somerset maugham biography

One of Maugham's friends, describing the difference between Haxton and Searle, said simply: "Gerald was vintage, Alan was vin ordinaire. In 1938, he visited the Hindu sage Ramana Maharishi at his ashram in India, after whom he modeled the spiritual guru of his 1944 novel The Razor's Edge.[39][40]. I once had the book in my hands, a handsome volume bound in calf, but I never read it and I have not been able to get hold of a copy since. In … His grandfather, another Robert, was a prominent lawyer and co-founder of the Law Society of England and Wales. In order to break all ties he claimed Liza was not his biological daughter and he adopted Searle as his son and heir, but the adoption was annulled. W. Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. In order not to hurt their feelings, I have often acted a passion I did not feel."[12]. By 1914, Maugham was famous, with 10 plays produced and 10 novels published. The marriage was unhappy, and the couple separated. The story begins through the eyes of Larry's friends and acquaintances as they witness his personality change after the War. W. Somerset Maugham Biography W. Somerset Maugham is beloved by Hollywood. and as homosexual. For a public man of Maugham's generation, being openly gay was impossible. Born in Paris, he was the sixth and youngest son … Maugham was orphaned at the age of 10; he was … This was the first of his journeys through the late-Imperial world of the 1920s and 1930s that inspired his novels. Liza and her husband Lord Glendevon contested the change in Maugham's will in the French courts, and it was overturned. He traveled in Spain and Italy and in 1908 achieved a theatrical triumph—four plays running in London at once—that brought him financial security. He continued to be highly productive, writing plays, short stories, novels, essays and travel books. Maugham returned to Britain from his ambulance unit duties in order to promote Of Human Bondage. W. Somerset Maugham, an eminent British playwright, novelist and short story writer is better known as a master of short and concise novels. "[13], Liza of Lambeth's first print run sold out in a matter of weeks. 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. He proofread Of Human Bondage at a location near Dunkirk during a lull in his ambulance duties. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. Jolyon Toby Dennis Maugham QC (/ m ɔː m /; born 1 July 1971) is a British barrister. Among his short stories, some of the most memorable are those dealing with the lives of Western, mostly British, colonists in the Pacific Islands and Asia. His passionate semi-autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage (1915) is probably his most famous work.. Somerset Maugham’s parents both died before he turned 11, and he was raised by his uncle, the Vicar of Kent. Share with your friends. William Somerset Maugham was born on January 25, 1874, in the British Embassy in Paris, France. Somerset Maugham was the master of the short, concise novel and he could convey relationships, greed and ambition with a startling reality. W. Somerset Maugham : … This was a collection of 58 ultra-short story sketches, which he had written during his 1920 travels through China and Hong Kong, intending to expand the sketches later as a book. Word Count: 2303. A life in letters: W Somerset Maugham Born 25 January 1874 in Paris. In this context, his plain prose style was criticised as "such a tissue of clichés that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way".[50]. Maugham's homosexual leanings shaped his fiction, in two ways. [citation needed] The boy attended The King's School, Canterbury, which was also difficult for him. William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. View the list When I'm good, I'm very good. William Somerset Maugham Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family William Somerset Maugham CH (/ˈmɔːm/ MAWM; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. “ – Gore Vidal’s review in … W. Somerset Maugham: Quotes Conformity It is not difficult to be unconventional in the eyes of the world when your unconventionality is but the convention of your set. Philip's clubfoot causes him endless self-consciousness and embarrassment, echoing Maugham's struggles with his stutter and, as his biographer Ted Morgan notes, his homosexuality.[57]. His passionate semi-autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage (1915) is probably his most famous work.. Somerset Maugham’s parents both died before he turned 11, and he was raised by his uncle, the Vicar of Kent. [20] Henry Wellcome sued his wife for divorce, naming Maugham as co-respondent.[21]. Hi ferlus sin äälern ääder an wurd faan san unkel aptaanjen. The story's themes of Eastern mysticism and war-weariness struck a chord with readers during the Second World War. He attended King’s School in Canterbury. He worked for the service in Switzerland and Russia before the October Revolution of 1917 in the Russian Empire. [30] He said that "the evidence adduced to prove the truth of one religion is of very much the same sort as that adduced to prove the truth of another. Maugham had begun collecting theatrical paintings before the First World War; he continued to the point where his collection was second only to that of the Garrick Club. This changed in 1907 with the success of his play Lady Frederick. Mivel a francia törvény szerint mindenkit, aki Franciaországban született, besorolhattak katonai szolgálatra, elrendezte, hogy Somerset a követségen lásson napvilágot, tehát technikailag brit talajon. He is made up of a dozen people and the greater part of him is myself"—yet in an introduction written for the 1950 Modern Library edition of the work, he plainly states that Walpole was the inspiration for Kear (while denying that Thomas Hardy was the inspiration for the novelist Driffield). Naipaul, Kingsley Amis, Martin Amis and Thom Gunn. 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. W. Somerset Maugham Biography. Both Maugham's parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. During World War I he worked as a secret agent. One of very few later writers to praise his influence was Anthony Burgess, who included a complex fictional portrait of Maugham in the novel Earthly Powers. Since he tended to see attractive women as sexual rivals, he often gave the women of his fiction sexual needs and appetites, which was unusual for authors of his time. 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. 3.7 out of 5 stars9 ratings. With that completed, he was eager to assist the war effort again. They changed their daughter's surname, originally registered as Wellcome and reflecting Syrie's marriage. Jeffrey Meyers' Somerset Maugham: A Life is an insightful and interesting exposition of Somerset Maugham: the man. Whether his own orientation disgusted him (as it did many at a time when homosexuality was widely considered a moral failing as well as illegal) or whether he was trying to disguise his leanings, Maugham wrote disparagingly of the gay artist. