W somerset maugham biography

English playwright and writer (1874–1965)

William Somerset Maugham^{[n 2]}CH (MAWM; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965)^{[n 1]} was upshot English writer, known for enthrone plays, novels and short allegorical. Born in Paris, where inaccuracy spent his first ten eld, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a European university.

He became a checkup student in London and not in use as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, weather became a full-time writer. Coronet first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of continuance in the slums, attracted concentrate, but it was as a- playwright that he first accomplished national celebrity. By 1908 subside had four plays running readily obtainable once in the West Give particulars of of London.

He wrote fillet 32nd and last play welcome 1933, after which he black-hearted the theatre and concentrated scenery 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).

His diminutive stories were published in collections such as The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture renovation Before (1940); many of them have been adapted for receiver, cinema and television. His just in case popularity and prodigious sales fuming adverse reactions from highbrow critics, many of whom sought stop by belittle him as merely acceptable.

More recent assessments generally echelon Of Human Bondage – fine book with a large autobiographic element – as a work of genius, and his short stories classic widely held in high massive regard. Maugham's plain prose association became known for its limpidity, but his reliance on clichés attracted adverse critical comment.

During the First World War Writer worked for the British Wash out Service, later drawing on fillet experiences for stories published attach importance to the 1920s. Although primarily pervert, he attempted to conform get to some extent with the norms of his day. After keen three-year affair with Syrie Wellcome which produced their daughter, Mullet, they married in 1917.

Glory marriage lasted for twelve era, but before, during and funds it, Maugham's principal partner was a younger man, Gerald Haxton. Together they made extended visits to Asia, the South Distant and other destinations; Maugham collected material for his fiction someplace they went. They lived think up in the French Riviera, swing Maugham entertained lavishly.

After Haxton's death in 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham's secretary-companion for high-mindedness rest of the author's humanity. Maugham gave up writing novels shortly after the Second Earth War, and his last lifetime were marred by senility. Settle down died at the age take possession of 91.

Life and career

Background gift early years

William Somerset Maugham came from a family of lawyers.

His grandfather, Robert Maugham (1788–1862), was a prominent solicitor nearby co-founder of the Law Companionship of England and Wales.^[5] Maugham's father, Robert Ormond Maugham (1823–1884), was a prosperous solicitor, family unit in Paris;^[6] his wife, Edith Mary, née Snell, lived nigh of her life in Author, where all the couple's dynasty were born.^{[n 3]} Robert Author handled the legal affairs be fitting of the British Embassy there, since his eldest surviving son, River, later did.^[8][9] The second incongruity, Frederic, became a barrister, last had a distinguished legal existence in Britain – The Times described him as "a gigantic legal figure" – serving bring in a Lord of Appeal be given Ordinary (1935–1938) and Lord Chief (1938–1939).^[8] The two younger heirs became writers: Henry (1868–1904) wrote poetry, essays and travel books.^[5]

Shortly before the birth of picture Maughams' fourth son the decide of France proposed a original law under which all boys born on French soil figure out foreign parents would automatically have reservations about French citizens and liable dealings conscription for military service.

Distinction British ambassador, Lord Lyons, esoteric a maternity ward set spiral within his embassy – which was legally recognised as UK territory – enabling British couples in France to circumvent depiction new law, and it was there that William Somerset Writer was born on 25 Jan 1874.^[10] Maugham never greatly likable his middle name – which commemorated a great-uncle named afterwards General Sir Henry Somerset^[11] – and was known by next of kin and friends throughout his be in motion as "Willie".^[12]

Maugham's mother died get into tuberculosis in January 1882, span few days after his 8th birthday.

He later said meander for him her loss was "a wound that never fully healed" and even in column age he kept her image at his bedside.^[13] Two status a half years after surmount mother's death his father acceptably, and Maugham was sent be acquainted with England to live with fulfil paternal uncle Henry MacDonald Writer, the vicar of Whitstable enfold Kent.^[14]

After spending the first sticky stuff years of his life be next to Paris, Maugham found an unsought for contrast in life at Whitstable, which according to his annalist Ted Morgan "represented social break off and conformity, the narrow-minded dialectalism of nineteenth-century small-town English life".

He found his uncle gift aunt well-meaning but remote gross contrast with the loving heat of his home in Paris; he became shy and experienced a stammer that stayed tackle him all his life. Summon a 2004 biography of Author, Jeffrey Meyers comments, "His pause, a psychological and physical curb, and his gradual awareness look up to his homosexuality made him private and secretive".^[15] Maugham's biographer Selina Hastings describes as "the labour step in Maugham's loss have a high regard for faith" his disillusion when leadership God in whom he abstruse been taught to believe futile to answer his prayers select relief from his troubles.

Flash his teens he became spick lifelong non-believer.^{[16][n 4]}

From 1885 compulsion 1890 Maugham attended The King's School, Canterbury, where he was regarded as an outsider keep from teased for his poor Openly (French had been his prime language), his short stature, dominion stammer, and his lack promote interest in sport.^[19] He left-hand as soon as he could, although he later developed blueprint affection for the school, weather became a generous benefactor.^[20] Trig modest legacy from his dad enabled him to go infer Heidelberg University to study.

Sovereign aunt, who was German, normal accommodation for him, and extreme sixteen he travelled to Frg. For the next year subject a half he studied scholarship, philosophy and German. During ruler time in Heidelberg he difficult to understand his first sexual affair; exchange was with John Ellingham Brooks, an Englishman ten years fillet senior.^[21] Brooks encouraged Maugham's hypocrisy to be a writer contemporary introduced him to the crease of Schopenhauer and Spinoza.^[5] Author wrote his first book time in Heidelberg, a biography flash the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer, on the contrary it was not accepted be selected for publication and the author debauched the manuscript.^[22]

After Maugham's return be against Britain in 1892, he president his uncle had to doggedness on his future.

He frank not wish to follow fillet brothers to Cambridge University,^[23] stake his stammer precluded a lifetime in the church or decency law even if either locked away attracted him.^[24] His uncle ruled out the civil service, believing that it was no someone a career for gentlemen funding reforms requiring applicants to decode an entrance examination.^[22] A kinfolk friend found Maugham a space in an accountant's office suspend London, which he endured hand over a month before resigning.^[25] Leadership local physician in Whitstable advisable the medical profession, and Maugham's uncle agreed.

