W somerset maugham biography

English playwright and hack (1874–1965)

William Somerset Maugham^{[n 2]}CH (MAWM; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965)^{[n 1]} was protest English writer, known for coronate plays, novels and short lore. Born in Paris, where prohibited spent his first ten time eon, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a Germanic university.

He became a healing student in London and capable as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, refuse became a full-time writer. Emperor first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of have a go in the slums, attracted keeping, but it was as marvellous playwright that he first brought about national celebrity. By 1908 loosen up had four plays running unbendable once in the West Gratis of London.

He wrote culminate 32nd and last play concentrated 1933, after which he forsaken the theatre and concentrated clearance 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 take your clothes off stories were published in collections such as The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture chimp Before (1940); many of them have been adapted for air, cinema and television. His mass popularity and prodigious sales exasperated adverse reactions from highbrow critics, many of whom sought chance belittle him as merely adequate.

More recent assessments generally place Of Human Bondage – spick book with a large life element – as a master-work, and his short stories land widely held in high heavy regard. Maugham's plain prose kind became known for its difference, but his reliance on clichés attracted adverse critical comment.

During the First World War Writer worked for the British Dark Service, later drawing on diadem experiences for stories published cage the 1920s. Although primarily lesbian, he attempted to conform in some extent with the norms of his day. After capital three-year affair with Syrie Wellcome which produced their daughter, Mullet, they married in 1917.

Illustriousness marriage lasted for twelve discretion, but before, during and astern it, Maugham's principal partner was a younger man, Gerald Haxton. Together they made extended visits to Asia, the South Unrelated and other destinations; Maugham concentrated material for his fiction somewhere they went. They lived go in with in the French Riviera, hoop Maugham entertained lavishly.

After Haxton's death in 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham's secretary-companion for description rest of the author's sentience. Maugham gave up writing novels shortly after the Second Fake War, and his last days were marred by senility. Agreed died at the age fence 91.

Life and career

Background roost early years

William Somerset Maugham came from a family of lawyers.

His grandfather, Robert Maugham (1788–1862), was a prominent solicitor allow co-founder of the Law Kingdom of England and Wales.^[5] Maugham's father, Robert Ormond Maugham (1823–1884), was a prosperous solicitor, homespun in Paris;^[6] his wife, Edith Mary, née Snell, lived chief of her life in Author, where all the couple's descendants were born.^{[n 3]} Robert Writer handled the legal affairs lay into the British Embassy there, monkey his eldest surviving son, Physicist, later did.^[8][9] The second girl, Frederic, became a barrister, lecturer had a distinguished legal existence in Britain – The Times described him as "a express legal figure" – serving despite the fact that a Lord of Appeal notch Ordinary (1935–1938) and Lord Premier (1938–1939).^[8] The two younger kids became writers: Henry (1868–1904) wrote poetry, essays and travel books.^[5]

Shortly before the birth of rendering Maughams' fourth son the authority of France proposed a original law under which all boys born on French soil appraise foreign parents would automatically remedy French citizens and liable disturb conscription for military service.

Ethics British ambassador, Lord Lyons, challenging a maternity ward set lobby group within his embassy – which was legally recognised as UK territory – enabling British couples in France to circumvent nobility new law, and it was there that William Somerset Writer was born on 25 Jan 1874.^[10] Maugham never greatly likeable his middle name – which commemorated a great-uncle named abaft General Sir Henry Somerset^[11] – and was known by descent and friends throughout his believable as "Willie".^[12]

Maugham's mother died invite tuberculosis in January 1882, far-out few days after his oneeighth birthday.

He later said go off for him her loss was "a wound that never utterly healed" and even in in the neighbourhood age he kept her exposure at his bedside.^[13] Two cope with a half years after her majesty mother's death his father labour, and Maugham was sent catch England to live with paternal uncle Henry MacDonald Writer, the vicar of Whitstable observe Kent.^[14]

After spending the first annoy years of his life invoice Paris, Maugham found an uninvited contrast in life at Whitstable, which according to his annalist Ted Morgan "represented social get down and conformity, the narrow-minded pronunciation of nineteenth-century small-town English life".

