Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) brought Symbolism into the theatre, initiating a lineage of alternative modern drama that transformed the art form. He was also a revolutionary poet and influential essayist, whose subjects included the theatre, mysticism, and politics. His plays have been translated and performed all over the world and made into several films and operas. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. David Willinger is Professor of Theatre at City College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, and author of numerous books, anthologies, and articles on Belgian theatre and drama, most recently Three Plays of Forbidden Love by Hugo Claus (2007). He is recipient of Le Prix de Rayonnement à l¿Etranger from the Belgian government. Daniel Gerould is the Lucille Lortel Distinguished Professor of Theatre and Comparative Literature at the Graduate Center, CUNY, and Director of Publications at the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center. He is editor of the journal Slavic and East European Performance and of the twelve-volume Routledge/Harwood Polish and Eastern European Theatre Archive.