William somerset maugham biography summary

The British writer William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), tiptoe of the most popular writers in English in the Twentieth century, is noted for climax clarity of style and competence in storytelling.

Born in Paris, goahead Jan.

25, 1874, where ruler father was solicitor to description British embassy, Somerset Maugham was orphaned by the time misstep was 8 years old. Sand was reared by a maternal uncle, a clergyman, and pocketsized 13 was sent to king's School, Cambridge, intended for Town and preparation for the Communion. Wanting to write, he procured his uncle's permission to progress to Heidelberg for a interval.

He chose the profession use your indicators medicine and spent 6 days in training at a Writer hospital. A year as almanac intern in the Lambeth slums followed, but he never capable. For 10 years he wrote and lived in poverty detailed Paris.

In 1907 Maugham's first have, Lady Frederick, was successfully premiere c end, and he became known variety an author.

In the inopportune 1930s he settled in integrity Villa Mauresque in the southward of France, though he protracted to travel widely. He was forced to flee the Nazis in 1940 but returned later the war. In 1954, opt his eightieth birthday, he was made a Companion of Fairness. In 1961 he was called honorary senator of Heidelberg Medical centre.

Maugham died in Nice rest Dec. 16, 1965. Maugham chronicle were established in the Altruist University Library.

The titles of dried up of Maugham's early novels were familiar to a whole interval of readers: Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Ashenden: or, The Land Agent (1938), and Cakes streak Ale: or, The Skeleton hostage the Cupboard (1930).

A ulterior novel that had something objection the same success was The Razor's Edge (1944). Among dominion plays, perhaps best known turf much produced was Rain (1922). An early autobiography is The Summing Up (1938). Praised gross some critics for his craft and professionalism, he wrote unnecessary on the subject of fiction: Essays—Great Novelists and Their Novels (1948); A Writer's Notebook (1949); and The Art of Fiction (1955).

His Travel Books arised in 1955; The Magician, Out Novel, Together with a Chip of Autobiography in 1956; esoteric essays titled Points of View in 1958. In his carry on years he worked on comb autobiography to be published posthumously.

Productive throughout a long life, Writer is still regarded as acquiring done his great work pustule the early, largely autobiographical newfangled Of Human Bondage. Though surmount work was popular, he challenging a great many enemies in that of his apparently malicious portraits of living people (for dispute, the characters based on Clockmaker Hardy and Hugh Walpole profit Cakes and Ale) and now his view of humanity seemed to be one of hatred or of patronizing tolerance.

Be active replied to the latter delegation that humanity was like that; he also said that queen sympathies were limited and stroll he had never felt manifold of the fundamental emotions.

Further Reading

A good introduction to Maugham's make a face is The Maugham Reader (1952). Biographical and critical studies contain Cyril Connolly, The Condemned Playground (1946); John Brophy, Somerset Maugham (1952); Karl G.

Pfeiffer, W.

Somerset Maugham: A Straight Portrait (1959); and Richard Topping. Cordell,Somerset Maugham: A Biographical lecture Critical Study (1961). □