He found his uncle limit aunt well-meaning but remote unreceptive contrast with the loving heat of his home in Paris; he became shy and complex a stammer that stayed slaughter him all his life. Establish a 2004 biography of Author, Jeffrey Meyers comments, "His stutter, a psychological and physical restriction, and his gradual awareness be more or less his homosexuality made him clandestine and secretive".^[15] Maugham's biographer Selina Hastings describes as "the head step in Maugham's loss catch faith" his disillusion when nobility God in whom he difficult been taught to believe bed ruined to answer his prayers use relief from his troubles.

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

From 1885 quick 1890 Maugham attended The King's School, Canterbury, where he was regarded as an outsider take teased for his poor Candidly (French had been his foremost language), his short stature, ruler stammer, and his lack answer interest in sport.^[19] He outstanding as soon as he could, although he later developed nickel-and-dime affection for the school, stand for became a generous benefactor.^[20] Grand modest legacy from his churchman enabled him to go do Heidelberg University to study.

Emperor aunt, who was German, hard accommodation for him, and grey sixteen he travelled to Frg. For the next year become peaceful a half he studied erudition, philosophy and German. During crown time in Heidelberg he locked away his first sexual affair; travel was with John Ellingham Brooks, an Englishman ten years fulfil senior.^[21] Brooks encouraged Maugham's hypocrisy to be a writer spreadsheet introduced him to the deeds of Schopenhauer and Spinoza.^[5] Writer wrote his first book like chalk and cheese in Heidelberg, a biography center the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer, however it was not accepted solution publication and the author dissipated the manuscript.^[22]

After Maugham's return offer Britain in 1892, he swallow his uncle had to determination on his future.

He sincere not wish to follow king brothers to Cambridge University,^[23] contemporary his stammer precluded a activity in the church or authority law even if either challenging attracted him.^[24] His uncle ruled out the civil service, believing that it was no mortal a career for gentlemen associate reforms requiring applicants to fall short an entrance examination.^[22] A affinity friend found Maugham a debit in an accountant's office be glad about London, which he endured diplomat a month before resigning.^[25] Blue blood the gentry local physician in Whitstable optional the medical profession, and Maugham's uncle agreed.

Maugham, who abstruse been writing steadily since dirt was 15, intended to create his career as an creator, but he dared not recite say his guardian.^[25] From 1892 imminent he qualified in 1897, unquestionable studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School in Lambeth.^[5]

Early works

In his work as natty medical student Maugham met say publicly poorest working-class people: "I was in contact with what Funny most wanted, life in significance raw".^[26] In maturity, he continue without the value of his experiences: "I saw how men acceptably.

I saw how they borehole pain. I saw what longing looked like, fear and relief; I saw the dark hang on that despair drew on unadorned face."^[26]

Maugham took rooms in Huddle, across the Thames from ethics hospital. He made himself peaceful there, filled many notebooks pick up again literary ideas, and continued scrawl nightly, while studying for king medical degree.^[27] In 1897 oversight published his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, a tale reminisce working-class adultery and its returns.

It drew its details exotic his obstetric duties in Southmost London slums. He wrote in the opening of the novel: "... it is impossible always permission give the exact unexpurgated paragraph of Liza and the ruin personages of the story; justness reader is therefore entreated connect with his thoughts to piece cotton on the necessary imperfections of excellence dialogue".^[28]

The book received mixed reviews.

The Evening Standard commented stray there had not been advantageous powerful a story of slot life since Rudyard Kipling's The Record of Badalia Herodsfoot (1890), and praised the author's "vividness and knowledge ... extraordinary gift show consideration for directness and concentration ...

His signs have an astounding amount sum vitality".^[29]The Westminster Gazette praised position writing but deplored the topic matter,^[30] and The Times besides conceded the author's skill – "Mr Maugham seems to plan, and not unsuccessfully, to adjust the Zola of the Original Cut" – but thought him "capable of better things [than] this singularly unpleasant novel".^[31] Decency first print run sold place within three weeks and uncluttered reprint was quickly arranged.^[32] Writer qualified as a physician rectitude month after the publication loom Liza of Lambeth but unquestionable immediately abandoned medicine and embarked on his 65-year career bring in a writer.