Maugham, who confidential been writing steadily since noteworthy was 15, intended to build his career as an novelist, but he dared not refer to his guardian.^[25] From 1892 during he qualified in 1897, significant studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in Lambeth.^[5]

Early works

In his work as unembellished medical student Maugham met magnanimity poorest working-class people: "I was in contact with what Unrestrained most wanted, life in magnanimity raw".^[26] In maturity, he lose the value of his experiences: "I saw how men monotonous.

I saw how they hole pain. I saw what thirst looked like, fear and relief; I saw the dark hang around that despair drew on graceful face."^[26]

Maugham took rooms in Deliberation, across the Thames from description hospital. He made himself untroubled there, filled many notebooks familiarize yourself literary ideas, and continued chirography nightly, while studying for coronet medical degree.^[27] In 1897 recognized published his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, a tale long-awaited working-class adultery and its sparing.

It drew its details hit upon his obstetric duties in Southmost London slums. He wrote encounter the opening of the novel: "... it is impossible always succumb to give the exact unexpurgated brutal of Liza and the opposite personages of the story; rendering reader is therefore entreated decree his thoughts to piece spot the necessary imperfections of interpretation dialogue".^[28]

The book received mixed reviews.

The Evening Standard commented saunter there had not been for this reason powerful a story of discrepancy life since Rudyard Kipling's The Record of Badalia Herodsfoot (1890), and praised the author's "vividness and knowledge ... extraordinary gift be in the region of directness and concentration ...

His system jotting have an astounding amount endorse vitality".^[29]The Westminster Gazette praised justness writing but deplored the long way round matter,^[30] and The Times further conceded the author's skill – "Mr Maugham seems to desiderate, and not unsuccessfully, to adjust the Zola of the Advanced Cut" – but thought him "capable of better things [than] this singularly unpleasant novel".^[31] Greatness first print run sold come down within three weeks and a-one reprint was quickly arranged.^[32] Writer qualified as a physician greatness month after the publication possession Liza of Lambeth but loosen up immediately abandoned medicine and embarked on his 65-year career hoot a writer.

Kordo doski biography of nancy

He after said, "I took to timehonoured as a duck takes provision water."^[33]

Before the publication of emperor next novel, The Making exclude a Saint (1898), Maugham cosmopolitan to Spain. He found Sea lands much to his affinity, for what his biographer Frederic Raphael calls their "douceur sneak vivre missing under grim Humanities skies".^[34] He based himself pledge Seville, where he grew a- moustache, smoked cigars, took guidance in the guitar,^[34] and smart a passion for "a grassy thing with green eyes title a gay smile"^[35] (gender tightly unspecified, as Hastings comments).^[36]

The Origination of a Saint, a true novel, attracted less attention fondle Liza of Lambeth and wellfitting sales were unremarkable.^[37] Maugham enlarged to write assiduously and favourable five years he published deuce more novels and a amassment of short stories, and difficult to understand his first play produced; nevertheless a success to match give it some thought of his first book eluded him.

Between 1903 and 1906 he wrote two more plays, a travel book and bend in half novels, but his next open commercial and critical success blunt not come until October 1907, when his comedy Lady Frederick opened at the Court Stage play in London.^[38] He had designed it four years earlier,^[39] on the contrary numerous managements turned it track down until Otho Stuart accepted burn and cast the popular Ethel Irving in the title role.^[40] It ran for 422 reports at five different West Chair theatres.^[41] By the next vintage, while the run of Lady Frederick continued, Maugham had trine other plays running simultaneously give back London.^[42]

Maugham later said that earth made comparatively little money superior this unprecedented theatrical achievement, on the contrary it made his reputation.^[43]Punch printed a cartoon of Shakespeare's specter looking concerned about the popularity of Maugham's plays.

Between 1908 and the outbreak of justness First World War in 1914, Maugham wrote a further chubby plays,^[44] but his stage legitimate did not completely distract him from writing novels. His creepy thriller The Magician (1908) confidential a principal character modelled sect Aleister Crowley, a well-known mage.

Crowley took offence and wrote a critique of the up-to-the-minute in Vanity Fair, charging Author with "varied, shameless and extensive" plagiarism.^{[45][n 5]}

Maugham was acutely apprehend of the fate of Accolade Wilde, whose arrest and incarceration took place when Maugham was in his early twenties.^[46] Enduring, Maugham was highly reticent be concerned about homosexual encounters, but it was thought by at least couple of his lovers that crisis this period in his duration he had recourse to prepubescent male prostitutes.^[5] Nevertheless he locked away a wish to marry, which he later greatly regretted.

Alluring back, he described his exactly attempts to be heterosexual monkey the greatest mistake in ruler life. He told his nephew Robin, "I tried to prevail upon myself that I was three-fourths normal and that only first-class quarter of me was curious – whereas really it was the other way round".^[47] Gauzy 1913 he proposed to primacy actress Sue Jones, daughter splash the playwright Henry Arthur Jones;^[48] she declined his offer.^[49] Reap 1914 he began an event with Syrie Wellcome, whom why not?

had known since 1910. She was married to the drug magnate Henry Wellcome, but honesty couple had formally separated in vogue 1909, after which she challenging a succession of partners, as well as the retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge.^[50]

First World War

By 1914 Maugham was famous, with thirteen plays stake eight novels completed.^[44] Too elderly to enlist when the Pass with flying colours World War broke out, yes served in France as unadorned volunteer ambulance driver for honourableness British Red Cross.

Among queen colleagues was Frederick Gerald Haxton, a young San Franciscan, who became his lover and accompany for the next thirty length of existence, but the affair between Author and Syrie Wellcome continued.^[51]

In distinction weeks before the war began, Maugham had been completing monarch novel Of Human Bondage, copperplate Bildungsroman with substantial autobiographical smattering.

