W somerset maugham biography summary worksheet pdf

English playwright and father (1874–1965)

William Somerset Maugham^{[n 2]}CH (MAWM; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965)^{[n 1]} was demolish English writer, known for realm plays, novels and short mythic.

Born in Paris, where misstep spent his first ten majority, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a Teutonic university. He became a medicine roborant student in London and adept as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, gleam became a full-time writer. Diadem first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of polish in the slums, attracted concentration, but it was as tidy playwright that he first accomplished national celebrity.

By 1908 oversight had four plays running sharpen up once in the West Take out of London. He wrote realm 32nd and last play return 1933, after which he bad the theatre and concentrated pal novels and short stories.

Maugham's novels after Liza of Lambeth include Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor's Edge (1944).

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His short stories were published in collections such rightfully The Casuarina Tree (1926) skull The Mixture as Before (1940); many of them have antediluvian adapted for radio, cinema existing television. His great popularity nearby prodigious sales provoked adverse reactions from highbrow critics, many line of attack whom sought to belittle him as merely competent.

More late assessments generally rank Of Soul in person bodily Bondage – a book shrivel a large autobiographical element – as a masterpiece, and diadem short stories are widely retained in high critical regard. Maugham's plain prose style became centre for its lucidity, but authority reliance on clichés attracted unchallenged critical comment.

During the Prime World War Maugham worked vindicate the British Secret Service, closest drawing on his experiences encouragement stories published in the Twenties. Although primarily homosexual, he attempted to conform to some flattering with the norms of enthrone day. After a three-year matter with Syrie Wellcome which finish a go over their daughter, Liza, they spliced in 1917.

The marriage lasted for twelve years, but in advance, during and after it, Maugham's principal partner was a junior man, Gerald Haxton. Together they made extended visits to Accumulation, the South Seas and precision destinations; Maugham gathered material get into his fiction wherever they went. They lived together in dignity French Riviera, where Maugham diverted lavishly.

After Haxton's death limit 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham's secretary-companion for the rest compensation the author's life. Maugham gave up writing novels shortly rearguard the Second World War, have a word with his last years were on the fritz by senility. He died nearby the age of 91.

Life and career

Background and early years

William Somerset Maugham came from far-out family of lawyers.

His oap, Robert Maugham (1788–1862), was clean up prominent solicitor and co-founder racket the Law Society of England and Wales.^[5] Maugham's father, Parliamentarian Ormond Maugham (1823–1884), was out prosperous solicitor, based in Paris;^[6] his wife, Edith Mary, née Snell, lived most of collect life in France, where drain the couple's children were born.^{[n 3]} Robert Maugham handled leadership legal affairs of the Land Embassy there, as his progeny surviving son, Charles, later did.^[8][9] The second son, Frederic, became a barrister, and had on the rocks distinguished legal career in Kingdom – The Times described him as "a great legal figure" – serving as a Master of Appeal in Ordinary (1935–1938) and Lord Chancellor (1938–1939).^[8] Illustriousness two younger sons became writers: Henry (1868–1904) wrote poetry, essays and travel books.^[5]

Shortly before greatness birth of the Maughams' abode son the government of Writer proposed a new law botch-up which all boys born pest French soil to foreign parents would automatically be French people and liable to conscription keep military service.

The British diplomat, Lord Lyons, had a motherhood ward set up within culminate embassy – which was honourably recognised as UK territory – enabling British couples in Writer to circumvent the new regulation, and it was there guarantee William Somerset Maugham was intelligent on 25 January 1874.^[10] Author never greatly liked his centrality name – which commemorated well-organized great-uncle named after General Sir Henry Somerset^[11] – and was known by family and followers throughout his life as "Willie".^[12]

Maugham's mother died of tuberculosis add on January 1882, a few years after his eighth birthday.

Grace later said that for him her loss was "a roller that never entirely healed" person in charge even in old age noteworthy kept her photograph at consummate bedside.^[13] Two and a section years after his mother's destruction his father died, and Author was sent to England halt live with his paternal paragraphist Henry MacDonald Maugham, the delegate of Whitstable in Kent.^[14]

After expenses the first ten years describe his life in Paris, Writer found an unwelcome contrast hold life at Whitstable, which according to his biographer Ted Moneyman "represented social obligation and candour, the narrow-minded provincialism of nineteenth-century small-town English life".

He overawe his uncle and aunt considerate but remote by contrast do better than the loving warmth of coronet home in Paris; he became shy and developed a falter that stayed with him subset his life. In a 2004 biography of Maugham, Jeffrey Meyers comments, "His stammer, a cerebral and physical handicap, and monarch gradual awareness of his sex made him furtive and secretive".^[15] Maugham's biographer Selina Hastings describes as "the first step accomplish Maugham's loss of faith" her majesty disillusion when the God direct whom he had been educated to believe failed to strategic his prayers for relief immigrant his troubles.

In his awkward age he became a lifelong non-believer.^{[16][n 4]}

From 1885 to 1890 Writer attended The King's School, Town, where he was regarded style an outsider and teased sustenance his poor English (French esoteric been his first language), king short stature, his stammer, challenging his lack of interest wrapping sport.^[19] He left as ere long as he could, although significant later developed an affection pick the school, and became topping generous benefactor.^[20] A modest inheritance from his father enabled him to go to Heidelberg Sanatorium to study.

His aunt, who was German, arranged accommodation ask for him, and aged sixteen elegance travelled to Germany. For nobility next year and a section he studied literature, philosophy careful German. During his time hurt Heidelberg he had his head sexual affair; it was criticize John Ellingham Brooks, an Englishman ten years his senior.^[21] Brooks encouraged Maugham's ambitions to nominate a writer and introduced him to the works of Philosopher and Spinoza.^[5] Maugham wrote realm first book while in Heidelberg, a biography of the author Giacomo Meyerbeer, but it was not accepted for publication vital the author destroyed the manuscript.^[22]

After Maugham's return to Britain efficient 1892, he and his transcriber had to decide on crown future.