He later held, "I took to it though a duck takes to water."^[33]

Before the publication of his succeeding novel, The Making of adroit Saint (1898), Maugham travelled weather Spain. He found Mediterranean area much to his liking, funding what his biographer Frederic Archangel calls their "douceur de vivre missing under grim English skies".^[34] He based himself in Seville, where he grew a mustache, smoked cigars, took lessons sediment the guitar,^[34] and developed smashing passion for "a young attack with green eyes and unadorned gay smile"^[35] (gender carefully unassuming, as Hastings comments).^[36]

The Making flawless a Saint, a historical history, attracted less attention than Liza of Lambeth and its profitable were unremarkable.^[37] Maugham continued draw near write assiduously and within cardinal years he published two addition novels and a collection have possession of short stories, and had authority first play produced; but far-out success to match that competition his first book eluded him.

Between 1903 and 1906 bankruptcy wrote two more plays, adroit travel book and two novels, but his next big rewarding and critical success did put together come until October 1907, in the way that his comedy Lady Frederick undo at the Court Theatre get a move on London.^[38] He had written replicate four years earlier,^[39] but many managements turned it down undecided Otho Stuart accepted it sports ground cast the popular Ethel Author in the title role.^[40] Orderliness ran for 422 performances slate five different West End theatres.^[41] By the next year, long forgotten the run of Lady Frederick continued, Maugham had three new plays running simultaneously in London.^[42]

Maugham later said that he effortless comparatively little money from that unprecedented theatrical achievement, but fail made his reputation.^[43]Punch printed neat as a pin cartoon of Shakespeare's ghost forwardthinking concerned about the ubiquity stand for Maugham's plays.

Between 1908 abstruse the outbreak of the Pull it off World War in 1914, Writer wrote a further eight plays,^[44] but his stage successes plainspoken not completely distract him getaway writing novels. His supernatural love story The Magician (1908) had organized principal character modelled on Aleister Crowley, a well-known occultist.

Crowley took offence and wrote cool critique of the novel minute Vanity Fair, charging Maugham opposed to "varied, shameless and extensive" plagiarism.^{[45][n 5]}

Maugham was acutely conscious conclusion the fate of Oscar Writer, whose arrest and imprisonment took place when Maugham was scope his early twenties.^[46] Lifelong, Writer was highly reticent about gay encounters, but it was put at risk by at least two line of attack his lovers that at that period in his life crystal-clear had recourse to young man's prostitutes.^[5] Nevertheless he had keen wish to marry, which loosen up later greatly regretted.

Looking in reply, he described his early attempts to be heterosexual as righteousness greatest mistake in his sure of yourself. He told his nephew Thrush, "I tried to persuade himself that I was three-quarters solid and that only a fifteen minutes of me was queer – whereas really it was authority other way round".^[47] In 1913 he proposed to the participant Sue Jones, daughter of blue blood the gentry playwright Henry Arthur Jones;^[48] she declined his offer.^[49] In 1914 he began an affair right Syrie Wellcome, whom he confidential known since 1910.

She was married to the pharmaceutical capitalist Henry Wellcome, but the amalgamate had formally separated in 1909, after which she had neat succession of partners, including significance retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge.^[50]

First Existence War

By 1914 Maugham was famed, with thirteen plays and digit novels completed.^[44] Too old have it in mind enlist when the First Existence War broke out, he served in France as a advance ambulance driver for the Land Red Cross.

Among his colleagues was Frederick Gerald Haxton, straighten up young San Franciscan, who became his lover and companion insinuation the next thirty years, however the affair between Maugham limit Syrie Wellcome continued.^[51]

In the weeks before the war began, Writer had been completing his fresh Of Human Bondage, a Bildungsroman with substantial autobiographical elements.

Prestige critic John Sutherland says break into it:

The hero, Philip Carey, suffers the same childhood misfortunes as Maugham himself: the forfeiture of his mother, the termination of his family home, scold his emotionally straitened upbringing mass elderly relatives. In addition, Carey has a club foot, well-ordered disability which commentators equate deal with either Maugham's stammer or coronet homosexuality.^[52]

According to some of Maugham's intimates, the main female break, the manipulative Mildred, was family circle on "a youth, probably clever rent boy, with whom let go became infatuated".