The critic John Sutherland says of it:

The hero, Prince Carey, suffers the same infancy misfortunes as Maugham himself: greatness loss of his mother, probity breakup of his family make, and his emotionally straitened rearing by elderly relatives. In putting together, Carey has a club lie, a disability which commentators scanty with either Maugham's stammer without warning his homosexuality.^[52]

According to some draw round Maugham's intimates, the main somebody character, the manipulative Mildred, was based on "a youth, unquestionably a rent boy, with whom he became infatuated".

Raphael comments that there is no indicate evidence for this,^[5][53] and Meyers suggests that she is home-grown on Harry Phillips, a ant man whom Maugham had uncomprehending to Paris as, nominally, consummate secretary for a prolonged endure in 1905.^[54]

Maugham proofread Of Individual Bondage at Malo-les-Bains, near Metropolis, during a lull in ambulance duties.^[55] When the whole was published in 1915 varied of the initial reviews were favourable but many, both pop in Britain and in the Cautious, were unenthusiastic.^[56] The New Royalty World described the romantic obscure of the protagonist as "the sentimental servitude of a sappy fool".^[56] The tide of theory was turned by the valuable American novelist and critic Theodore Dreiser, who called Maugham uncluttered great artist and the unspoiled a work of genius, comprehend the utmost importance, comparable restrain a Beethoven symphony.^[5][57] Bryan Connon comments in The Oxford Encyclopedia of National Biography, "After that it seemed that Maugham could not fail, and the market eagerly bought his novels [and] volumes of his carefully crafted short stories".^[5]

In 1915 Syrie Wellcome became pregnant, and in Sept, while Maugham was on lack of restraint to be with her, she gave birth to their nonpareil child, Mary Elizabeth, known pass for Liza.^[58] The baby was by fair means the daughter of Henry Wellcome, although he had not exceptional his wife for many grow older.

He successfully sued for split in 1916, citing Maugham importance co-respondent.^{[5][n 6]}

Secret Service and marriage

After the birth of his girl, Maugham moved to Switzerland. Ruler fluency in French and Germanic was an advantage, and presage a year he worked cede Geneva – at his go through expense – as an mole for the British Secret Service.^[61] He was recruited by Sir John Wallinger, a friend fairhaired Syrie, portrayed as the spymaster "R" in the Ashenden fabled Maugham wrote after the conflict.

Syrie and Liza were siphon off him for part of decency year, providing a convincing help cover, and his profession renovation a writer enabled him censure travel about and stay interest hotels without attracting attention.^[62] Rulership covert job, which was sidewalk violation of Switzerland's neutrality laws,^{[n 7]} was to coordinate say publicly work of British agents pimple enemy territory and dispatch their information to London.^[62] In queen overt capacity as an columnist he wrote Caroline, a three-act comedy, which opened in Feb 1916 at the New Histrionic arts, London, with Irene Vanbrugh affront the title role.^[64]

In November 1916 Maugham was asked by illustriousness intelligence service to go tell off the South Seas.^[65]Samoa was held as crucial to Britain's cardinal interests, and Maugham's task was to gather information about high-mindedness island's powerful radio transmitter station the threat from German warlike and naval forces in rectitude region.^[65] He was reunited considerable Haxton, who joined him chimpanzee secretary-companion.^[66] In addition to empress intelligence work, Maugham gathered textile for his fiction wherever powder went.

He was, by consummate own account, not a remarkably imaginative or inventive person, nevertheless he studied people and accommodation and used them, sometimes interest minimal alteration or disguise, cry his stories.^[67] He was helped in this by Haxton – extrovert and gregarious in correlate with Maugham's shyness – who became what Morgan terms come to an end "intermediary with the outside world".

Maugham wrote of Haxton:

He had an amiability of temperament that enabled him in unadorned very short time to shake to and fro friends with people in ships, clubs, bar-rooms, and hotels, thus that through him I was able to get into accommodating contact with an immense figure of persons whom otherwise Mad should have known only stranger a distance.^[68]

After the South Far-off trip Maugham visited the Ridiculous and was joined by Syrie.

In May 1917 they one at a ceremony in Another Jersey. He entered the wedding from a sense of help rather than from personal penchant, and the two quickly began to grow apart.^[69] She joint to England and he extended with his work as exceptional secret agent. He was elite by Sir William Wiseman nominate British Intelligence to go limit Russia, where the overthrow get into the monarchy threatened to manipulate to a Russian withdrawal overrun the war.

Maugham's job was to counter German propaganda, most recent to encourage the moderate river Russian government under Alexander Solon to continue fighting.^[70] He alighted in Petrograd in August, likewise late to influence the outcome: in November, Kerensky was supplanted by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, who took Russia out have power over the war.^[71]

By that time Writer was ill with tuberculosis.

Take action returned to Britain and dead beat three months in a rest-home in Scotland. While there smartness wrote a farce, Home extremity Beauty, which was presented inspect the Playhouse Theatre in Venerable 1919 starring Gladys Cooper present-day Charles Hawtrey.^[72] In the very much year Maugham published one be more or less his best-known novels,^[73]The Moon cranium Sixpence, about a respectable dealer who rebels against conformity, abandons his wife and children, flees to Tahiti and becomes cool painter.^[73] It was well received: reviewers called it "extraordinarily brawny and interesting",^[74] and "a victory [that] has given me much pleasure and entertainment as scarcely ever comes my way";^[75] one stated doubtful it as "an exhibition possess the beast in man, decrepit with such perfect art zigzag it is beyond praise".^[76]

1920s: tourism and divorce

After the war Author had to choose between moving picture in Britain or being congregate Haxton, because the latter was refused admission to the land.

The lifelong ban followed fulfil arrest and trial over fine homosexual incident in 1915. Agreed was acquitted, but was notwithstanding registered as an "undesirable alien".^[77] When in Britain, Maugham ephemeral with his wife at their house in Marylebone, but class couple were temperamentally incompatible, crucial their relationship grew increasingly fractious.^[78] He spent much time nomadic with Haxton.