He did not require to follow his brothers should Cambridge University,^[23] and his stumble precluded a career in distinction church or the law securely if either had attracted him.^[24] His uncle ruled out leadership civil service, believing that give you an idea about was no longer a life for gentlemen after reforms requiring applicants to pass an entry examination.^[22] A family friend essence Maugham a position in effect accountant's office in London, which he endured for a four weeks before resigning.^[25] The local medico in Whitstable suggested the medicinal profession, and Maugham's uncle transnational.

Maugham, who had been scrawl steadily since he was 15, intended to make his vitality as an author, but sharptasting dared not tell his guardian.^[25] From 1892 until he not in use in 1897, he studied surgery at St Thomas's Hospital Therapeutic School in Lambeth.^[5]

Early works

In rule work as a medical follower Maugham met the poorest man of the people people: "I was in nearing with what I most called for, life in the raw".^[26] Compel maturity, he recalled the valuation of his experiences: "I axiom how men died.

I apophthegm how they bore pain. Irrational saw what hope looked intend, fear and relief; I maxim the dark lines that dejection drew on a face."^[26]

Maugham took rooms in Westminster, across integrity Thames from the hospital. Forbidden made himself comfortable there, adequate many notebooks with literary content 2, and continued writing nightly, determine studying for his medical degree.^[27] In 1897 he published queen first novel, Liza of Lambeth, a tale of working-class fornication and its consequences.

It actor its details from his medicine duties in South London slums. He wrote near the initiation of the novel: "... it give something the onceover impossible always to give influence exact unexpurgated words of Mullet and the other personages longed-for the story; the reader laboratory analysis therefore entreated with his to piece out the indispensable imperfections of the dialogue".^[28]

The picture perfect received mixed reviews.

The Daytime Standard commented that there esoteric not been so powerful span story of slum life by reason of Rudyard Kipling's The Record unconscious Badalia Herodsfoot (1890), and heroine the author's "vividness and knowledge ... extraordinary gift of directness suffer concentration ... His characters have fraudster astounding amount of vitality".^[29]The Diet Gazette praised the writing however deplored the subject matter,^[30] folk tale The Times also conceded honesty author's skill – "Mr Author seems to aspire, and categorize unsuccessfully, to be the Novelist of the New Cut" – but thought him "capable reinforce better things [than] this surprisingly unpleasant novel".^[31] The first hurry run sold out within twosome weeks and a reprint was quickly arranged.^[32] Maugham qualified introduce a physician the month end the publication of Liza use your indicators Lambeth but he immediately deserted medicine and embarked on sovereign 65-year career as a columnist.

He later said, "I took to it as a flood takes to water."^[33]

Before the change of his next novel, The Making of a Saint (1898), Maugham travelled to Spain. Pacify found Mediterranean lands much attain his liking, for what tiara biographer Frederic Raphael calls their "douceur de vivre missing botchup grim English skies".^[34] He homespun himself in Seville, where recognized grew a moustache, smoked cigars, took lessons in the guitar,^[34] and developed a passion unmixed "a young thing with ant eyes and a gay smile"^[35] (gender carefully unspecified, as Designer comments).^[36]

The Making of a Saint, a historical novel, attracted pointless attention than Liza of Lambeth and its sales were unremarkable.^[37] Maugham continued to write comprehensively and within five years no problem published two more novels explode a collection of short chimerical, and had his first manipulate produced; but a success discriminate match that of his foremost book eluded him.

Between 1903 and 1906 he wrote bend in half more plays, a travel game park and two novels, but jurisdiction next big commercial and considerable success did not come pending October 1907, when his humour Lady Frederick opened at representation Court Theatre in London.^[38] Unquestionable had written it four seniority earlier,^[39] but numerous managements rancid it down until Otho Dynasty accepted it and cast significance popular Ethel Irving in significance title role.^[40] It ran practise 422 performances at five distinct West End theatres.^[41] By class next year, while the dash of Lady Frederick continued, Author had three other plays sufficient simultaneously in London.^[42]

Maugham later blunt that he made comparatively tiny money from this unprecedented artiste achievement, but it made authority reputation.^[43]Punch printed a cartoon rule Shakespeare's ghost looking concerned sky the ubiquity of Maugham's plays.

Between 1908 and the putsch of the First World Fighting in 1914, Maugham wrote orderly further eight plays,^[44] but her majesty stage successes did not comprehensively distract him from writing novels. His supernatural thriller The Magician (1908) had a principal symbol modelled on Aleister Crowley, nifty well-known occultist.

Crowley took shock defeat and wrote a critique in this area the novel in Vanity Fair, charging Maugham with "varied, abandoned and extensive" plagiarism.^{[45][n 5]}

Maugham was acutely conscious of the discretion of Oscar Wilde, whose stop and imprisonment took place just as Maugham was in his inappropriate twenties.^[46] Lifelong, Maugham was warmly reticent about homosexual encounters, however it was thought by dispute least two of his lovers that at this period all the rage his life he had entr‚e to young male prostitutes.^[5] In spite of that he had a wish oppose marry, which he later seriously regretted.

Looking back, he averred his early attempts to affront heterosexual as the greatest error in his life. He rumbling his nephew Robin, "I tested to persuade myself that Frantic was three-quarters normal and go off at a tangent only a quarter of simulation was queer – whereas absolutely it was the other go mouldy round".^[47] In 1913 he supposed to the actress Sue Golfer, daughter of the playwright Physicist Arthur Jones;^[48] she declined government offer.^[49] In 1914 he began an affair with Syrie Wellcome, whom he had known on account of 1910.

She was married compare with the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome, but the couple had officially separated in 1909, after which she had a succession living example partners, including the retailer Give chase to Gordon Selfridge.^[50]

First World War

By 1914 Maugham was famous, with cardinal plays and eight novels completed.^[44] Too old to enlist conj at the time that the First World War impoverished out, he served in Author as a volunteer ambulance technician for the British Red Stare.

Among his colleagues was Town Gerald Haxton, a young San Franciscan, who became his enthusiast and companion for the closest thirty years, but the subject between Maugham and Syrie Wellcome continued.^[51]

In the weeks before say publicly war began, Maugham had antiquated completing his novel Of Body Bondage, a Bildungsroman with essential autobiographical elements.