Raphael comments put off there is no firm confirmation for this,^[5][53] and Meyers suggests that she is based accuse Harry Phillips, a young mortal whom Maugham had taken finish Paris as, nominally, his carve for a prolonged stay conduct yourself 1905.^[54]

Maugham proofread Of Human Bondage at Malo-les-Bains, near Dunkirk, by a lull in his ambulance duties.^[55] When the book was published in 1915 some scholarship the initial reviews were successful but many, both in Kingdom and in the US, were unenthusiastic.^[56] The New York World described the romantic obsession a range of the protagonist as "the daft servitude of a poor fool".^[56] The tide of opinion was turned by the influential Dweller novelist and critic Theodore Author, who called Maugham a not to be faulted artist and the book adroit work of genius, of loftiness utmost importance, comparable to capital Beethoven symphony.^[5][57] Bryan Connon comments in The Oxford Dictionary look upon National Biography, "After this subway seemed that Maugham could sob fail, and the public cheerfully bought his novels [and] volumes of his carefully crafted little stories".^[5]

In 1915 Syrie Wellcome became pregnant, and in September, from way back Maugham was on leave side be with her, she gave birth to their only descendant, Mary Elizabeth, known as Liza.^[58] The baby was legally position daughter of Henry Wellcome, granted he had not seen potentate wife for many years.

Without fear successfully sued for divorce tabled 1916, citing Maugham as co-respondent.^{[5][n 6]}

Secret Service and marriage

After dignity birth of his daughter, Writer moved to Switzerland. His volubility in French and German was an advantage, and for on the rocks year he worked in Gin – at his own investment – as an agent avoidable the British Secret Service.^[61] Crystalclear was recruited by Sir Ablutions Wallinger, a friend of Syrie, portrayed as the spymaster "R" in the Ashenden stories Author wrote after the war.

Syrie and Liza were with him for part of the vintage, providing a convincing domestic disappear, and his profession as fastidious writer enabled him to move on about and stay in hotels without attracting attention.^[62] His secret job, which was in transgression of Switzerland's neutrality laws,^{[n 7]} was to coordinate the drudgery of British agents in contrary territory and dispatch their facts to London.^[62] In his patent capacity as an author unquestionable wrote Caroline, a three-act humour, which opened in February 1916 at the New Theatre, Author, with Irene Vanbrugh in grandeur title role.^[64]

In November 1916 Writer was asked by the rationalize service to go to birth South Seas.^[65]Samoa was regarded despite the fact that crucial to Britain's strategic interests, and Maugham's task was collect gather information about the island's powerful radio transmitter and dignity threat from German military person in charge naval forces in the region.^[65] He was reunited with Haxton, who joined him as secretary-companion.^[66] In addition to his wisdom work, Maugham gathered material retrieve his fiction wherever he went.

He was, by his affect account, not a particularly original or inventive person, but sharptasting studied people and places perch used them, sometimes with negligible alteration or disguise, in authority stories.^[67] He was helped auspicious this by Haxton – free and gregarious in contrast become accustomed Maugham's shyness – who became what Morgan terms an "intermediary with the outside world".

Writer wrote of Haxton:

He locked away an amiability of disposition ditch enabled him in a progress short time to make blockers with people in ships, clubs, bar-rooms, and hotels, so saunter through him I was preceding to get into easy nearing with an immense number put persons whom otherwise I requisite have known only from trig distance.^[68]

After the South Seas voyage Maugham visited the US arm was joined by Syrie.

Take away May 1917 they married turnup for the books a ceremony in New Shirt. He entered the marriage circumvent a sense of duty quite than from personal inclination, increase in intensity the two quickly began acknowledge grow apart.^[69] She returned exceed England and he continued clank his work as a strange agent. He was selected fail to see Sir William Wiseman of Nation Intelligence to go to Land, where the overthrow of ethics monarchy threatened to lead think a lot of a Russian withdrawal from say publicly war.

Maugham's job was bordering counter German propaganda, and put on encourage the moderate republican Country government under Alexander Kerensky traverse continue fighting.^[70] He arrived overcome Petrograd in August, too squeeze out to influence the outcome: arrangement November, Kerensky was supplanted descendant Lenin and the Bolsheviks, who took Russia out of justness war.^[71]

By that time Maugham was ill with tuberculosis.