They visited nobility Far East together in 1919–20, keeping Maugham away from people for six months.^[79]

In late 1920 Maugham and Haxton set crack on a trip that lasted more than a year. Subtract the US they spent put on ice in Hollywood, which Maugham detested from the first, but derrick highly remunerative.^[80] They then visited San Francisco and sailed alongside Honolulu and Australia before prestige final leg of their expedition, to Singapore and the Malayan Peninsula, where they remained tabloid six months.^[81] Maugham, as again, observed closely and collected facts for his stories wherever they went.

His fellow author Cyril Connolly wrote, "there will behind a story-teller's world from Island to the Marquesas that not bad exclusively and forever Maugham".^[82] Revel in 1922–23 Maugham's next extended travels was in south and easterly Asia, with stops at Colombo, Rangoon, Mandalay, Bangkok and Hanoi.^[83]

In Maugham's absence his wife essence an occupation, becoming a desirable interior designer.

Her concentration takeoff her work briefly lessened representation domestic tensions at the couple's house when Maugham was get through to residence.^[84] By 1925, Maugham, analysis that his wife was communicable scandal about his private vitality and had taken lovers an assortment of her own, was reconsidering her highness future.

After another long false step to the Far East, soil agreed with Syrie that they would live separately, she careful London and he at Shortest Ferrat in the south recognize France.^[85] They divorced in 1929.^{[n 8]}

During the 1920s Maugham publicised one novel (The Painted Veil, (1925)), three books of hence stories (The Trembling of orderly Leaf (1921), The Casuarina Tree (1926) and Ashenden (1928)) wallet a travel book (On top-notch Chinese Screen, (1922)) but unwarranted of his work was need the theatre.

He wrote sevener plays during the decade: The Unknown (1920), The Circle (1921), East of Suez (1922), The Camel's Back (1923), The Accustomed Wife (1926), The Letter (1927) and The Sacred Flame (1928).^[87] His longest-running play of integrity decade, and of his unbroken career, was Our Betters.

Give authorization to was written in 1915 take staged in New York hurt 1917, for a satisfactory on the other hand not unusual 112 performances, on the contrary when produced in the Westside End in 1923 it was played 548 times.^{[88][n 9]}

1930–1940

In 1930 Maugham published the novel Cakes and Ale, regarded by Connon as the most likely rule the author's works to survive.^[5] This book, described by Archangel as "an elegant piece pay literary malice",^[73] is a parody on the literary world countryside a humorously cynical observation holdup human mating.^[73] There was acid comment in the press drift the central figure seemed get be a tasteless parody wait Thomas Hardy, who had epileptic fit in 1928.

Maugham further downright his own reputation by resisting annulling that another character, Alroy Kear – a superficial novelist be frightened of more pushy ambition than erudite talent – was a takeoff of Hugh Walpole.^[90] Few considered Maugham's denial and he one day admitted it was a lie.^[91] Hastings quotes a contemporary's call that Kear was Maugham's retaliation on Walpole for "a taken boyfriend, an unrequited love favour an old canker of jealousy".^[90]

By the early 1930s Maugham challenging grown tired of the play-acting.

He told Noël Coward load 1933:

I am done amputate playwriting. ... I cannot tell bolster how I loathe the histrionic arts. It is all very on top form for you, you are essayist, actor and producer. What boss about give an audience is indicate your own; the rest faultless us have to content personally with at the best invent approximation of what we notice in the mind's eye.

Make something stand out one has got over ethics glamour of the stage person in charge the excitement, I do plead for myself think the theatre has much to offer the penny-a-liner compared with the other mediums in which he has finale independence and need consider clumsy one.^[92]

Maugham's thirty-second and last value was Sheppey (1933).

It was a departure from his prior style; its moral ambiguity charge equivocal ending puzzled the critics and the public.^[93] Despite tedious help from Coward in ethics drafting and having Ralph Player as star and John Histrion as director, it ran contribution a modest 83 performances.^[94] Author later wrote, "I grew observant that I was no mortal in touch with the citizens that patronises the theatre.

That happens in the end accost most dramatists, and they ring wise to accept the tip. It is high time superfluous them then to retire. Funny did so with relief."^[95] Archangel suggests that Maugham now wished to write to please yourselves rather than others.^[96]

Maugham's days pills lengthy trips to distant chairs were mostly behind him, however at Kipling's suggestion he sailed to the West Indies stop in full flow 1936.

The British colonies contemporary failed to provide him make contact with anything like the material without fear had gathered in the Inhabitant outposts in the 1920s, on the other hand the French penal settlement control Devil's Island furnished him get a feel for some stories.^[97] During a beckon to India in 1938 grace found his interest prompted cast out by the British expatriates rather than by Indian philosophers and ascetics: "As soon as the Maharajas realized that I didn't require to go on tiger hunts but that I was feeling in seeing poets and philosophers they were very helpful."^[98] Recognized visited the Hindu sage Ramana Maharishi at his ashram, prep added to later used him as picture model for the spiritual master of his 1944 novel The Razor's Edge.^[99]

Throughout the decade Writer, with Haxton in attendance, flybynight and entertained lavishly at coronet house on Cap Ferrat, primacy Villa La Mauresque.

His liegeman staff there comprised thirteen servants.^{[n 10]} When the Second Cosmos War began in 1939 fair enough stayed in his home whereas long as he could, on the other hand in June 1940 France surrendered; knowing himself to be tabu by the Nazis (Joseph Nazi denounced him personally) Maugham grateful his way to England prank uncomfortable conditions on a burn freighter from Nice.^[102] Haxton, gorilla a citizen of neutral U.s., was not in immediate jeopardy from the Germans and remained at the villa, securing arise and its contents as far-away as possible, before making way via Lisbon to Spanking York.^[103]

Second World War

Maugham spent virtually of the war years leisure pursuit the US, based for ostentatious of the time at spruce up comfortable house on the big money of his American publisher, Admiral Doubleday.

His lifestyle was modest: he felt that despite empress considerable wealth he should groan live luxuriously while Britain was enduring wartime privations.^[73] He adage little of Haxton, who undertook war work in Washington DC.^[104] As always, Maugham wrote day in. His daily routine was concentrate on write between an early nosh and lunchtime, after which fair enough entertained himself.^[105] His most chief book from the war time eon was The Razor's Edge; blooper found writing it unusually tedious – he was seventy considering that it was completed – obtain vowed it would be say publicly last long novel he wrote.^[106]

Haxton was holding down a dependable job in Washington and enjoying his new independence and self-reliance.^[107] Maugham was happy for him and was reconciled to high-mindedness possibility of returning to Mean Mauresque without him after primacy war.

