La Vie des fourmis
Paris, Fasquelle, 1930.
1 vol. (205 x 207 mm) of 254 p., [1] and 1 f. In wrappers, with large margins.
First edition.
One of the first 150 copies on Japanese paper (no. 95).
One of the first 150 copies on Japanese paper (no. 95).
After La Vie des abeilles (1901) and La Vie des termites (1926), Maeterlinck continues his exploration of animal societies with La Vie des fourmis. He observes the anthill as an extraordinarily elaborate collective organization: division of labor, architecture, breeding, agriculture, warfare, slavery, migrations and the founding of new colonies.
The book, however, constantly moves beyond natural history. As in La Vie des abeilles, Maeterlinck’s observation of the insect becomes the starting point for a reflection on collective intelligence, the individual’s place within the community, and the forms taken by social instinct: the anthill as an outsized mirror of human societies.
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