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). W. Somerset Maugham is the 232nd most popular writer (up from 233rd in 2019), the 270th most popular biography from France (down from 262nd in 2019) and the 44th most popular French Writer. [7] The early death of his mother left Maugham traumatized. [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). William Somerset Maugham, better known as W. Somerset Maugham, was born on January 25, 1874, Paris, France. In 1897, he published his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, a tale of working-class adultery and its consequences. He wis amang the maist popular writers ofhis era an reputitly the heichest-paid author during the 1930s. He was teased for his bad English (French had been his first language) and his short stature, which he inherited from his father. Spouse/Ex: Syrie Maugham (m. 1917–1929) Children: Mary Elizabeth Maugham (1915–1998) Early Life. If everything you see is rooted … 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. Haxton appears as Tony Paxton in Maugham's 1917 play, (Her birth name is recorded as Mary Elizabeth Wellcome in the immigration and naturalization files of, sfn error: no target: CITEREFMeyers2010 (, “I remain an agnostic, and the practical outcome of agnosticism is that you act as though God did not exist,” Maugham wrote in his memoir, "In The Summing Up (1938) and A Writer's Notebook (1949) Maugham explains his philosophy of life as a resigned, “I'm glad I don't believe in God. Yet, despite his triumphs, he never attracted the highest respect from the critics or his peers. He wrote in 1938: "Fact and fiction are so intermingled in my work that now, looking back on it, I can hardly distinguish one from the other. I find the notion of future punishment outrageous and of future reward extravagant. During this time he met Frederick Gerald Haxton, a young San Franciscan, who became his companion and lover until Haxton's death in 1944. Of Human Bondage seems all the richer in the light of Somerset Maugham's own life experience. However, W. Somerset Maugham's life wasn't always glorious. Mini Bio (1) 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. W. Somerset Maugham : … [55][56], Maugham's masterpiece is generally agreed to be Of Human Bondage, a semi-autobiographical novel that deals with the life of the main character Philip Carey, who, like Maugham, was orphaned, and brought up by his pious uncle. His first novel Liza of Lambeth (1897) sold out so rapidly that Maugham gave up medicine to write full-time. His uniqueness inspired several other writers like Ian Fleming and George Orwell. He became an orphan at the age of 10 and returned to England where he would be raised by his uncle. They typically express the emotional toll the colonists bear by their isolation. He was among the most popular writers of his era … In maturity, he recalled the value of his experience as a medical student: "I saw how men died. William Somerset Maugham (January 25, 1874 – December 16, 1965) was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. William Somerset Maugham was born of English … Maugham apja, Robert Ormond Maugham, a párizsi angol követségen dolgozott, mint ügyvéd. "[31], Maugham did not believe in God or an afterlife. At last, the fascinating truth is revealed in a landmark biography by the award-winning writer Selina Hastings. Ted Morgan. [8] Two years after Edith's death, Maugham's father died in France of cancer. His review gave the book a lift, and it has never been out of print since.[18]. [citation needed] He did not want to become a lawyer like other men in his family, so he trained and qualified as a physician. Since he tended to see attractive women as sexual rivals, he often gave the women of his fiction sexual needs and appetites, which was unusual for authors of his time. This ability is sometimes reflected in Maugham's literary characters. He was a jocular character, always engaging but could be mischievous. His uncle rejected the Civil Service, believing that it was no longer a career for gentlemen after a new law requiring applicants to pass an entrance examination. W. Somerset Maugham was a prolific and popular writer of plays, novels and short stories during the first six decades of the 20th century. Maugham was the fourth of six sons born in his family. 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. William Somerset Maugham. After losing both his parents by the age of 10, Maugham was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Venkataramiah, Munagala, 15 October 1938, This page was last edited on 2 January 2021, at 23:01. In May 1917, following the decree absolute, Syrie Wellcome and Maugham were married. 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." Notable winners include V.S. Maugham's homosexual leanings shaped his fiction, in two ways. In 1874, he was born into a middle-class family in France and was the youngest of four boys. Maugham’s plays, mainly Edwardian social comedies, soon became dated, but his short stories have increased in popularity. W. Somerset Maugham Quotes. [35] Two and a half months later, the Bolsheviks took control. There is no grave for Maugham. Maugham's father and three older brothers were distinguished lawyers, but Maugham was not interested in this profession. Maugham publicly disowned her; by that time his mental health had deteriorated and been brought into question by his family. W. Somerset Maugham (25 Januarie 1874 – 16 Desember 1965) was 'n Engelse skrywer van romans, toneelstukke en kortverhale.Of human bondage (1915) en The razor's edge (1944) behoort tot sy beste werke.. William Somerset Maugham is op 25 Januarie 1874 in Parys gebore, waar sy vader aan die Britse ambassade verbande was. A life in letters: W Somerset Maugham Born 25 January 1874 in Paris. Table of Contents: Novels: Liza of Lambeth (1897) The Making of a Saint (1898) This ancient arabic tale was retold by William Somerset Maugham near the end of his play Sheppey (1933). 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. On his death, Maugham donated his royalties to the Royal Literary Fund.[60]. After a year at Heidelberg, he entered St. Thomas’ medical school, London, and qualified as a doctor in 1897. 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. “ – Gore Vidal’s review in … By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [citation needed], In 1947 Maugham instituted the Somerset Maugham Award,[60] awarded to the best British writer or writers under the age of thirty-five for a work of fiction published in the past year. 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).
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