On his eightieth birthday the Garrick Club gave a dinner in his honour: only Dickens, Thackeray and Trollope had been similarly honoured. William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), English playwright and author wrote Of Human Bondage (1915); He did not know how wide a country, arid and precipitous, must be crossed before the traveller through life comes to an acceptance of reality. Maugham's first successful novel was the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage (1915). "Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division", Coward, p. 226; and Mander and Mitchenson, pp. It drew its details from his obstetric duties in South London slums. [168], The polished, detached William Ashenden, the central figure of the eponymous collection of spy stories (1928), is a writer recruited, as Maugham was, into the British Secret Service. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [191] Virginia Woolf was friendly though a little patronising;[192] Lytton Strachey disparaged one of his books as "Class II, Division I". "[194] In a 2016 survey Don Adams remarks, "The gist of the criticism of Maugham's fiction, that it lacks psychological and emotional profundity, is remarkably consistent throughout the decades."[195]. [187] Nonetheless, Maugham is recognised as an influence on Coward, Lawrence, Kingsley Amis, Graham Greene, Christopher Isherwood, V. S. Naipaul and George Orwell. W. Somerset Maugham, in full William Somerset Maugham, (born Jan. 25, 1874, Paris, Francedied Dec. 16, 1965, Nice), 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. If you like W. Somerset Maugham, you might also like: E.M. Forster, D.H. Lawrence, and John Fowles. He achieved fame initially as a dramatist with plays such as Lady Frederick (1912) and The Circle (1921). Among the best-known examples are "Rain" (1921), charting the moral disintegration of a missionary attempting to convert the sexual sinner Sadie Thompson;[161] "The Letter" (1924), dealing with domestic murder and its implications;[162] "The Book Bag" (1932), a story of the tragic result of an incestuous relationship;[163] and "Flotsam and Jetsam" (1947), set in a rubber plantation in Borneo, where a dreadful shared secret binds a husband and wife to a mutually abhorrent relationship. [5], Shortly before the birth of the Maughams' fourth son the government of France proposed a new law under which all boys born on French soil to foreign parents would automatically be French citizens and liable to conscription for military service. This ability is sometimes reflected in the characters that populate his writings. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. He studied in Dune and qualified as a doctor, but found his calling in writing. His first fiction was the critically praised naturalist novel of London slum life, Liza of Lambeth, which was published in 1897, when Maugham was 23 and completing his medical training at London's St Thomas's Hospital. Sources differ (see footnote 1) on whether Maugham died on 15 or 16 December, but it is generally agreed that to circumvent a law requiring autopsies in cases of death in hospital, he was taken by ambulance, shortly before or shortly after his death, to La Mauresque and it was announced that he had died there on 16 December. 227228; Mander and Mitchenson, p. 204; and Lyttelton and Hart-Davis (1978), p. 195. Entdecke Where to Watch Birds in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire by Ken Hall (Eng in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! The possibility became a certainty when in November 1944, after a six-month illness initially diagnosed as pleurisy, Haxton died of tuberculosis. Between 1908 and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Maugham wrote a further eight plays,[44] but his stage successes did not completely distract him from writing novels. Wilson later admitted that he had not read, Meyers, p. 9; Maugham (1975), p. 15; Coward, pp. [157], For many readers and critics, the best of Maugham is in his short stories. [5] This book, described by Raphael as "an elegant piece of literary malice",[73] is a satire on the literary world and a humorously cynical observation of human mating. "The Razor's Edge," which would be his last important work, was published in 1944. He was one of the most popular authors of his era, and reputedly the highest paid of his profession during the 1930s. He did not wish to follow his brothers to Cambridge University,[23] and his stammer precluded a career in the church or the law even if either had attracted him. [56] The tide of opinion was turned by the influential American novelist and critic Theodore Dreiser, who called Maugham a great artist and the book a work of genius, of the utmost importance, comparable to a Beethoven symphony. At the start of the same war William Somerset Maugham, who chronicled my mentor's life, joined a Red Cross unit in France and served as an ambulance driver, becoming one of what later became to be known as the Literary Ambulance Drivers. William Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular writers of his time, and reputedly the highest paid author of the 1930s. [5] Nevertheless he had a wish to marry, which he later greatly regretted. He traveled in Spain and Italy and in 1908 achieved a theatrical triumphfour plays running in London at oncethat brought him financial security. While there he wrote a farce, Home and Beauty, which was presented at the Playhouse Theatre in August 1919 starring Gladys Cooper and Charles Hawtrey. They visited the Far East together in 191920, keeping Maugham away from home