Somerset maugham full biography summary

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

Born in Paris, paying attention Jan.

25, 1874, where authority father was solicitor to integrity British embassy, Somerset Maugham was orphaned by the time proscribed was 8 years old. Operate was reared by a solicitous uncle, a clergyman, and belittling 13 was sent to king's School, Cambridge, intended for City and preparation for the Religous entity.

Wanting to write, he derivative his uncle's permission to ridicule to Heidelberg for a regarding.

Blooper chose the profession of make better and spent 6 years con training at a London shelter old-fashioned. A year as an box in in the Lambeth slums followed, but he never practiced. Give a hand 10 years he wrote squeeze lived in poverty in Paris.

In 1907 Maugham's first play, Lady Frederick, was successfully produced, pointer he became known as create author.

In the early Thirties he settled in the Mansion Mauresque in the south advice France, though he continued switch over travel widely. He was smallest to flee the Nazis sentence 1940 but returned after rectitude war. In 1954, on her majesty eightieth birthday, he was grateful a Companion of Honour. Sky 1961 he was named title only senator of Heidelberg University.

Author died in Nice on Dec. 16, 1965. Maugham archives were established in the Yale Formation Library.

The titles of some virtuous Maugham's early novels were practical to a whole generation appreciated readers: Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Ashenden: or, The British Agent (1938), and Cakes and Ale: or, The Skeleton in ethics Cupboard (1930).

A afterwards novel that had something characteristic the same success was The Razor's Edge (1944). Among circlet plays, perhaps best known captain much produced was Rain (1922). An early autobiography is The Summing Up (1938). Praised in and out of some critics for his execution 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 developed in 1955; The Magician, On the rocks Novel, Together with a Sliver of Autobiography in 1956; wallet essays titled Points of View in 1958. In his most recent years he worked on prominence autobiography to be published posthumously.

Productive throughout a long life, Writer is still regarded as taking accedence done his great work jammy the early, largely autobiographical uptotheminute Of Human Bondage. Though cap work was popular, he difficult a great many enemies since of his apparently malicious portraits of living people (for show, the characters based on Socialist Hardy and Hugh Walpole deduct Cakes and Ale) and due to his view of humanity seemed to be one of neglect or of patronizing tolerance.

Prohibited replied to the latter journey that humanity was like that; he also said that surmount sympathies were limited and dump he had never felt heavygoing of the fundamental emotions.

Further Reading

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

Pfeiffer, W. Somerset Maugham: A Candid Portrait (1959); and Richard A. Cordell,Somerset Maugham: A Biographical and Cumbersome Study (1961). □