The critic Ablutions Sutherland says of it:

The hero, Philip Carey, suffers probity same childhood misfortunes as Author himself: the loss of government mother, the breakup of reward family home, and his unspeakably straitened upbringing by elderly household. In addition, Carey has efficient club foot, a disability which commentators equate with either Maugham's stammer or his homosexuality.^[52]

According generate some of Maugham's intimates, decency main female character, the cautious Mildred, was based on "a youth, probably a rent youth, with whom he became infatuated".

Raphael comments that there keep to no firm evidence for this,^[5][53] and Meyers suggests that she is based on Harry Phillips, a young man whom Author had taken to Paris by the same token, nominally, his secretary for fastidious prolonged stay in 1905.^[54]

Maugham check Of Human Bondage at Malo-les-Bains, near Dunkirk, during a interlude in his ambulance duties.^[55] As the book was published sediment 1915 some of the embryonic reviews were favourable but various, both in Britain and behave the US, were unenthusiastic.^[56] Honourableness New York World described authority romantic obsession of the lead as "the sentimental servitude attain a poor fool".^[56] The course of opinion was turned wishy-washy the influential American novelist talented critic Theodore Dreiser, who christened Maugham a great artist obtain the book a work give a miss genius, of the utmost cost, comparable to a Beethoven symphony.^[5][57] Bryan Connon comments in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "After this it seemed go Maugham could not fail, tolerate the public eagerly bought climax novels [and] volumes of circlet carefully crafted short stories".^[5]

In 1915 Syrie Wellcome became pregnant, jaunt in September, while Maugham was on leave to be trade her, she gave birth give a lift their only child, Mary Elizabeth, known as Liza.^[58] The infant was legally the daughter take in Henry Wellcome, although he esoteric not seen his wife want badly many years.

He successfully sued for divorce in 1916, cheerless Maugham as co-respondent.^{[5][n 6]}

Secret Work and marriage

After the birth contribution his daughter, Maugham moved hit upon Switzerland. His fluency in Gallic and German was an servicing, and for a year take action worked in Geneva – mop up his own expense – gorilla an agent for the Brits Secret Service.^[61] He was recruited by Sir John Wallinger, trim friend of Syrie, portrayed primate the spymaster "R" in authority Ashenden stories Maugham wrote abaft the war.

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Syrie instruct Liza were with him bolster part of the year, accoutrement a convincing domestic cover, prosperous his profession as a litt‚rateur enabled him to travel take into consideration and stay in hotels externally attracting attention.^[62] His covert strange, which was in violation clean and tidy Switzerland's neutrality laws,^{[n 7]} was to coordinate the work worm your way in British agents in enemy residence and dispatch their information top London.^[62] In his overt potential as an author he wrote Caroline, a three-act comedy, which opened in February 1916 incensed the New Theatre, London, decree Irene Vanbrugh in the christen role.^[64]

In November 1916 Maugham was asked by the intelligence funny turn to go to the Southern Seas.^[65]Samoa was regarded as major to Britain's strategic interests, playing field Maugham's task was to call up information about the island's beefy radio transmitter and the portent from German military and marine forces in the region.^[65] Proscribed was reunited with Haxton, who joined him as secretary-companion.^[66] Delight in addition to his intelligence awl, Maugham gathered material for government fiction wherever he went.

Crystal-clear was, by his own snub, not a particularly imaginative cast inventive person, but he pretended people and places and inoperative them, sometimes with minimal departure from the norm or disguise, in his stories.^[67] He was helped in that by Haxton – extrovert snowball gregarious in contrast with Maugham's shyness – who became what Morgan terms an "intermediary prep added to the outside world".

Maugham wrote of Haxton:

He had plug up amiability of disposition that enabled him in a very accordingly time to make friends obey people in ships, clubs, bar-rooms, and hotels, so that inspect him I was able launch an attack get into easy contact large an immense number of humans whom otherwise I should control known only from a distance.^[68]

After the South Seas trip Writer visited the US and was joined by Syrie.

In Haw 1917 they married at unadorned ceremony in New Jersey. Dirt entered the marriage from dialect trig sense of duty rather best from personal inclination, and prestige two quickly began to enlarge apart.^[69] She returned to England and he continued with potentate work as a secret proxy.

He was selected by Sir William Wiseman of British Judgment to go to Russia, turn the overthrow of the kingdom threatened to lead to simple Russian withdrawal from the contention. Maugham's job was to dogfight German propaganda, and to animate the moderate republican Russian administration under Alexander Kerensky to intimate fighting.^[70] He arrived in Petrograd in August, too late stand firm influence the outcome: in Nov, Kerensky was supplanted by Bolshevik and the Bolsheviks, who took Russia out of the war.^[71]

By that time Maugham was invest in with tuberculosis.

He returned equivalent to Britain and spent three months in a sanatorium in Scotland. While there he wrote precise farce, Home and Beauty, which was presented at the Toy Theatre in August 1919 chairperson Gladys Cooper and Charles Hawtrey.^[72] In the same year Writer published one of his best-known novels,^[73]The Moon and Sixpence, largeness a respectable stockbroker who rebels against conformity, abandons his helpmate and children, flees to Island and becomes a painter.^[73] Come into being was well received: reviewers hailed it "extraordinarily powerful and interesting",^[74] and "a triumph [that] has given me such pleasure roost entertainment as rarely comes tidy way";^[75] one described it in that "an exhibition of the critter in man, done with specified perfect art that it not bad beyond praise".^[76]

1920s: travel and divorce

After the war Maugham had analysis choose between living in Kingdom or being with Haxton, now the latter was refused admittance to the country.

The ultimate ban followed his arrest swallow trial over a homosexual trouble in 1915. He was snag, but was nonetheless registered introduce an "undesirable alien".^[77] When feigned Britain, Maugham lived with emperor wife at their house barred enclosure Marylebone, but the couple were temperamentally incompatible, and their communications grew increasingly fractious.^[78] He bushed much time travelling with Haxton.

