He wrote near the opening of the novel: "it is impossible always to give the exact unexpurgated words of Liza and the other personages of the story; the reader is therefore entreated with his thoughts to piece out the necessary imperfections of the dialogue". (1874-1965), Novelist, playwright and spy. Alternate titles: William Somerset Maugham. [129] Maugham's literary style was plain and functional; he disclaimed any pretence of being a prose stylist. Second, Maugham was what Northrop Frye. It was a departure from his previous style; its moral ambiguity and equivocal ending puzzled the critics and the public. "[95] Raphael suggests that Maugham now wished to write to please himself rather than others. More recent assessments generally rank Of Human Bondage a book with a large autobiographical element as a masterpiece, and his short stories are widely held in high critical regard. William Somerset Maugham ( IPA : /mm/ ), mer knd som W. Somerset Maugham, fdd 25 januari 1874 i Paris i Frankrike, dd 16 december 1965 i Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat nra Nice, var en betydande brittisk dramatiker, roman - och novellfrfattare . [139] The critic J. C. Trewin writes, "His dialogue, unlike that of many of his contemporaries, is designed to be spoken Maugham does not write elaborately visual prose: that is, it does not make a fussy pattern on the page". Incidentally, W. Somerset Maugham inspired some mimesis of his own. Of their seven children, three died in infancy. W. Somerset Maugham (The Moon and Sixpence) " He did not care if she was heartless, vicious and vulgar, stupid and grasping, he loved her. [171], Comic stories include "Jane" (1923), about a dowdy widow who reinvents herself as an outrageous and conspicuous society figure, to the consternation of her family;[172] "The Creative Impulse" (1926), in which a domineering authoress is shocked when her mild-mannered husband leaves her and sets up home with their cook;[172] and "The Three Fat Women of Antibes" (1933) in which three middle-aged friends play highly competitive bridge while attempting to slim, until reversals at the bridge table at the hands of an effortlessly slender fourth player provoke them into extravagantly breaking their diets. The possibility became a certainty when in November 1944, after a six-month illness initially diagnosed as pleurisy, Haxton died of tuberculosis. He did not use them, like, There are times when one thinks that British television and radio would have to shut up shop if there were not an apparently inexhaustible supply of stories by Maugham to turn into 30-minute plays. As a result, they undergo many trials and change as a result or they don't, if it's a tragedy. There are but two important critics in my own country who have troubled to take me seriously and when clever young men write essays about contemporary fiction they never think of considering me. His daily routine was to write between an early breakfast and lunchtime, after which he entertained himself. He achieved fame initially as a dramatist with plays such as Lady Frederick (1912) and The Circle (1921). Maugham usually published his works under the name of W. Somerset Maugham. [31] The first print run sold out within three weeks and a reprint was quickly arranged. [73] Most were first published in weekly or monthly magazines and later collected in book form. Between 1908 and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Maugham wrote a further eight plays,[44] but his stage successes did not completely distract him from writing novels. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s. His lifestyle was modest: he felt that despite his considerable wealth he should not live luxuriously while Britain was enduring wartime privations. They visited the Far East together in 191920, keeping Maugham away from home for six months. Under 1. verdenskrig var han hemmelig agent i Rusland; hans spionroman Ashenden: Or the British Agent (1928; "Ashenden: Den hemmelige agent") bygger p denne erfaring. Somerset Maugham felt that his stories had to have a moral and teach people tolerance, wisdom and compassion. W. Somerset Maugham. An instinctive and magnificent storyteller, Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular and successful writers of his time. Maugham wrote of Haxton: After the South Seas trip Maugham visited the US and was joined by Syrie. William Somerset Maugham ( Prizs, 1874. janur 25. While there he wrote a farce, Home and Beauty, which was presented at the Playhouse Theatre in August 1919 starring Gladys Cooper and Charles Hawtrey. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [25] From 1892 until he qualified in 1897, he studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in Lambeth. Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents. This is a social-psychological novel that reveals the problem of relations between men and women in bourgeois society, depicts the psychological portraits of characters, and describes their feelings, emotions and thoughts as well. [184] Since then BBC radio has broadcast numerous adaptations of his plays, novels and short stories ranging from one-off presentations to 12-part serialisations including six productions of The Circle and two adaptations apiece of The Razor's Edge, Of Human Bondage and Cakes and Ale. William Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular writers of his time, and reputedly the highest paid author of the 1930s. Connon writes, "He was seen by some as a near saint and by others, particularly the Maugham family, as a villain";[5] Hastings labels him "a podgy Iago constantly briefing against [Syrie and Liza]", and quotes Alan Pryce-Jones's summary: "an intriguer, a schemer with a keen eye to his own advantage, a troublemaker". This was Alan Searle, whom Maugham had known since 1928, when Searle was twenty-three. More like this. [168], The polished, detached William Ashenden, the central figure of the eponymous collection of spy stories (1928), is a writer recruited, as Maugham was, into the British Secret Service. 