for six months. Last edit on Apr 05, 2021. First, Maugham died two years before Britain's decriminalization in 1967 of same-gender sex behavior. William Somerset Maugham, bedst kendt som bare W. Somerset Maugham, (fdt 25. januar 1874 i Paris, dd 16. december 1965 i Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat nr Nice) var en betydningsfuld engelsk forfatter.. William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the 20th century. Author: w Somerset 1874-1965 Maugham. [n 3] Robert Maugham handled the legal affairs of the British Embassy there, as his eldest surviving son, Charles, later did. Although he was an important influence on many well-known writers, "Maugham's critical stock has remained low". The length of his literary career alone makes him a special case. He was the highest paid author of the 1930s. [136] Among his longest-running comedies were Lady Frederick (1907), Jack Straw (1908), Our Betters (1923)[n 15] and The Constant Wife (1926), which ran in the West End or on Broadway for 422, 321, 548 and 295 performances respectively. Like Of Human Bondage it has a strong female character at its centre, but the two are polar opposites: the malign Mildred in the earlier novel contrasts with the lovable, and much loved, Rosie in Cakes and Ale. Presented by Lady John Hope 1951 Provenance: Commissioned by Somerset Maugham 1949 and given by him to his daughter, Lady Joan Hope Exhibited: Graham Sutherland 1924-51 . ENVOI William Somerset Maugham 25 January 1874 - 16 December 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. the son of a tailor, he dropped his aitches like one of the characters in, Winter and spring at the Mauresque, a few weeks of foreign travel (Austria, Italy, Spain) with a stay at a spa (, Maugham, the disbeliever in ecclesiastical ritual, was buried without ritual but on hallowed ground. During his time in Heidelberg he had his first sexual affair; it was with John Ellingham Brooks, an Englishman ten years his senior. "Rain" (1921) by W. Somerset Maugham is a fish-out-of-water story, in which characters wholly unsuited to their environment become marooned somewhere due to external circumstances. Maughams plays, mainly Edwardian social comedies, soon became dated, but his short stories have increased in popularity. [69] She returned to England and he continued with his work as a secret agent. Explain how this statement is relevant to "Mr. Know-All". Some of the short stories will undoubtedly prove immortal". 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. [153] Rosie appears to be based on Sue Jones, to whom Maugham had proposed in 1913. [146] In London, the National Theatre has presented two Maugham plays since its inception in 1963: Home and Beauty in 1968 and For Services Rendered in 1979. Died. [81] Maugham, as always, observed closely and collected material for his stories wherever they went. William Somerset Maugham (pronounced mawm), was an English novelist, playwright and a short story writer. ivot [ editovat | editovat zdroj] Narodil se v Pai, kde jeho otec pracoval jako prvnk na britsk ambasd. Antonyms for Somerset Maugham. She had the re-mains of good looks, so that you said to yourself that when young . [5] The Painted Veil is a story of marital strife and adultery against the background of a cholera epidemic in Hong Kong. William Somerset Maugham Theatre I THE door opened and Michael Gosselyn looked up. Born in Paris, where his father ran a law firm, he was orphaned by the age of ten and packed off to England, where his three older brothers were already. Maugham wants the readers to draw their own conclusion about the characters and events described in his novels. Morgan describes him: Maugham's biographers have differed considerably about Searle's character and his influence for better or worse on his employer. [132] Morgan comments: In his 1926 short story "The Creative Impulse" Maugham made fun of self-conscious stylists whose books appealed only to a literary clique: "It was indeed a scandal that so distinguished an author, with an imagination so delicate and a style so exquisite, should remain neglected of the vulgar". [173], In a study published thirteen years after Maugham's death, Robert L. Calder notes that the writer's works had been made into forty films and hundreds of radio and television plays, and he suggests "it would be fair to say that no other serious writer's work has been so often presented in other media". The Razor's Edge, the author's last major novel,[5] is described by Sutherland as "Maugham's twentieth-century manifesto for human fulfilment", satirising Western materialism and drawing on Eastern spiritualism as a way to find meaning in existence. William Somerset Maugham, better known as W. Somerset Maugham, was born on January 25, 1874, Paris, France. As a result, they undergo many trials and change as a result or they don't, if it's a tragedy. [72] In the same year Maugham published one of his best-known novels,[73] The Moon and Sixpence, about a respectable stockbroker who rebels against conformity, abandons his wife and children, flees to Tahiti and becomes a painter. The W. Somerset Maugham Collection features: The Moon And Sixpence Of Human Bondage Connon writes, "He was seen by some as a near saint and by others, particularly the Maugham family, as a villain";[5] Hastings labels him "a podgy Iago constantly briefing against [Syrie and Liza]", and quotes Alan Pryce-Jones's summary: "an intriguer, a schemer with a keen eye to his own advantage, a troublemaker". Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). William Somerset Maugham ( 25. ledna 1874, Pa - 16. prosince 1965, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat pobl Nice) byl anglick spisovatel a dramatik . He qualified as a doctor in 1897, but pursued his passion for writing following the publication of his . [70] He arrived in Petrograd in August, too late to influence the outcome: in November, Kerensky was supplanted by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, who took Russia out of the war. This was Maugham's longest-running original play, but a dramatisation of his short story. MR. KNOW-ALL / Somerset Maugham () Bridging Text and Context: Write 80 - 100 words. Dickens . It is the kind of book that an author can only write once. [10] Maugham never greatly liked his middle name which commemorated a great-uncle named after General Sir Henry Somerset[11] and was known by family and friends throughout his life as "Willie". [108] Maugham was distraught; he told his nephew, Robin, "You'll never know how great a grief this has been to me. [106], Haxton was holding down a responsible job in Washington and enjoying his new independence and self-reliance. [8][9] The second son, Frederic, became a barrister, and had a distinguished legal career in Britain The Times described him as "a great legal figure" serving as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (19351938) and Lord Chancellor (19381939). I cannot tell you how I loathe the theatre. He has been a verger in St. Peter's Neville Square Church, doing his duties with great enjoyment and dedication. [175], In Calder's view Maugham's "ability to tell a fascinating story and his dramatic skill" appealed strongly to the makers of films and radio programmes, but his liberal attitudes, disregard of conventional morality and unsentimental view of humanity led adapters to make his stories "blander, safer, and more narrowly moralistic than he had ever conceived them". He was the son of a British diplomat. [43] Punch printed a cartoon of Shakespeare's ghost looking concerned about the ubiquity of Maugham's plays. "[95] Raphael suggests that Maugham now wished to write to please himself rather than others. [80] They then visited San Francisco and sailed to Honolulu and Australia before the final leg of their voyage, to Singapore and the Malay Peninsula, where they remained for six months. His supernatural thriller The Magician (1908) had a principal character modelled on Aleister Crowley, a well-known occultist. [188], In The Summing Up (1938), Maugham wrote of his non-dramatic work, "I have no illusions about my literary position. In a 2004 biography of Maugham, Jeffrey Meyers comments, "His stammer, a psychological and physical handicap, and his gradual awareness of his homosexuality made him furtive and secretive". [22] A family friend found Maugham a position in an accountant's office in London, which he endured for a month before resigning. W. Somerset Maugham, in full William Somerset Maugham, (born Jan. 25, 1874, Paris, Francedied Dec. 16, 1965, Nice), 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. [176] Some of his stories were judged too improper for the cinema; Calder cites an adaptation of the historical novel Then and Now which the Hays Office rejected for thirty-seven separate reasons. [n 17] He was a Commandeur of the Legion of Honour, and an honorary doctor of the universities of Oxford and Toulouse. He was one of the most reputed and well-known . W. Somerset Maugham Height, Weight & Measurements At 91 years old, W. Somerset Maugham height not available right now. (g. 1917-1929) Barn. [24] His uncle ruled out the civil service, believing that it was no longer a career for gentlemen after reforms requiring applicants to pass an entrance examination. She began posting to Twitch in June 2019. [61] He was recruited by Sir John Wallinger, a friend of Syrie, portrayed as the spymaster "R" in the Ashenden stories Maugham wrote after the war. He thinks he's Somerset Maugham." At the height of his powers Maugham would have savoured the excruciating irony: the writer in decline, pumped up on sheep's cells, accused of impersonating . Canterbury was the shrine of, In his effort to achieve a casual tone, "like the conversation of a well-bred man", he used colloquialisms that bordered on clichs. Part one of two of four stories from Somerset's Quartet film. 22. [93] Despite some help from Coward in the drafting and having Ralph Richardson as star and John Gielgud as director, it ran for a modest 83 performances. [1] Maugham trained as a medical doctor at St. Thomas's hospital's medical school, London, but then decided to become a full-time writer. It is all very well for you, you are author, actor and producer. Graham Sutherland 1903-80 Portrait of Somerset Maugham 1949 N06034 Oil on canvas 1373 x 637 (54 1/16 x 25 1/16) Inscribed in black paint with pale highlights 'Sutherland 1949'over another inscription 'Suther[. [83], In Maugham's absence his wife found an occupation, becoming a sought-after interior designer. [44] Too old to enlist when the First World War broke out, he served in France as a volunteer ambulance driver for the British Red Cross. [144] Trewin singles out The Circle, calling it one of the great comedies of the 20th century, and comparing it with Congreve's The Way of the World, to the disadvantage of the latter: "He can put Congreve to shame in the task of telling a theatrical story telling it clearly and without inessentials". About. Maugham wrote of Haxton: After the South Seas trip Maugham visited the US and was joined by Syrie. (1874-1965), Novelist, playwright and spy. Author dvdnt [pro] 132. 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