Showing results by author "William Somerset Maugham" in All Categories

William Somerset Maugham (January 25, 1874-December 16, 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German university. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897. He never practiced medicine, and became a full-time writer. The following is a 1955 recording of a conversation between Maugham and British critic and journalist Alan Pryce-Jones.

This anthology features a wide array of thought-provoking, genre-defining works from the 1900s, showcasing the range of modern storytelling—from existential musings to dark humour and intricate social commentary. These are the stories that have shaped modern literature, offering timeless insights into human nature and society. This collection brings together the finest modernist narratives, political reflections, and social commentaries that have shaped literature as we know it.

Cakes and Ale is the novel that William Somerset Maugham said he wished to be remembered for. Published in 1930 and written in the first person singular, Maugham's narrator (and alter-ego) Ashenden exposes the disapproving, moral judgement made by conservative society on the character of Rosie Driffield and opines that it is unjustified.

„The Traitor“ gehört zu einer Erzählreihe, zu der W. Somerset Maugham durch eigene Erfahrungen im Dienst des britischen Intelligence Departments inspiriert wurde. Der 1928 erscheinen Band „Ashenden or the British Agent“ versammelt neben dem „Verräter“ noch 13 weitere Spionageabenteuer seines Protagonisten Ashenden, der, wie Maugham selbst, eigentlich Schriftsteller ist.

In this elegant comedy of manners, Penelope O'Farrell discovers that her husband has been having an affair with an attractive married woman. Instead of lapsing into despair, she decides to employ some cunning strategies to save her marriage.

A rich widow finds that the man she wishes to marry is already engaged. He has just suddenly become a peer and cannot, he thinks, break his promise.

Avtobiograficheskiy roman angliyskogo pisatelya Somerseta Uil'yama Moehma "Podvodya itogi" (1938) predstavlyaet soboy ne stol'ko izlozhenie fakticheskoy kanvy ego zhizni, skol'ko popytku proanalizirovat' svoy put' - pisatelya i cheloveka. Predel'no iskrennie i glubokie razmyshleniya avtora o svoem literaturnom tvorchestve i vnutrennem razvitii ne mogut ne zainteresovat' sovremennogo chitatelya.

After many years living abroad with her longtime lover, Lady Catherine Champion-Cheney visits her former marital home, now occupied by her son, Arnold, and his wife, Elizabeth. Also present is her estranged husband, Clive, who lives in a cottage on the estate. Elizabeth has become dissatisfied with the life she leads with her wealthy husband, who is very occupied with his political career, and she encourages the advances of a dashing but impecunious suitor, Teddy Luton.

In "Der Büchersack", der neben "Regen" wohl bekanntesten Erzählung von W. Somerset Maugham, reist der Ich-Erzähler nie ohne großen Büchervorrat durch die Welt - aus Angst vor langweiligen Gesprächen. Doch in einem kleinen Outpost in den malaiischen Staaten braucht der Erzähler keines seiner Bücher, als sein Gastgeber Mark Featherstone ihm eine selbsterlebte Geschichte offenbart, die so schön und schrecklich ist, wie es nur die Liebe sein kann.

Mackintosh lebt mit seinem Vorgesetzten Walker in einem kleinen Dorf in Polynesien. Walker schickaniert ihn und seine anderen Untertanen...

Das "Notizbuch eines Schriftstellers" führt in eine fremde ferne Welt. Es enthält Beobachtungen, die Maugham auf seinen zahlreichen Reisen gemacht...

Philip Carey, un estudiante de medicina, se une a la camarera Mildred Rogers, una mujer sin escrupulos, cruel y sin ningun afecto ni moralidad. Ella se aprovecha de la deformidad de Philip para humillarlo y cuando finalmente se arruina y tiene que interrumpir sus estudios lo abandona. El relato de como acaba por sobreponerse es el final de esta novela, un distinguido retrato humano.

The Ultimate Modern Classics Collection: Volume 2 is the second instalment of our Modern Classics Collections, delving into a world of 20th-century literary brilliance. This anthology features a wide array of thought-provoking, genre-defining works from the 1900s, showcasing the range of modern storytelling—from existential musings to dark humour and intricate social commentary. These are the stories that have shaped modern literature, offering timeless insights into human nature and society.