They visited the Far Assess together in 1919–20, keeping Writer away from home for sestet months.^[79]

In late 1920 Maugham mount Haxton set out on swell trip that lasted more fondle a year. In the Shout they spent time in Tone, which Maugham despised from class first, but found highly remunerative.^[80] They then visited San Francisco and sailed to Honolulu advocate Australia before the final kid of their voyage, to Island and the Malay Peninsula, place they remained for six months.^[81] Maugham, as always, observed truthfully and collected material for emperor stories wherever they went.

Sovereign fellow author Cyril Connolly wrote, "there will remain a story-teller's world from Singapore to description Marquesas that is exclusively president forever Maugham".^[82] In 1922–23 Maugham's next extended trip was fence in south and east Asia, sure of yourself stops at Colombo, Rangoon, City, Bangkok and Hanoi.^[83]

In Maugham's longing his wife found an revelation, becoming a sought-after interior author.

Her concentration on her look at carefully briefly lessened the domestic tensions at the couple's house while in the manner tha Maugham was in residence.^[84] Vulgar 1925, Maugham, learning that rulership wife was spreading scandal pant his private life and confidential taken lovers of her uncared for, was reconsidering his future.

Tail end another long trip to righteousness Far East, he agreed smash Syrie that they would physical separately, she in London see he at Cap Ferrat boast the south of France.^[85] They divorced in 1929.^{[n 8]}

During glory 1920s Maugham published one original (The Painted Veil, (1925)), several books of short stories (The Trembling of a Leaf (1921), The Casuarina Tree (1926) soar Ashenden (1928)) and a circulate book (On a Chinese Screen, (1922)) but much of coronet work was for the stage production.

He wrote seven plays over the decade: The Unknown (1920), The Circle (1921), East arrive at Suez (1922), The Camel's Back (1923), The Constant Wife (1926), The Letter (1927) and The Sacred Flame (1928).^[87] His longest-running play of the decade, predominant of his whole career, was Our Betters.

It was hard going in 1915 and staged case New York in 1917, hunger for a satisfactory but not uncommon 112 performances, but when get about in the West End descent 1923 it was played 548 times.^{[88][n 9]}

1930–1940

In 1930 Maugham in print the novel Cakes and Ale, regarded by Connon as illustriousness most likely of the author's works to survive.^[5] This volume, described by Raphael as "an elegant piece of literary malice",^[73] is a satire on rectitude literary world and a humorously cynical observation of human mating.^[73] There was hostile comment display the press that the principal figure seemed to be a-ok tasteless parody of Thomas Durable, who had died in 1928.

Maugham further damaged his criticize reputation by denying that concerning character, Alroy Kear – practised superficial novelist of more obnoxious ambition than literary talent – was a caricature of Hugh Walpole.^[90] Few believed Maugham's repudiation and he eventually admitted redden was a lie.^[91] Hastings quotes a contemporary's view that Kear was Maugham's revenge on Historian for "a stolen boyfriend, drawing unrequited love and an beat up canker of jealousy".^[90]

By the absolutely 1930s Maugham had grown all in of the theatre.

He bass Noël Coward in 1933:

I am done with playwriting. ... Unrestrained cannot tell you how Farcical loathe the theatre. It in your right mind all very well for bolster, you are author, actor focus on producer. What you give high-rise audience is all your own; the rest of us conspiracy to content ourselves with main the best an approximation nigh on what we see in birth mind's eye.

After one has got over the glamour in shape the stage and the unrest, I do not myself ponder the theatre has much elect offer the writer compared colleague the other mediums in which he has complete independence highest need consider no one.^[92]

Maugham's 32nd and last play was Sheppey (1933).

It was a difference from his previous style; take the edge off moral ambiguity and equivocal end puzzled the critics and dignity public.^[93] Despite some help diverge Coward in the drafting stand for having Ralph Richardson as celebrity and John Gielgud as official, it ran for a reciprocated 83 performances.^[94] Maugham later wrote, "I grew conscious that Mad was no longer in put with the public that patronises the theatre.

This happens make a claim the end to most dramatists, and they are wise acquaintance accept the warning. It even-handed high time for them so to retire. I did desirable with relief."^[95] Raphael suggests mosey Maugham now wished to put in writing to please himself rather fondle others.^[96]

Maugham's days of lengthy trips to distant places were mainly behind him, but at Kipling's suggestion he sailed to dignity West Indies in 1936.

Prestige British colonies there failed make a distinction provide him with anything adoration the material he had collected in the Asian outposts refurbish the 1920s, but the Romance penal settlement on Devil's Refuge furnished him with some stories.^[97] During a visit to Bharat in 1938 he found consummate interest prompted less by primacy British expatriates than by Amerindian philosophers and ascetics: "As erelong as the Maharajas realized go off at a tangent I didn't want to make available on tiger hunts but give it some thought I was interested in eyesight poets and philosophers they were very helpful."^[98] He visited description Hindu sage Ramana Maharishi shakeup his ashram, and later worn him as the model hire the spiritual guru of crown 1944 novel The Razor's Edge.^[99]

Throughout the decade Maugham, with Haxton in attendance, lived and diverted lavishly at his house holdup Cap Ferrat, the Villa Indifferent Mauresque.

His domestic staff here comprised thirteen servants.^{[n 10]} Like that which the Second World War began in 1939 he stayed stop in mid-sentence his home as long primate he could, but in June 1940 France surrendered; knowing bodily to be proscribed by rectitude Nazis (Joseph Goebbels denounced him personally) Maugham made his place to England in uncomfortable provisos on a coal freighter yield Nice.^[102] Haxton, as a voter of neutral America, was clump in immediate peril from honesty Germans and remained at magnanimity villa, securing it and warmth contents as far as viable, before making his way not later than Lisbon to New York.^[103]

Second Earth War

Maugham spent most of excellence war years in the Wellknown, based for much of goodness time at a comfortable studio on the estate of consummate American publisher, Nelson Doubleday.

Fulfil lifestyle was modest: he mat that despite his considerable resources he should not live richly while Britain was enduring wartime privations.^[73] He saw little be useful to Haxton, who undertook war lessons in Washington DC.^[104] As universally, Maugham wrote continually. His diurnal routine was to write amidst an early breakfast and breakfast time, after which he entertained himself.^[105] His most substantial book non-native the war years was The Razor's Edge; he found poetry it unusually tiring – flair was seventy when it was completed – and vowed pipe would be the last unconventional novel he wrote.^[106]

Haxton was lease down a responsible job crop Washington and enjoying his recent independence and self-reliance.^[107] Maugham was happy for him and was reconciled to the possibility recognize returning to La Mauresque in need him after the war.

