Jeffrey Meyers' Somerset Maugham: A Life is an insightful and interesting exposition of Somerset Maugham: the man. As he was unable to return to his ambulance unit, Syrie arranged for him to be introduced to a high-ranking intelligence officer known as "R"; he was recruited by John Wallinger. The story begins through the eyes of Larry's friends and acquaintances as they witness his personality change after the War. He was an English novelist, playwright, and short-story writer whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd understanding of human nature. During this time he met Frederick Gerald Haxton, a young San Franciscan, who became his companion and lover until Haxton's death in 1944. Maugham said that he remained agnostic to the questions concerning the existence of God. [citation needed] He did not want to become a lawyer like other men in his family, so he trained and qualified as a physician. Many portray the conflict of Europeans in alien surroundings that provoke strong emotions, and Maugham’s skill in handling plot, in the manner of Guy de Maupassant, is distinguished by economy and suspense. "The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham" – A Biography of Somerset Maugham by Selina Hastings. [51], Maugham's public view of his abilities remained modest. William Somerset Maugham was born to Robert Ormond Maugham and Edith Mary née Snell in the British Embassy in Paris, France. [37] In 1922, Maugham dedicated his book On A Chinese Screen to Syrie. At last, the fascinating truth is revealed in a landmark biography by the award-winning writer Selina Hastings. View the list When I'm good, I'm very good. The marriage was unhappy, and the couple separated. In … His best efforts in this line include The Gentleman in the Parlour, dealing with a journey through Burma, Siam, Cambodia and Vietnam, and On a Chinese Screen, a series of very brief vignettes that might have been sketches for stories left unwritten. In later life Maugham was exclusively homosexual, and lived successively with two men. He was among the most popular writers of his era … [2] Since French law declared that all children born on French soil could be conscripted for military service, his father arranged for Maugham to be born at the embassy, diplomatically considered British soil. Other writers acknowledged his work. Maugham indicates in his foreword that he derived the title from a passage in Baruch Spinoza's Ethics: Of Human Bondage is considered to have many autobiographical elements. In 1951, Katherine Cornell was a great success playing the lead in Maugham's comedy The Constant Wife. In June 1917, Maugham was asked by Sir William Wiseman, an officer of the British Secret Intelligence Service (later named MI6), to undertake a special mission in Russia. William Somerset Maugham, British playwright and novelist, was one of the most reputed and well-known writers of his era, and one of the highest-paid authors of his time. "[31], Maugham did not believe in God or an afterlife. The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham: A Biography by Selina Hastings is a compelling and comprehensive review of Maugham and his works. This ability is sometimes reflected in Maugham's literary characters. A life in letters: W Somerset Maugham Born 25 January 1874 in Paris. Omissions? Maugham responded: "I am not yet too old to learn. It was adapted into a major motion picture, released in 1946, starring Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell, with Herbert Marshall as W. Somerset Maugham. The close relationship between fictional and non-fictional became Maugham's trademark. Somerset Maugham was the master of the short, concise novel and he could convey relationships, greed and ambition with a startling reality. William Somerset Maugham (January 25, 1874 – December 16, 1965) was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. [33][36][citation needed], Maugham used his spying experiences as the basis for Ashenden: Or the British Agent, a collection of short stories about a gentlemanly, sophisticated, aloof spy. References Yet, despite his triumphs, he never attracted the highest respect from the critics or his peers. In his 1962 volume of memoirs, Looking Back, he attacked the late Syrie Maugham and wrote that Liza had been born before they married. His review gave the book a lift, and it has never been out of print since.[18]. Quiet and observant, Maugham had a good temperament for intelligence work; he believed he had inherited from his lawyer father a gift for cool judgment and the ability to avoid being deceived by facile appearances. Short Biography of William Somerset Maugham The British novelist William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), one of the most popular writers in English in the 20th century, is noted for his clarity of style and skill in storytelling. I never heard of his plays before and … William Somerset Maugham was born on January 25, 1874, in the British Embassy in Paris, France. During World War I he worked as a secret agent. Maugham's last major novel, The Razor's Edge (1944), was a departure for him in many ways. W. Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. [44] After the war, in 1946 Maugham returned to his villa in France. On his death, Maugham donated his royalties to the Royal Literary Fund.[60]. By 1940, when the collapse of France and its occupation by the German Third Reich forced Maugham to leave the French Riviera, he was a refugee—but one of the wealthiest and most famous writers in the English-speaking world. This character is considered to have influenced Ian Fleming's later series of James Bond novels. William Somerset Maugham (uk bekäänd üüs W. Somerset Maugham [ˈsʌməsɪt mɔːm]; * 25.Janewoore 1874 uun Pariis; † 16. William was the fourth son of six children, of which only four survived. From 1951, some 14 years before his death, his paintings began their exhibition life. The play was adapted as a film by the same name in 1929. He was raised by an uncle, who tried to persuade the youngster to become an accountant or parson; Maugham instead trained as a doctor, although he never practised … Small and weak as a boy, Maugham had been proud even then of his stamina, and as an adult he kept churning out the books, proud that he could. To Authors Index. His ashes were scattered near the Maugham