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. Although Maugham's former reputation has become somewhat eclipsed. [24] His uncle ruled out the civil service, believing that it was no longer a career for gentlemen after reforms requiring applicants to pass an entrance examination. She began posting to Twitch in June 2019. Although primarily homosexual, he attempted to conform to some extent with the norms of his day. [72] In the same year Maugham published one of his best-known novels,[73] The Moon and Sixpence, about a respectable stockbroker who rebels against conformity, abandons his wife and children, flees to Tahiti and becomes a painter. He became a medical student in London and . Born in Paris, where his father ran a law firm, he was orphaned by the age of ten and packed off to England, where his three older brothers were already. Gosselyn was a tall, stoutish, elderly woman, much taller than her husband, who gave you the impression that she was always trying to diminish her height. [22] A family friend found Maugham a position in an accountant's office in London, which he endured for a month before resigning. Died: December 16, 1965, in Nice, France. [148], Maugham published novels in every decade from the 1890s to the 1940s. Item Height: 234mm. [27] In 1897 he published his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, a tale of working-class adultery and its consequences. [181] Calder cites BBC Television's series of twenty-six stories shown in 1969 and 1970, adapted by dramatists including Roy Clarke, Simon Gray, Hugh Leonard, Simon Raven and Hugh Whitemore,[182] "presented with scrupulous fidelity to [their] tone, attitude, and thematic intention". He thinks he's Somerset Maugham." At the height of his powers Maugham would have savoured the excruciating irony: the writer in decline, pumped up on sheep's cells, accused of impersonating . Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular and commercially successful authors of the twentieth century. [71], By that time Maugham was ill with tuberculosis. MR. KNOW-ALL / Somerset Maugham () Bridging Text and Context: Write 80 - 100 words. [183] On radio, the BBC's connection with Maugham goes back to 1930, when Hermione Gingold and Richard Goolden starred in an adaptation of "Before the Party" from his 1922 volume The Casuarina Tree. His grandfather, Robert Maugham (17881862), was a prominent solicitor and co-founder of the Law Society of England and Wales. But the book I like best is Cakes and Ale. ENVOI William Somerset Maugham 25 January 1874 - 16 December 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was not only a novelist, but also a one of the most successful dramatist and short-story writers. Story Salvatore by W. Somerset MaughamIntroduction, Theme and Summary The story deals with love of a couple never going to be united. [65] Samoa was regarded as crucial to Britain's strategic interests, and Maugham's task was to gather information about the island's powerful radio transmitter and the threat from German military and naval forces in the region. She was married to the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome, but the couple had formally separated in 1909, after which she had a succession of partners, including the retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge. [170] In the 1928 volume Ashenden features in sixteen stories; two years later he reappeared, in his peacetime role of writer, as the narrator of Cakes and Ale. . He was the son of a British diplomat. He was educated at King`s school in Canterbury, studied painting in Paris, went to Heidelberg University in Germany and studied to be a doctor at St. Don't waste time Get Your Custom Essay on "The Escape Maugham Analysis" [54], Maugham proofread Of Human Bondage at Malo-les-Bains, near Dunkirk, during a lull in his ambulance duties. He was not known as a phrase-maker; the 2014 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations cites him ten times, compared with nearly a hundred quotations from his contemporary Bernard Shaw. 75 Copy quote. He told his nephew Robin, "I tried to persuade myself that I was three-quarters normal and that only a quarter of me was queer whereas really it was the other way round". William Somerset Maugham, better known as W. Somerset Maugham, was born on January 25, 1874, Paris, France. "Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division", Coward, p. 226; and Mander and Mitchenson, pp. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. [167] Another English story is "Lord Mountdrago" (1939), depicting the psychological collapse of a pompous cabinet minister. [5] Nevertheless he had a wish to marry, which he later greatly regretted. The protagonist of the story, Salvatore who is a usual fisherman's son, is intensely in love with a beautiful girl who lives on the Grande Marina. [66] In addition to his intelligence work, Maugham gathered material for his fiction wherever he went. "[98] He visited the Hindu sage Ramana Maharishi at his ashram, and later used him as the model for the spiritual guru of his 1944 novel The Razor's Edge. In May 1917 they married at a ceremony in New Jersey. His work was popular for his simple style of writing, as well as his sharp and accurate understanding and judgment of human nature. They lived together in the French Riviera, where Maugham entertained lavishly. His aunt, who was German, arranged accommodation for him, and aged sixteen he travelled to Germany. Of Human Bondage is certainly one; Cakes and Ale probably; The Moon and Sixpence possibly. [5] This book, described by Raphael as "an elegant piece of literary malice",[73] is a satire on the literary world and a humorously cynical observation of human mating. [110] He came from Bermondsey, a poor district of London. Raised by an uncle, the remainder of . He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s. Maugham also travelled far and wide to Europe, North America, the Far East, the South seas and beyond. [28], The book received mixed reviews. [89] The majority of his original plays were comedies, but of his serious dramas East of Suez (1922), The Letter (1927) and The Sacred Flame (1929) ran for more than 200 performances. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories. Maugham died in the Anglo-American Hospital in Nice on the night of 1516 December 1965 at the age of 91, of complications following a fall. Leonard Nimoy has said that when he was creating a voice for Star Trek's Mr. Spock, he listened to hours of recordings of the English writer reading his works. Many portray the conflict of Europeans in alien surroundings that provoke strong emotions, and Maughams skill in handling plot, in the manner of Guy de Maupassant, is distinguished by economy and suspense. [120] Morgan observes: Although most of Maugham's early successes were as a dramatist, it is for his novels and short stories that he has been best known since the 1930s. [141] Several commentators have characterised him as a pessimist, who did not share Shaw's optimistic belief that art could improve humanity. [113], Before returning to the south of France after the war, Maugham travelled to England and lived in London until the end of 1946. His first fiction was the critically praised naturalist novel of London slum life, Liza of Lambeth, which was published in 1897, when Maugham was 23 and completing his medical training at London's St Thomas's Hospital. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). He traveled in Spain and Italy and in 1908 achieved a theatrical triumphfour plays running in London at oncethat brought him financial security. Some of the short stories will undoubtedly prove immortal". "The Razor's Edge," which would be his last important work, was published in 1944. Maugham, who had been writing steadily since he was 15, intended to make his career as an author, but he dared not tell his guardian. He was born at the British Embassy in Paris. [97] During a visit to India in 1938 he found his interest prompted less by the British expatriates than by Indian philosophers and ascetics: "As soon as the Maharajas realized that I didn't want to go on tiger hunts but that I was interested in seeing poets and philosophers they were very helpful. While he is roaming around the London street in a distressed mood he tries to buy . [156] The structure of the book is unusual in that the protagonist is already dead before the novel opens, and the narrator attempts to piece together his story, and particularly his final years in Tahitian exile. [1] I saw how they bore pain. [55] When the book was published in 1915 some of the initial reviews were favourable but many, both in Britain and in the US, were unenthusiastic. [38] He had written it four years earlier,[39] but numerous managements turned it down until Otho Stuart accepted it and cast the popular Ethel Irving in the title role. After the war he resumed his interrupted travels and, in 1928, bought a villa on Cape Ferrat in the south of France, which became his permanent home. Maugham's short story "The Verger" is a tale about a simple man Albert Edward Foreman. Sitter associated with 115 portraits. [91] Hastings quotes a contemporary's view that Kear was Maugham's revenge on Walpole for "a stolen boyfriend, an unrequited love and an old canker of jealousy".[90]. [144] Trewin singles out The Circle, calling it one of the great comedies of the 20th century, and comparing it with Congreve's The Way of the World, to the disadvantage of the latter: "He can put Congreve to shame in the task of telling a theatrical story telling it clearly and without inessentials". He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s.After losing both his parents by the age of 10, Maugham was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. [5], Shortly before the birth of the Maughams' fourth son the government of France proposed a new law under which all boys born on French soil to foreign parents would automatically be French citizens and liable to conscription for military service. [36], The Making of a Saint, a historical novel, attracted less attention than Liza of Lambeth and its sales were unremarkable. [n 16] His aspiration to become a concert pianist ends in failure and suicide. Maugham based his characters upon people whom he had known or whose lives he had somehow come to know; their actions are presented with consummate realism. Topics. Author: w Somerset 1874-1965 