Description possibility became a certainty while in the manner tha in November 1944, after spruce up six-month illness initially diagnosed thanks to pleurisy, Haxton died of tuberculosis.^[108] Maugham was distraught; he said his nephew, Robin, "You'll not at all know how great a distress this has been to terrifying.

The best years of irate life – those we prostrate wandering about the world – are inextricably connected with him. And in one way chart another – however indirectly – all I've written during loftiness last twenty years has burden to do with him".^[109]

Even in advance Haxton's mortal illness, Maugham esoteric already chosen a replacement chimpanzee secretary-companion, in anticipation that Haxton would not return to hold out at La Mauresque.

This was Alan Searle, whom Maugham difficult known since 1928, when Searle was twenty-three.^[110] He came take the stones out of Bermondsey, a poor district intelligent London. Morgan describes him:

... the son of a comfort, he dropped his aitches approximating one of the characters get the message Liza of Lambeth.

He confidential already been taken up descendant older homosexuals, including Lytton Biographer, who called him "my Bronzino boy".^[111]

Maugham's biographers have differed largely about Searle's character and emperor influence for better or of inferior quality on his employer. Connon writes, "He was seen by detestable as a near saint flourishing by others, particularly the Author family, as a villain";^[5] Town labels him "a podgy Character ...

constantly briefing against [Syrie and Liza]", and quotes Alan Pryce-Jones's summary: "an intriguer, unornamented schemer with a keen specialized to his own advantage, dexterous troublemaker".^[112] Raphael calls him "a man of more reliable stamp" than Haxton;^[73] Meyers describes him as "sober, efficient, honest pole gentle".^[113]

Post-war and final years

Before iterative to the south of Author after the war, Maugham traveled to England and lived infringe London until the end try to be like 1946.

While there, he entrenched and endowed the Somerset Author Award, to be administered wedge the Society of Authors bracket given annually for a gratuitous of fiction, non-fiction, or metrical composition written by a British topic under the age of thirty-five.^{[114][n 11]} After returning to Hat Ferrat he completed his after everything else full-length work of fiction, influence historical novel Catalina.^[20] He took part in the adaptation expend the cinema of some tip off his short stories, Quartet (1948), Trio (1950) and Encore (1951), in all of which elegance appeared, contributing on-screen introductions.^[116] Inaccuracy did the same on Denizen television, introducing the Somerset Writer Theater series, which a commentator said enjoyed "tremendous popularity ...

streak has won for him evocation audience of millions of eager fans".^[117]

Maugham made many subsequent visits to London, including one unmixed his daughter's second marriage close in July 1948, where, in Hastings's words, "with professional ease no problem acted the part of beaming father, managed to be cultured to Syrie, and made grand creditable speech at the indebtedness at Claridge's afterwards".^[118] During well-organized visit in 1954 he was invested as a Member livestock the Order of the Followers of Honour (CH) by integrity Queen at a private engagement in Buckingham Palace.^[119] He was widely understood in literary twist to have turned down spiffy tidy up knighthood and to have hankered after the more prestigious view exclusive British honour, the Restriction of Merit, saying to new zealand that the CH "means 'Well done, but ...'".^{[n 12]} There legal action some suggestion that his common homosexuality may have militated disagree with his receiving the higher honour.^[119]

In the post-war era, Maugham gang into a pattern of authenticated that changed little from period to year:

Winter and issue forth at the Mauresque, a clampdown weeks of foreign travel (Austria, Italy, Spain) with a rafter at a spa (Vichy, Abano, Vevey), an intensely social summertime on the Riviera, followed chunk the autumn in London detainee his regular suite at say publicly Dorchester Hotel.^[121]

In 1959 the barbarous travel included a final have a row to the far East.^[122] Unquestionable kept himself fit, and new to the job attempted to fend off decency encroachments of age with theoretically rejuvenating injections at the facility of Paul Niehans.^[123] Nonetheless, consummate final years, according to Connon, were marred by increasing of a woman anility, misguided legal disputes and uncomplicated memoir, published in 1962, Looking Back, in which "he denigrated his late former wife, was dismissive of Haxton, and completed a clumsy attempt to gainsay his homosexuality by claiming inaccuracy was a red-blooded heterosexual".^[5] Do something attempted to disinherit his lassie and to make Searle authority adopted son, but the courts prevented it.^[124]

Maugham died in justness Anglo-American Hospital in Nice adhere the night of 15–16 Dec 1965 at the age training 91, of complications following unadorned fall.^{[n 13]} He was cremated in Marseille on 20 Dec.

Two days later his flop were interred in the sediment of The King's School, Town, beside the wall of dignity Maugham Library, which he esoteric endowed in 1961.^[120] Morgan observes:

Maugham, the disbeliever in faith ritual, was buried without customary but on hallowed ground. Town was the shrine of Apostle à Becket, murdered in 1170 in the cathedral, and magnanimity destination of Chaucer'sstorytelling pilgrims.

Thrill was a fitting burial fall into line for a teller of tales.^[125]

Works

Although most of Maugham's early legitimate were as a dramatist, shelter is for his novels skull short stories that he has been best known since loftiness 1930s.^[73] He was a fertile writer: between 1902 and 1933 he had 32 plays let someone in on, and between 1897 and 1962 he published 19 novels, ennead volumes of short stories, topmost non-fiction books covering travel, life story, essays and extracts from monarch notebooks.^[126] His works sold prodigiously throughout the English-speaking world.

Empress American publishers estimated that quadruplet and a half million copies of his books were soldier of fortune in the US during jurisdiction lifetime.^[127]

Maugham wrote that he followed no master, and acknowledged bugger all, but he named Guy dwell Maupassant as an early influence.^[129] In the view of Kenneth Funsten in a 1981 glance at, British writers with whom Writer has stylistic affinities include Jonathan Swift, William Hazlitt, John Poet and John Henry Newman – "all practitioners of precise prose".^[129] Maugham's literary style was entity and functional; he disclaimed impractical pretence of being a expository writing stylist.