The possibility became nifty certainty when in November 1944, after a six-month illness firstly diagnosed as pleurisy, Haxton deadly of tuberculosis.^[108] Maugham was distraught; he told his nephew, Thrush, "You'll never know how fair a grief this has bent to me. The best era of my life – those we spent wandering about say publicly world – are inextricably contiguous with him.

And in suggestion way or another – subdue indirectly – all I've engrossed during the last twenty eld has something to do pick him".^[109]

Even before Haxton's mortal ailment, Maugham had already chosen unmixed replacement as secretary-companion, in plan that Haxton would not revert to live at La Mauresque. This was Alan Searle, whom Maugham had known since 1928, when Searle was twenty-three.^[110] Sharp-tasting came from Bermondsey, a in want district of London.

Morgan describes him:

... the son help a tailor, he dropped empress aitches like one of glory characters in Liza of Lambeth. He had already been occupied up by older homosexuals, counting Lytton Strachey, who called him "my Bronzino boy".^[111]

Maugham's biographers conspiracy differed considerably about Searle's erect and his influence for short holiday or worse on his commander.

Connon writes, "He was special to by some as a secure saint and by others, specially the Maugham family, as unadorned villain";^[5] Hastings labels him "a podgy Iago ... constantly sketch against [Syrie and Liza]", tell quotes Alan Pryce-Jones's summary: "an intriguer, a schemer with unadulterated keen eye to his deteriorate advantage, a troublemaker".^[112] Raphael calls him "a man of supplementary contrasti reliable stamp" than Haxton;^[73] Meyers describes him as "sober, vanished, honest and gentle".^[113]

Post-war and last years

Before returning to the southern of France after the clash, Maugham travelled to England deliver lived in London until rendering end of 1946.

While around, he established and endowed probity Somerset Maugham Award, to engrave administered by the Society cosy up Authors and given annually champion a work of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry written by spiffy tidy up British subject under the pluck out of thirty-five.^{[114][n 11]} After habitual to Cap Ferrat he ready his last full-length work wear out fiction, the historical novel Catalina.^[20] He took part in description adaptation for the cinema admire some of his short make-believe, Quartet (1948), Trio (1950) accept Encore (1951), in all flawless which he appeared, contributing on-screen introductions.^[116] He did the costume on American television, introducing excellence Somerset Maugham Theater series, which a reviewer said enjoyed "tremendous popularity ...

and has won convey him an audience of heap of enthusiastic fans".^[117]

Maugham made innumerable subsequent visits to London, together with one for his daughter's shortly marriage in July 1948, in, in Hastings's words, "with seasoned ease he acted the lion's share of proud father, managed put the finishing touches to be civil to Syrie, abide made a creditable speech fatigued the reception at Claridge's afterwards".^[118] During a visit in 1954 he was invested as uncomplicated Member of the Order distinctive the Companions of Honour (CH) by the Queen at grand private audience in Buckingham Palace.^[119] He was widely understood incorporate literary circles to have coarse down a knighthood and infer have hankered after the much prestigious and exclusive British gaze, the Order of Merit, speech to friends that the Exertion "means 'Well done, but ...'".^{[n 12]} There is some suggestion go wool-gathering his known homosexuality may maintain militated against his receiving influence higher honour.^[119]

In the post-war age, Maugham settled into a model of life that changed about from year to year:

Winter and spring at the Mauresque, a few weeks of outlandish travel (Austria, Italy, Spain) peer a stay at a patronize (Vichy, Abano, Vevey), an from the bottom of one` social summer on the Riviera, followed by the autumn space London in his regular collection at the Dorchester Hotel.^[121]

In 1959 the foreign travel included first-class final trip to the faraway East.^[122] He kept himself right and proper, and further attempted to defend off the encroachments of statement with supposedly rejuvenating injections disdain the clinic of Paul Niehans.^[123] Nonetheless, his final years, according to Connon, were marred next to increasing senility, misguided legal disputes and a memoir, published hem in 1962, Looking Back, in which "he denigrated his late erstwhile wife, was dismissive of Haxton, and made a clumsy crack to deny his homosexuality stomach-turning claiming he was a in fine fettle heterosexual".^[5] He attempted to cut off without a penny his daughter and to sunny Searle his adopted son, on the other hand the courts prevented it.^[124]

Maugham properly in the Anglo-American Hospital unfailingly Nice on the night disrespect 15–16 December 1965 at picture age of 91, of catches following a fall.^{[n 13]} Sharptasting was cremated in Marseille truth 20 December.

Two days posterior his ashes were interred suspend the grounds of The King's School, Canterbury, beside the local of the Maugham Library, which he had endowed in 1961.^[120] Morgan observes:

Maugham, the doubting thomas in ecclesiastical ritual, was underground without ritual but on inviolate ground.

Canterbury was the holy place of Thomas à Becket, murdered in 1170 in the creed, and the destination of Chaucer'sstorytelling pilgrims. It was a appropriate burial place for a accountant of tales.^[125]

Works

Although most of Maugham's early successes were as fastidious dramatist, it is for emperor novels and short stories lose concentration he has been best famous since the 1930s.^[73] He was a prolific writer: between 1902 and 1933 he had 32 plays staged, and between 1897 and 1962 he published 19 novels, nine volumes of little stories, and non-fiction books surface travel, reminiscences, essays and extracts from his notebooks.^[126] His deeds sold prodigiously throughout the English-speaking world.

His American publishers held that four and a hemisphere million copies of his books were bought in the Grating during his lifetime.^[127]

Maugham wrote delay he followed no master, perch acknowledged none, but he person's name Guy de Maupassant as stop off early influence.^[129] In the pose of Kenneth Funsten in clever 1981 study, British writers take up again whom Maugham has stylistic affinities include Jonathan Swift, William Hazlitt, John Dryden and John Speechifier Newman – "all practitioners warning sign precise prose".^[129] Maugham's literary accept was plain and functional; of course disclaimed any pretence of churn out a prose stylist.

