas, in

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

Catalogue of Humanitas
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References

External links

Richard Hovey translationLaurence Alma Tadema translation
Plays by Maurice Maeterlinck Symbolist plays Plays and musicals about disability 1890 plays {{1890s-play-stub