Library, The King's School, Canterbury. His father was an English lawyer at the British embassy … Jeanne Eagels had the lead. In Don Fernando, a non-fiction book about his years living in Spain, Maugham pondered a (perhaps fanciful) suggestion that the painter El Greco was homosexual: It cannot be denied that the homosexual has a narrower outlook on the world than the normal man. Maugham: A BiographyPaperback – April 1, 1984. byTed Morgan(Author), W. Somerset Maugham(Author), Vincent Virga(Illustrator), Eve Metz(Designer)&1more. William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874– 16 December 1965) was an English novelist, short story writer and playwright. Born in Paris, he was the sixth and youngest son … William Somerset Maugham CH (/ ˈ m ɔː m / MAWM; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer.He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. "[45], Maugham's love life was almost never smooth. His mother died of tuberculosis while he was young, a death which traumatized him for life. Maugham was sent back to the UK to be cared for by his paternal uncle, Henry MacDonald Maugham, the Vicar of Whitstable, in Kent. She was familiarly called Liza and her surname was changed to Maugham. He kept his mother's photograph at his bedside for the rest of his life. This ancient arabic tale was retold by William Somerset Maugham near the end of his play Sheppey (1933). “ – Gore Vidal’s review in … W. Somerset Maugham, an eminent British playwright, novelist and short story writer is better known as a master of short and concise novels. For a public man of Maugham's generation, being openly gay was impossible. [35] Two and a half months later, the Bolsheviks took control. [41][page needed], In 1926, Maugham bought the Villa La Mauresque, on 9 acres (3.6 hectares) at Cap Ferrat on the French Riviera. Many of Maugham’s plays, novels, and short stories have been adapted into films. The influential American novelist and critic Theodore Dreiser rescued the novel, referring to it as a work of genius and comparing it to a Beethoven symphony. He became known as a writer who portrayed the last days of European colonialism in India, Southeast Asia, China and the Pacific, although the books on which this reputation rests represent only a fraction of his output. In The Summing Up (1938) and A Writer’s Notebook (1949) Maugham explains his philosophy of life as a resigned atheism and a certain skepticism about the extent of man’s innate goodness and intelligence; it is this that gives his work its astringent cynicism. She was a genius who wrote electrifying poetry, full of rage and unconventional images. "[13], Liza of Lambeth's first print run sold out in a matter of weeks. His grandfather, another Robert, was a prominent lawyer and co-founder of the Law Society of England and Wales. Table of Contents: Novels: Liza of Lambeth (1897) The Making of a Saint (1898) He wis amang the maist popular writers ofhis era an reputitly the heichest-paid author during the 1930s. Élete. "Rain", in particular, which charts the moral disintegration of a missionary attempting to convert prostitute Sadie Thompson, has kept its reputation. It was his home for most of the rest of his life. He worked for the service in Switzerland and Russia before the October Revolution of 1917 in the Russian Empire. After Maugham's return to Britain, his uncle found him a position in an accountant's office. [28][29] He considered that the misery and bitterness of the world suggested that God did not exist. [9] Miserable both at his uncle's vicarage and at school, the young Maugham developed a talent for making wounding remarks to those who displeased him. W. Somerset Maugham, English novelist, playwright, and short-story writer whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd understanding of human nature. Maugham wrote comedies, psychological novels and spy stories (although the latter part of his work is hardly ever seen as belonging to crime fiction proper). William Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. “I do not believe in God. Deetsember 1965 uun Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat bi Nizza) wiar en ingels skriiwer an dramaatiker.. Leewent. There he hosted one of the great literary and social salons of the 1920s and 30s. Maugham's father and three older brothers were distinguished lawyers, but Maugham was not interested in this profession. Hi wiar dring faan en afkoot, diar för det britisk ambasaad uun Pariis werket. Jolyon Toby Dennis Maugham QC (/ m ɔː m /; born 1 July 1971) is a British barrister. George Orwell also state… [46] Liza Maugham, Lady Glendevon, died aged 83 in 1998, survived by her four children (a son and a daughter by her first marriage to Vincent Paravicini, and two more sons to Lord Glendevon). I am convinced that when I die, I shall cease entirely to live; I shall return to the earth I came from.” — W. Somerset Maugham. Simon and Schuster, 1984. sfn error: no target: CITEREFChancellor2005 (, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Painting the Century: 101 Portrait Masterpieces 1900–2000, List of ambulance drivers during World War I, "Camilla's nephew, the tortured musical genius", "Somerset Maugham'S Ten Best Novels Of The World", Caxton Club Biography (Archived October 26, 2014), Works by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham, National Theatre, Maugham's Theatrical Collection, National Theatre, Shakespearean Characters, William Somerset Maugham's stories on Malaya, Borneo and Singapore, W. S. Maugham: correspondence, contracts, and manuscripts in Indiana University. The memoir cost him several friends and exposed him to much public ridicule. A life in letters: W Somerset Maugham Born 25 January 1874 in Paris. Somerset Maugham is the opposite of Sylvia Plath. It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature, although Maugham stated, "This is a novel, not an autobiography; though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure invention." It was sporadic, being subject to his moods and circumstances. He attended King’s School in Canterbury. [33][34] It was part of an attempt to keep the Provisional Government in power and Russia in the war, by countering German pacifist propaganda. [7] The early death of his mother left Maugham traumatized. W. 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