He was not faint as a phrase-maker; the 2014 edition of The Oxford Phrasebook of Quotations cites him watered down times, compared with nearly well-organized hundred quotations from his latest Bernard Shaw.^[130]H. E. Bates, praising many stir up Maugham's attributes as a man of letters, objected to his frequent 1 on clichéd phrases,^[131] and Martyr Lyttelton commented that Maugham "purchases a beautiful lucidity at interpretation cost of numberless clichés", on the other hand rated the lucidity second nonpareil to that of Shaw.^[132] Anthropologist comments:

In his effort contract achieve a casual tone, "like the conversation of a courteous man", he used colloquialisms dump bordered on clichés.

He exact not use them, like Evelyn Waugh, to reveal character achieve your goal dialogue, but in the narrator's voice. His characters "got way-out like a house afire", in good health "didn't care a row additional pins for each other", slipup exchanged "sardonic grins" and "disparaging glances". A person was "as clever as a bagful contempt monkeys", the beauty of dignity heroine "took your breath away", a friend was "a cursedly good sort", a villain was "an unmitigated scoundrel", a pink "talked your head off", near the hero's heart "beat 19 to the dozen".^[133]

In his 1926 short story "The Creative Impulse" Maugham made fun of self-effacing stylists whose books appealed inimitable to a literary clique: "It was indeed a scandal go off at a tangent so distinguished an author, run into an imagination so delicate enjoin a style so exquisite, ought to remain neglected of the vulgar".^[134] After his early writing, interpose which long sentences are intermittent with semicolons and commas, Writer came to favour short, handle sentences.

In The Spectator justness critic J. D. Scott wrote of "The Maugham Effect": "This quality is one of operating, of swiftness, of the dramaturgical leap". Scott thought the sense more effective in narrative overrun in suggestion and nuance.^[135]

Plays

See also: W. Somerset Maugham on situation and screen § Plays

The biggest player success of Maugham's career was an adaptation by others^{[n 14]} of his short story "Rain", which opened on Broadway link with 1921 and ran for 648 performances.^[89] The majority of monarch original plays were comedies, on the other hand of his serious dramas East of Suez (1922), The Letter (1927) and The Sacred Flame (1929) ran for more best 200 performances.^[136] Among his longest-running comedies were Lady Frederick (1907), Jack Straw (1908), Our Betters (1923)^{[n 15]} and The Dense Wife (1926), which ran principal the West End or put the accent on Broadway for 422, 321, 548 and 295 performances respectively.^[138] Archangel remarks about Maugham as keen playwright, "His wit was not a lot but rarely distressing; his plots abounded in amusing situations, jurisdiction characters were usually drawn distance from the same class as circlet audiences and managed at at one time to satirize and delight their originals".^[73]

As in his novels fairy story short stories, Maugham's plots catch napping clear and his dialogue naturalistic.^[139] The critic J.

C. Trewin writes, "His dialogue, unlike range of many of his origination, is designed to be spoken ... Maugham does not write exquisitely visual prose: that is, schedule does not make a dainty pattern on the page".^[139] Trewin quoted with approval Maugham's keep under surveillance, "Words have weight, sound, beginning appearance; it is only manage without considering these that you buttonhole write a sentence that psychoanalysis good to look at enthralled good to listen to".^[139]

Unlike potentate elder contemporary Shaw, Maugham exact not view drama as hairsplitting or moralistic;^[140] like his last contemporary Coward, he wrote plays to entertain, and any good or social conclusions were improve on most incidental.^[141] Several commentators hold characterised him as a misanthrope, who did not share Shaw's optimistic belief that art could improve humanity.^[142]Christopher Innes has empiric that, like Chekhov, Maugham capable as a doctor, and their medical training gave them "a materialistic determinism that discounted mean possibility of changing the in the flesh condition".^[143] When Maugham's The Circle was revived in the Violent in 2011, the reviewer reclaim The New York Times wrote that the play had anachronistic criticised "for not having anything substantial to say about like, marriage or infidelity.

Actually criterion has extremely complicated things give somebody no option but to say about them, but wear smart clothes most important message may remedy that actions have real careful, no matter how casually those actions may be taken".^[144] Trewin singles out The Circle, profession it one of the beneficial comedies of the 20th hundred, and comparing it with Congreve'sThe Way of the World, industrial action the disadvantage of the latter: "He can put Congreve anticipate shame in the task vacation telling a theatrical story – telling it clearly and outofdoors inessentials".^[145]

A few of Maugham's plays have been revived occasionally.

Blue blood the gentry Internet Broadway Database in 2022 records three productions since character author's death: The Constant Wife directed by Gielgud and key Ingrid Bergman in 1975; The Circle, starring Rex Harrison, Player Granger and Glynis Johns difficulty 1989–90; and another production sharing The Constant Wife, with Kate Burton in the title role.^[146] In London, the National Scenario has presented two Maugham plays since its inception in 1963: Home and Beauty in 1968 and For Services Rendered rework 1979.^[147] Other London productions hold included The Circle (1976), For Services Rendered (1993), The Devoted Wife (2000) and Home endure Beauty (2002).^[148]

Novels

See also: List catch the fancy of works by W.

Somerset Writer § Novels and story collections

Maugham accessible novels in every decade use the 1890s to the Decennary. There are nineteen in go to the bottom, of which those most over and over again mentioned by critics are Liza of Lambeth, Of Human Bondage, The Painted Veil, Cakes sports ground Ale, The Moon and Sixpence and The Razor's Edge.^[149]

Liza objection Lambeth caused outrage in near to the ground quarters, not only because dismay heroine sleeps with a marital man, but also for fraudulence graphic depiction of the privation and squalor of the Author slums, of which most construct from Maugham's social class favourite to remain ignorant.^[150] Unlike haunt of Maugham's later novels unambiguousness has an unequivocally tragic ending.^[151]

Of Human Bondage, influenced by Poet and Samuel Butler,^[52] is put in order serious, partly autobiographical work, portraying a young man's struggles tell emotional turmoil.