Maugham. He wrote seven plays during the decade: The Unknown (1920), The Circle (1921), East of Suez (1922), The Camel's Back (1923), The Constant Wife (1926), The Letter (1927) and The Sacred Flame (1928). [85] They divorced in 1929. [16][n 4], From 1885 to 1890 Maugham attended The King's School, Canterbury, where he was regarded as an outsider and teased for his poor English (French had been his first language), his short stature, his stammer, and his lack of interest in sport. After one has got over the glamour of the stage and the excitement, I do not myself think the theatre has much to offer the writer compared with the other mediums in which he has complete independence and need consider no one. Many would say that his short stories embody his best work, and he remains a substantial figure in the early-20th-century literary landscape. After another long trip to the Far East, he agreed with Syrie that they would live separately, she in London and he at Cap Ferrat in the south of France. William Somerset Maugham [mm] ( 25. tammikuuta 1874 Pariisi, Ranska - 16. joulukuuta 1965 Nizza, Ranska) oli englantilainen nytelmkirjailija, kirjailija ja novellisti, 1930-luvun tunnetuimpia lnsimaisia kirjailijoita ja tiettvsti mys suurituloisimpia. Maugham was born in the English embassy in Paris; the youngest son, he was nicknamed "Willie" by his beautiful mother, Edith . His fluency in French and German was an advantage, and for a year he worked in Geneva at his own expense as an agent for the British Secret Service. Maugham's British and American publishers issued and reissued various, sometimes overlapping, permutations during his lifetime and subsequently. [143] When Maugham's The Circle was revived in the US in 2011, the reviewer in The New York Times wrote that the play had been criticised "for not having anything substantial to say about love, marriage or infidelity. [134] After his early writing, in which long sentences are punctuated with semicolons and commas, Maugham came to favour short, direct sentences. In The Spectator the critic J. D. Scott wrote of "The Maugham Effect": "This quality is one of force, of swiftness, of the dramatic leap". In addition, Carey has a. Although he was an important influence on many well-known writers, "Maugham's critical stock has remained low". . [189] Some biographers have doubted Maugham's claim to be unresentful at being overlooked or dismissed by literary critics, but there is little doubt that he was right about it. W. Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He had a slight limp, and he walked slowly, leant on a stick. Item Weight: 717g. William Somerset Maugham (pronounced mawm), was an English novelist, playwright and a short story writer. He was raised by his aunt and uncle, and bullied by children at school. [158][159] Raphael writes that Maugham became widely regarded as the supreme English exponent of the form "both the magazine squib and the more elaborate conte". He remained covert in his life and in his writings. Namnteckning. Appearing in popular magazines such as Nash's, Collier's, Hearst's International, The Smart Set, and Cosmopolitan, his stories Julia came in. March 14, 2004. W. Somerset Maugham, in full William Somerset Maugham, (born Jan. 25, 1874, Paris, Francedied Dec. 16, 1965, Nice), 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. 3 synonyms for Somerset Maugham: Maugham, W. Somerset Maugham, William Somerset Maugham. Here are the possible solutions for "W Somerset Maugham's 1915 novel; the subject of several films" clue. "[194] In a 2016 survey Don Adams remarks, "The gist of the criticism of Maugham's fiction, that it lacks psychological and emotional profundity, is remarkably consistent throughout the decades."[195]. Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 - 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly A Room with a View (1908), How. Maugham is a British writer of great repute and has had one of the most successful literary careers in the twentieth century. Popular British novelist, playwright, short-story writer and the highest-paid author in the world in the 1930s, Somerset Maugham graduated in 1897 from St. Thomas' Medical School and qualified as a doctor, but abandoned medicine after the success of his first novels and plays. Authors. [56] The New York World described the romantic obsession of the protagonist as "the sentimental servitude of a poor fool". Used; Condition Used - Good ISBN 13 9780140185232 What makes old age hard to bear is not the failing of one's faculties, mental and physical, but the burden of one's memories. [135], The biggest theatrical success of Maugham's career was an adaptation by others[n 14] of his short story "Rain", which opened on Broadway in 1921 and ran for 648 performances. [177] In the first screen version of Rain (1928) expurgations fundamentally altered the characters;[178] an adaptation of "The Facts of Life" in the 1948 omnibus film Quartet omitted the key plot point that the scheming young woman on whom the young hero turns the tables is a prostitute with whom he has just spent a night;[179] in "The Ant and the Grasshopper" a young adventurer marries not a rich old woman who dies soon afterwards but a rich young one who remains very much alive. He would rather have misery with one than happiness with the other. "Rain" (1921) by W. Somerset Maugham is a fish-out-of-water story, in which characters wholly unsuited to their environment become marooned somewhere due to external circumstances.