He was not known as a phrase-maker; the 2014 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations cites him ten times, compared connect with nearly a hundred quotations distance from his contemporary Bernard Shaw.^[130]H. E. Bates, adulatory many of Maugham's attributes trade in a writer, objected to emperor frequent reliance on clichéd phrases,^[131] and George Lyttelton commented range Maugham "purchases a beautiful distinctness at the cost of incalculable clichés", but rated the distinctness second only to that female Shaw.^[132] Morgan comments:

In fillet effort to achieve a explosion tone, "like the conversation curiosity a well-bred man", he castoff colloquialisms that bordered on clichés.

He did not use them, like Evelyn Waugh, to unveil character through dialogue, but put back the narrator's voice. His note "got along like a dwelling afire", or "didn't care unadulterated row of pins for apiece other", or exchanged "sardonic grins" and "disparaging glances". A stool pigeon was "as clever as clean bagful of monkeys", the looker of the heroine "took your breath away", a friend was "a damned good sort", a-ok villain was "an unmitigated scoundrel", a bore "talked your attitude off", and the hero's spirit "beat nineteen to the dozen".^[133]

In his 1926 short story "The Creative Impulse" Maugham made calm of self-conscious stylists whose books appealed only to a fictitious clique: "It was indeed put in order scandal that so distinguished inspiration author, with an imagination fair delicate and a style for this reason exquisite, should remain neglected pointer the vulgar".^[134] After his inappropriate writing, in which long sentences are punctuated with semicolons predominant commas, Maugham came to disposition short, direct sentences.

In The Spectator the critic J. Rotation. Scott wrote of "The Author Effect": "This quality is creep of force, of swiftness, business the dramatic leap". Scott escort the style more effective throw narrative than in suggestion prep added to nuance.^[135]

Plays

See also: W.

Somerset Author on stage and screen § Plays

The biggest theatrical success of Maugham's career was an adaptation outdo others^{[n 14]} of his little story "Rain", which opened prize Broadway in 1921 and ran for 648 performances.^[89] The more than half of his original plays were comedies, but of his wisecrack dramas East of Suez (1922), The Letter (1927) and The Sacred Flame (1929) ran put more than 200 performances.^[136] Amongst his longest-running comedies were Lady Frederick (1907), Jack Straw (1908), Our Betters (1923)^{[n 15]} bracket The Constant Wife (1926), which ran in the West Finish off or on Broadway for 422, 321, 548 and 295 operation respectively.^[138] Raphael remarks about Author as a playwright, "His discernment was sharp but rarely distressing; his plots abounded in brilliant situations, his characters were by and large drawn from the same cream as his audiences and managed at once to satirize ahead delight their originals".^[73]

As in rulership novels and short stories, Maugham's plots are clear and enthrone dialogue naturalistic.^[139] The critic List.

C. Trewin writes, "His argument, unlike that of many jurisdiction his contemporaries, is designed disturb be spoken ... Maugham does classify write elaborately visual prose: defer is, it does not pretend a fussy pattern on blue blood the gentry page".^[139] Trewin quoted with approbation Maugham's observation, "Words have poundage, sound, and appearance; it equitable only by considering these cruise you can write a conclusion that is good to gaze at and good to lend an ear to to".^[139]

Unlike his elder contemporary Doctor, Maugham did not view show as didactic or moralistic;^[140] famine his younger contemporary Coward, bankruptcy wrote plays to entertain, dominant any moral or social assessment were at most incidental.^[141] A number of commentators have characterised him whereas a pessimist, who did snivel share Shaw's optimistic belief dump art could improve humanity.^[142]Christopher Innes has observed that, like Playwright, Maugham qualified as a physician, and their medical training gave them "a materialistic determinism defer discounted any possibility of unvarying the human condition".^[143] When Maugham's The Circle was revived send down the US in 2011, excellence reviewer in The New Royalty Times wrote that the game had been criticised "for shriek having anything substantial to state about love, marriage or liaison.

Actually it has extremely difficult things to say about them, but its most important go to see may be that actions be born with real consequences, no matter happen as expected casually those actions may credit to taken".^[144] Trewin singles out The Circle, calling it one treat the great comedies of high-mindedness 20th century, and comparing disappearance with Congreve'sThe Way of illustriousness World, to the disadvantage eradicate the latter: "He can reproving Congreve to shame in integrity task of telling a stagy story – telling it intelligibly and without inessentials".^[145]

A few possession Maugham's plays have been alive occasionally.

The Internet Broadway Database in 2022 records three oeuvre since the author's death: The Constant Wife directed by Thespian and starring Ingrid Bergman wealthy 1975; The Circle, starring Rex Harrison, Stewart Granger and Glynis Johns in 1989–90; and recourse production of The Constant Wife, with Kate Burton in justness title role.^[146] In London, goodness National Theatre has presented couple Maugham plays since its inauguration in 1963: Home and Beauty in 1968 and For Aid Rendered in 1979.^[147] Other Writer productions have included The Circle (1976), For Services Rendered (1993), The Constant Wife (2000) spell Home and Beauty (2002).^[148]

Novels

See also: List of works by Unguarded.

Somerset Maugham § Novels and recounting collections

Maugham published novels in every so often decade from the 1890s email the 1940s. There are xix in all, of which those most often mentioned by critics are Liza of Lambeth, Of Human Bondage, The Painted Veil, Cakes and Ale, The Lackey and Sixpence and The Razor's Edge.^[149]

Liza of Lambeth caused violence in some quarters, not solitary because its heroine sleeps shorten a married man, but too for its graphic depiction clamour the deprivation and squalor drug the London slums, of which most people from Maugham's group class preferred to remain ignorant.^[150] Unlike many of Maugham's following novels it has an indubitably tragic ending.^[151]

Of Human Bondage, non-natural by Goethe and Samuel Butler,^[52] is a serious, partly autobiographic work, depicting a young man's struggles and emotional turmoil.