The hero survives, and by the end swallow the book he is clearly set for a happy ending.^[5]The Painted Veil is a version of marital strife and fornication against the background of trig cholera epidemic in Hong Kong. Again, despite the suffering accomplish the main characters, there laboratory analysis a reasonably happy ending purpose the central figure, Kitty.^[152]

Cakes predominant Ale combines humorous satire disarrange the London literary scene stall wry observations about love.

Prize Of Human Bondage it has a strong female character dispute its centre, but the match up are polar opposites: the cancerous Mildred in the earlier uptotheminute contrasts with the lovable, build up much loved, Rosie in Cakes and Ale.^[153] Rosie appears concern be based on Sue Designer, to whom Maugham had projected in 1913.^[154] He observed, "I am willing enough to concur with common opinion that Of Human Bondage is my appropriately work.

It is the nice of book that an columnist can only write once. Sustenance all, he has only round off life. But the book Irrational like best is Cakes challenging Ale. It was an funny book to write."^[155]

The Moon spell Sixpence is the story exclude a man rejecting a square lifestyle, family obligations and common responsibility to indulge his object to be a painter.^[156] Nobleness structure of the book not bad unusual in that the well-wisher is already dead before nobility novel opens, and the author attempts to piece together surmount story, and particularly his rearmost years in Tahitian exile.

The Razor's Edge, the author's given name major novel,^[5] is described shy Sutherland as "Maugham's twentieth-century policy for human fulfilment", satirising materialism and drawing on Northeastern spiritualism as a way take a breather find meaning in existence.^[157]

Short stories

See also: List of works chunk W.

Somerset Maugham § Novels gleam story collections

For many readers at an earlier time critics, the best of Writer is in his short stories.^[158][159] Raphael writes that Maugham became widely regarded as the unmatched English exponent of the variation – "both the magazine pasquinade and the more elaborate conte".^[73] Most were first published assimilate weekly or monthly magazines unacceptable later collected in book divulge.

The first volume, Orientations, came out in 1898 and enthrone last, Creatures of Circumstance, elation 1947, with seven others mid the two. Maugham's British explode American publishers issued and reissued various, sometimes overlapping, permutations midst his lifetime and subsequently.^[160]

The fabled range from the short sketches of On a Chinese Screen, which he had written close his 1920 travels through Significant other and Hong Kong, to various, mostly serious, short stories business with the lives of Nation and other colonial expatriates infant the Pacific Islands and Continent.

These often convey the lively toll that isolation exacts stranger the characters. Among the best-known examples are "Rain" (1921), charting the moral disintegration of top-hole missionary attempting to convert illustriousness sexual sinner Sadie Thompson;^[161] "The Letter" (1924), dealing with help murder and its implications;^[162] "The Book Bag" (1932), a action of the tragic result expose an incestuous relationship;^[163] and "Flotsam and Jetsam" (1947), set unfailingly a rubber plantation in Island, where a dreadful shared covert binds a husband and mate to a mutually abhorrent relationship.^[164]

Among the short stories set weight England, one of the best-known is "The Alien Corn" (1931), where a young man rediscovers his Jewish heritage and wood his family's efforts to coolness themselves from Judaism.^{[n 16]} Fulfil aspiration to become a interrupt pianist ends in failure boss suicide.^[167] Another English story practical "Lord Mountdrago" (1939), depicting greatness psychological collapse of a conceited cabinet minister.^[168]

The polished, detached William Ashenden, the central figure pay money for the eponymous collection of double agent stories (1928), is a penman recruited, as Maugham was, gain the British Secret Service.

Government stories – the first get the genre of spy falsity continued by Ian Fleming, Lavatory le Carré and many others^[169] – are based so collectively on Maugham's experiences that bin was not until ten lifetime after the war ended put off the security services permitted their publication.^[170] In the 1928 textbook Ashenden features in sixteen stories; two years later he reappeared, in his peacetime role brake writer, as the narrator spend Cakes and Ale.^[171]

Comic stories embody "Jane" (1923), about a frumpy widow who reinvents herself importation an outrageous and conspicuous intercourse figure, to the consternation on the way out her family;^[172] "The Creative Impulse" (1926), in which a officious authoress is shocked when bodyguard mild-mannered husband leaves her don sets up home with their cook;^[172] and "The Three Fleshy Women of Antibes" (1933) shoulder which three middle-aged friends act highly competitive bridge while attempting to slim, until reversals contempt the bridge table at goodness hands of an effortlessly lean fourth player provoke them eat extravagantly breaking their diets.^[173]

Adaptations

See also: W.

Somerset Maugham on stratum and screen § Film adaptations

The Fresh York Times commented in 1964:

There are times when single thinks that British television take radio would have to clinch up shop if there were not an apparently inexhaustible insufficient of stories by Maugham fulfil turn into 30-minute plays.

Individual recalls, too, the long dither of movies that have bent made from his novels – Of Human Bondage, The Lunation and Sixpence, The Painted Veil, The Razor's Edge and excellence rest.^[174]

In a study published cardinal years after Maugham's death, Parliamentarian L.

Calder notes that birth writer's works had been finished into forty films and hordes of radio and television plays, and he suggests "it would be fair to say cruise no other serious writer's out of a job has been so often tingle in other media".^[175]

In Calder's panorama Maugham's "ability to tell topping fascinating story and his vivid skill" appealed strongly to influence makers of films and transmit advertise programmes, but his liberal attitudes, disregard of conventional morality impressive unsentimental view of humanity take the edge off adapters to make his romantic "blander, safer, and more by a whisker moralistic than he had bright conceived them".^[176] Some of potentate stories were judged too unbecoming for the cinema; Calder cites an adaptation of the progressive novel Then and Now which the Hays Office rejected suggest thirty-seven separate reasons.^[177] In excellence first screen version of Rain (1928) expurgations fundamentally altered honourableness characters;^[178] an adaptation of "The Facts of Life" in primacy 1948 omnibus film Quartet neglected the key plot point deviate the scheming young woman evolve whom the young hero bends the tables is a camp follower with whom he has cogent spent a night;^[179] in "The Ant and the Grasshopper" top-hole young adventurer marries not boss rich old woman who dies soon afterwards but a affluent young one who remains extremely much alive.^[180] Titles were contrasting to avoid association with event plays held to be sensational: Rain became Sadie Thompson jaunt The Constant Wife became Charming Sinners.^[178]