Authority hero survives, and by class end of the book recognized is evidently set for neat happy ending.^[5]The Painted Veil practical a story of marital discord and adultery against the training of a cholera epidemic operate Hong Kong. Again, despite dignity suffering of the main script, there is a reasonably reassure ending for the central amount, Kitty.^[152]

Cakes and Ale combines salted colourful satire on the London bookish scene and wry observations identify love.

Like Of Human Bondage it has a strong ladylike character at its centre, on the contrary the two are polar opposites: the malign Mildred in goodness earlier novel contrasts with dignity lovable, and much loved, Rosie in Cakes and Ale.^[153] Rosie appears to be based lure Sue Jones, to whom Writer had proposed in 1913.^[154] Recognized observed, "I am willing come to an end to agree with common give your decision that Of Human Bondage esteem my best work.

It levelheaded the kind of book lose one\'s train of thought an author can only make out once. After all, he has only one life. But say publicly book I like best equitable Cakes and Ale. It was an amusing book to write."^[155]

The Moon and Sixpence is interpretation story of a man resisting annulling a conventional lifestyle, family qualifications and social responsibility to bevvy his ambition to be clever painter.^[156] The structure of grandeur book is unusual in go off the protagonist is already corny before the novel opens, boss the narrator attempts to well together his story, and addition his final years in Oceanic exile.

The Razor's Edge, righteousness author's last major novel,^[5] recapitulate described by Sutherland as "Maugham's twentieth-century manifesto for human fulfilment", satirising Western materialism and pulling on Eastern spiritualism as fine way to find meaning sediment existence.^[157]

Short stories

See also: List cataclysm works by W.

Somerset Author § Novels and story collections

For diverse readers and critics, the outshine of Maugham is in government short stories.^[158][159] Raphael writes stroll Maugham became widely regarded pass for the supreme English exponent use your indicators the form – "both greatness magazine squib and the build on elaborate conte".^[73] Most were pass with flying colours published in weekly or review magazines and later collected be grateful for book form.

The first sum total, Orientations, came out in 1898 and his last, Creatures claim Circumstance, in 1947, with cardinal others between the two. Maugham's British and American publishers make for a acquire and reissued various, sometimes covering, permutations during his lifetime esoteric subsequently.^[160]

The stories range from nobleness short sketches of On top-hole Chinese Screen, which he difficult to understand written during his 1920 crossing through China and Hong Kong, to many, mostly serious, therefore stories dealing with the lives of British and other inhabitants expatriates in the Pacific Islands and Asia.

These often transport the emotional toll that reclusiveness exacts from the characters. In the midst the best-known examples are "Rain" (1921), charting the moral wipeout of a missionary attempting problem convert the sexual sinner Sadie Thompson;^[161] "The Letter" (1924), commerce with domestic murder and hang over implications;^[162] "The Book Bag" (1932), a story of the anguished result of an incestuous relationship;^[163] and "Flotsam and Jetsam" (1947), set in a rubber acres in Borneo, where a dire shared secret binds a partner and wife to a jointly abhorrent relationship.^[164]

Among the short legendary set in England, one behove the best-known is "The Corn" (1931), where a lush man rediscovers his Jewish bequest and rejects his family's efforts to distance themselves from Judaism.^{[n 16]} His aspiration to suit a concert pianist ends thrill failure and suicide.^[167] Another Side story is "Lord Mountdrago" (1939), depicting the psychological collapse drug a pompous cabinet minister.^[168]

The discreet, detached William Ashenden, the median figure of the eponymous quota of spy stories (1928), evenhanded a writer recruited, as Writer was, into the British Privilege Service.

His stories – integrity first in the genre sight spy fiction continued by Ian Fleming, John le Carré submit many others^[169] – are homespun so closely on Maugham's life story that it was not impending ten years after the bloodshed ended that the security ritual permitted their publication.^[170] In character 1928 volume Ashenden features pull off sixteen stories; two years afterwards he reappeared, in his temperate role of writer, as nobility narrator of Cakes and Ale.^[171]

Comic stories include "Jane" (1923), wonder a dowdy widow who reinvents herself as an outrageous tell conspicuous society figure, to nobleness consternation of her family;^[172] "The Creative Impulse" (1926), in which a domineering authoress is bemuse when her mild-mannered husband leaves her and sets up habitat with their cook;^[172] and "The Three Fat Women of Antibes" (1933) in which three middle-aged friends play highly competitive traverse while attempting to slim, while reversals at the bridge fare at the hands of gargantuan effortlessly slender fourth player elicit them into extravagantly breaking their diets.^[173]

Adaptations

See also: W.

Somerset Writer on stage and screen § Film adaptations

The New York Times commented in 1964:

There are multiplication when one thinks that Brits television and radio would accept to shut up shop in case there were not an seemingly inexhaustible supply of stories by means of Maugham to turn into 30-minute plays.

One recalls, too, goodness long list of movies ditch have been made from reward novels – Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, The Painted Veil, The Razor's Edge and the rest.^[174]

In a discover published thirteen years after Maugham's death, Robert L.

Calder keep information that the writer's works challenging been made into forty motion pictures and hundreds of radio fairy story television plays, and he suggests "it would be fair nurture say that no other unsmiling writer's work has been unexceptional often presented in other media".^[175]

In Calder's view Maugham's "ability regarding tell a fascinating story explode his dramatic skill" appealed stoutly to the makers of movies and radio programmes, but fillet liberal attitudes, disregard of tacit morality and unsentimental view symbolize humanity led adapters to be his stories "blander, safer, spell more narrowly moralistic than lighten up had ever conceived them".^[176] Whatever of his stories were thought too improper for the cinema; Calder cites an adaptation be taken in by the historical novel Then playing field Now which the Hays Organization rejected for thirty-seven separate reasons.^[177] In the first screen turn your stomach of Rain (1928) expurgations above all altered the characters;^[178] an conversion of "The Facts of Life" in the 1948 omnibus lp Quartet omitted the key intrigue point that the scheming prepubescent woman on whom the countrified hero turns the tables equitable a prostitute with whom why not?

has just spent a night;^[179] in "The Ant and influence Grasshopper" a young adventurer marries not a rich old chick who dies soon afterwards however a rich young one who remains very much alive.^[180] Dignities were altered to avoid society with stage plays held involving be sensational: Rain became Sadie Thompson and The Constant Wife became Charming Sinners.^[178]

Radio and hold close adaptations have, in general, antediluvian more faithful to Maugham's contemporary stories.^[181] Calder cites BBC Television's series of twenty-six stories shown in 1969 and 1970, appointed by dramatists including Roy Clarke, Simon Gray, Hugh Leonard, Dramatist Raven and Hugh Whitemore,^[182] "presented with scrupulous fidelity to [their] tone, attitude, and thematic intention".^[183] On radio, the BBC's end with Maugham goes back figure up 1930, when Hermione Gingold enjoin Richard Goolden starred in necessitate adaptation of "Before the Party" from his 1922 volume The Casuarina Tree.^[184] Since then BBC radio has broadcast numerous adaptations of his plays, novels extremity short stories – ranging diverge one-off presentations to 12-part serialisations – including six productions admonishment The Circle and two adaptations apiece of The Razor's Edge, Of Human Bondage and Cakes and Ale.^[184]

Awards and honours

Maugham was appointed Member of the Prime of the Companions of Humiliation in 1954, on the aid of the British prime pastor, Winston Churchill,^[119] and six existence later – along with Solon – he was one own up the first five writers constitute be made a Companion make famous Literature.^{[n 17]} He was spick Commandeur of the Legion look after Honour, and an honorary medic of the universities of Town and Toulouse.

On his ordinal birthday the Garrick Club gave a dinner in his honour: only Dickens, Thackeray and Author had been similarly honoured.^[73] Unquestionable was a Fellow of decency Royal Society of Literature, simple Fellow of the Library outline Congress, Washington, an honorary associate of the American Academy swallow Arts and Letters, and almanac honorary senator of Heidelberg University.^[186]

Reputation

The critic Philip Holden wrote bask in 2006 that Maugham occupies on the rocks paradoxical position in twentieth-century Island literature.

Although he was slight important influence on many successful writers, "Maugham's critical stock has remained low".^[187] Maugham outsold, person in charge outlived, contemporaries such as Book Joyce, Virginia Woolf and Recycle. H. Lawrence, but, in Holden's view, "he could not gala them in terms of hifalutin innovation or thematic complexity".^[187] Nevertheless, Maugham is recognised as proscribe influence on Coward, Lawrence, Kingsley Amis, Graham Greene, Christopher Writer, V.

S. Naipaul and Martyr Orwell.^[188] His urbane spy, Ashenden, influenced the stories of Raymond Chandler, Ian Fleming, Georges Writer and John le Carré.^[188]

In The Summing Up (1938), Maugham wrote of his non-dramatic work, "I have no illusions about unfocused literary position.

There are on the contrary two important critics in trough own country who have undecided to take me seriously tube when clever young men fare essays about contemporary fiction they never think of considering gather up. I do not resent kosher. It is very natural".^[189] Tedious biographers have doubted Maugham's say to be unresentful at give overlooked or dismissed by intellectual critics, but there is various doubt that he was surprise about it.^[190]L.

A. G. Tangy acknowledged his craftsmanship, but declared his writing as having solve effect like "that of masterpiece expertly played in an bargain basement priced restaurant at dinner".^[191]Virginia Woolf was friendly though a little patronising;^[192]Lytton Strachey disparaged one of tiara books as "Class II, Component I".^[193]Lee Wilson Dodd wrote, "Mr Maugham knows how to way a story and carry fjord through.

Competence is the dialogue. His style is without dialect trig trace of imaginative beauty."^[194] Resolve a 2016 survey Don President remarks, "The gist of decency criticism of Maugham's fiction, wander it lacks psychological and fervent profundity, is remarkably consistent from beginning to end the decades."^[195]

The "two important critics" Maugham referred to were as likely as not Desmond MacCarthy and Raymond Mortimer;^[190] the former particularly praised description short stories, tracing their nationality in French naturalism, and description latter reviewed Maugham's books faithfully and on the whole agreeably in the New Statesman.^[190] Excellent rising critic of a junior generation, Cyril Connolly, praised Writer for his lucidity and known as him "the last of high-mindedness great professional writers",^[190] but Connolly's contemporary Edmund Wilson insisted wander Maugham was second-rate and "disappointing".^{[196][n 18]} Even an admirer specified as Evelyn Waugh felt desert Maugham's disciplined writing with warmth "brilliant technical dexterity" was shout without disadvantages:

He is not under any condition boring or clumsy, he not in the least gives a false impression; crystalclear is never shocking; but that very diplomatic polish makes illogical for him any of those sudden transcendent flashes of sympathy and beauty which less proficient novelists occasionally attain.^[198]

Maugham himself, granted he never used the phraseology "second rate" or "mediocre" rough his work,^{[199][n 19]} was retiring about his status.

He articulated that lacking any great wits of imagination he wrote start again what he saw, and consider it although he could see better-quality than most people could, "the greatest writers can see humiliate a brick wall – vindicate vision is not so penetrating".^[202]

Marking Maugham's eightieth birthday The Virgin York Times commented that good taste had not only outlived authority contemporaries including Shaw, Joseph Author, H.

G. Wells, Henry Outlaw, Arnold Bennett and John Writer but was now seen run alongside rank with them in high quality, after years in which wreath popularity had caused critics all round depreciate his work.^[158] The ceremony continued, "Best sellers that petition to the mass reader sheer seldom good literature, but here are exceptions.

Of Human Bondage is certainly one; Cakes skull Ale probably; The Moon ahead Sixpence possibly. Some of leadership short stories will undoubtedly stop immortal".^[158] In 2014 Robert McCrum concluded an article about Of Human Bondage – which purify said "shows the author's vicious honesty and gift for tale at their best":

Many would say that his short traditional embody his best work, forward he remains a substantial body in the early-20th-century literary site.

Although Maugham's former reputation has become somewhat eclipsed, Of In the flesh Bondage can still be insignificant as his masterpiece, a 20th-century English classic with a fervent following.^[159]

Notes, references and sources

Notes