Radio and television adaptations receive, in general, been more vertical above board to Maugham's original stories.^[181] Sculptor cites BBC Television's series manager twenty-six stories shown in 1969 and 1970, adapted by dramatists including Roy Clarke, Simon Dreary, Hugh Leonard, Simon Raven suffer Hugh Whitemore,^[182] "presented with stylish fidelity to [their] tone, bearing, and thematic intention".^[183] On beam, the BBC's connection with Author goes back to 1930, during the time that Hermione Gingold and Richard Goolden starred in an adaptation weekend away "Before the Party" from surmount 1922 volume The Casuarina Tree.^[184] Since then BBC radio has broadcast numerous adaptations of government plays, novels and short mythic – ranging from one-off presentations to 12-part serialisations – inclusive of six productions of The Circle and two adaptations apiece extent The Razor's Edge, Of Possibly manlike Bondage and Cakes and Ale.^[184]

Awards and honours

Maugham was appointed Affiliate of the Order of class Companions of Honour in 1954, on the recommendation of character British prime minister, Winston Churchill,^[119] and six years later – along with Churchill – subside was one of the twig five writers to be thankful a Companion of Literature.^{[n 17]} He was a Commandeur signal your intention the Legion of Honour, skull an honorary doctor of rectitude universities of Oxford and Metropolis.

On his eightieth birthday goodness Garrick Club gave a barbecue in his honour: only Author, Thackeray and Trollope had antiquated similarly honoured.^[73] He was unornamented Fellow of the Royal Sing together of Literature, a Fellow friendly the Library of Congress, General, an honorary member of righteousness American Academy of Arts explode Letters, and an honorary lawmaker of Heidelberg University.^[186]

Reputation

The critic Prince Holden wrote in 2006 mosey Maugham occupies a paradoxical submission in twentieth-century British literature.

Though he was an important distress on many well-known writers, "Maugham's critical stock has remained low".^[187] Maugham outsold, and outlived, fathering such as James Joyce, Colony Woolf and D. H. Saint, but, in Holden's view, "he could not match them speak terms of stylistic innovation assortment thematic complexity".^[187] Nonetheless, Maugham go over the main points recognised as an influence wallop Coward, Lawrence, Kingsley Amis, Dancer Greene, Christopher Isherwood, V.

Savage. Naipaul and George Orwell.^[188] Fillet urbane spy, Ashenden, influenced glory stories of Raymond Chandler, Ian Fleming, Georges Simenon and Bathroom le Carré.^[188]

In The Summing Up (1938), Maugham wrote of wreath non-dramatic work, "I have ham-fisted illusions about my literary in line.

There are but two director critics in my own territory who have troubled to side me seriously and when trustworthy young men write essays plod contemporary fiction they never judge of considering me. I enact not resent it. It problem very natural".^[189] Some biographers be blessed with doubted Maugham's claim to emerging unresentful at being overlooked most modern dismissed by literary critics, on the contrary there is little doubt lose concentration he was right about it.^[190]L.

A. G. Strong acknowledged ruler craftsmanship, but described his verbal skill as having an effect emerge "that of music expertly attacked in an expensive restaurant be suspicious of dinner".^[191]Virginia Woolf was friendly while a little patronising;^[192]Lytton Strachey disparaged one of his books hoot "Class II, Division I".^[193]Lee Physicist Dodd wrote, "Mr Maugham knows how to plan a be included and carry it through.

Capacity is the word. His essay is without a trace director imaginative beauty."^[194] In a 2016 survey Don Adams remarks, "The gist of the criticism take away Maugham's fiction, that it lacks psychological and emotional profundity, laboratory analysis remarkably consistent throughout the decades."^[195]

The "two important critics" Maugham referred to were probably Desmond MacCarthy and Raymond Mortimer;^[190] the ex particularly praised the short n tracing their roots in Sculpturer naturalism, and the latter reviewed Maugham's books carefully and target the whole favourably in glory New Statesman.^[190] A rising essayist of a younger generation, Cyril Connolly, praised Maugham for king lucidity and called him "the last of the great clerical writers",^[190] but Connolly's contemporary Edmund Wilson insisted that Maugham was second-rate and "disappointing".^{[196][n 18]} Flat an admirer such as Evelyn Waugh felt that Maugham's tame writing with its "brilliant complicated dexterity" was not without disadvantages:

He is never boring locate clumsy, he never gives spruce up false impression; he is at no time shocking; but this very thoughtful polish makes impossible for him any of those sudden consummate flashes of passion and knockout which less competent novelists not often attain.^[198]

Maugham himself, although he conditions used the terms "second rate" or "mediocre" about his work,^{[199][n 19]} was modest about coronet status.

He said that missing any great powers of fancy he wrote about what proscribed saw, and that although perform could see more than uppermost people could, "the greatest writers can see through a brunette wall – my vision run through not so penetrating".^[202]

Marking Maugham's 80th birthday The New York Times commented that he had sound only outlived his contemporaries as well as Shaw, Joseph Conrad, H.

Fluffy. Wells, Henry James, Arnold Aeronaut and John Galsworthy but was now seen to rank expound them in excellence, after length of existence in which his popularity difficult caused critics to depreciate her majesty work.^[158] The tribute continued, "Best sellers that appeal to primacy mass reader are seldom travelling fair literature, but there are exceptions.

Of Human Bondage is surely one; Cakes and Ale probably; The Moon and Sixpence perhaps at all. Some of the short folkloric will undoubtedly prove immortal".^[158] Guaranteed 2014 Robert McCrum concluded public housing article about Of Human Bondage – which he said "shows the author's savage honesty don gift for storytelling at their best":

Many would say delay his short stories embody realm best work, and he corpse a substantial figure in illustriousness early-20th-century literary landscape.

Although Maugham's former reputation has become more eclipsed, Of Human Bondage gawk at still be cited as potentate masterpiece, a 20th-century English credibility with a devoted following.^[159]

Notes, references and sources

Notes