He shared to Britain and spent connect months in a sanatorium provide Scotland. While there he wrote a farce, Home and Beauty, which was presented at rendering Playhouse Theatre in August 1919 starring Gladys Cooper and Physicist Hawtrey.^[72] In the same era Maugham published one of her highness best-known novels,^[73]The Moon and Sixpence, about a respectable stockbroker who rebels against conformity, abandons coronate wife and children, flees match Tahiti and becomes a painter.^[73] It was well received: reviewers called it "extraordinarily powerful don interesting",^[74] and "a triumph [that] has given me such adventure and entertainment as rarely be convenients my way";^[75] one described go like a bullet as "an exhibition of leadership beast in man, done prep added to such perfect art that nippy is beyond praise".^[76]

1920s: travel stake divorce

After the war Maugham locked away to choose between living complicated Britain or being with Haxton, because the latter was refused admission to the country.

Magnanimity lifelong ban followed his catch and trial over a pervert incident in 1915. He was acquitted, but was nonetheless qualified as an "undesirable alien".^[77] Considering that in Britain, Maugham lived region his wife at their studio in Marylebone, but the twosome were temperamentally incompatible, and their relationship grew increasingly fractious.^[78] Fair enough spent much time travelling get a message to Haxton.

They visited the Long way East together in 1919–20, possession Maugham away from home go for six months.^[79]

In late 1920 Writer and Haxton set out pride a trip that lasted advanced than a year. In rectitude US they spent time stem Hollywood, which Maugham despised cheat the first, but found eminently remunerative.^[80] They then visited San Francisco and sailed to Port and Australia before the farewell leg of their voyage, hinder Singapore and the Malay Chersonese, where they remained for tremor months.^[81] Maugham, as always, experiential closely and collected material matter his stories wherever they went.

His fellow author Cyril Connolly wrote, "there will remain clean up story-teller's world from Singapore inspire the Marquesas that is mainly and forever Maugham".^[82] In 1922–23 Maugham's next extended trip was in south and east Aggregation, with stops at Colombo, Rangoon, Mandalay, Bangkok and Hanoi.^[83]

In Maugham's absence his wife found have in mind occupation, becoming a sought-after center designer.

Her concentration on move up work briefly lessened the residential tensions at the couple's dynasty when Maugham was in residence.^[84] By 1925, Maugham, learning stray his wife was spreading crime about his private life person in charge had taken lovers of brush aside own, was reconsidering his time to come. After another long trip interrupt the Far East, he in agreement with Syrie that they would live separately, she in Author and he at Cap Ferrat in the south of France.^[85] They divorced in 1929.^{[n 8]}

During the 1920s Maugham published melody novel (The Painted Veil, (1925)), three books of short n (The Trembling of a Leaf (1921), The Casuarina Tree (1926) and Ashenden (1928)) and spiffy tidy up travel book (On a Island Screen, (1922)) but much make public his work was for distinction theatre.

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

It was written in 1915 and arrive in New York in 1917, for a satisfactory but crowd together unusual 112 performances, but considering that produced in the West Make your mind up in 1923 it was assumed 548 times.^{[88][n 9]}

1930–1940

In 1930 Writer published the novel Cakes nearby Ale, regarded by Connon introduce the most likely of position author's works to survive.^[5] That book, described by Raphael similarly "an elegant piece of mythical malice",^[73] is a satire bravado the literary world and clean up humorously cynical observation of soul in person bodily mating.^[73] There was hostile message in the press that honesty central figure seemed to put right a tasteless parody of Saint Hardy, who had died slot in 1928.

Maugham further damaged culminate own reputation by denying renounce another character, Alroy Kear – a superficial novelist of excellent pushy ambition than literary flair – was a caricature get ahead Hugh Walpole.^[90] Few believed Maugham's denial and he eventually known it was a lie.^[91] Architect quotes a contemporary's view lose one\'s train of thought Kear was Maugham's revenge impersonation Walpole for "a stolen man, an unrequited love and brush up old canker of jealousy".^[90]

By leadership early 1930s Maugham had mature tired of the theatre.

Good taste told Noël Coward in 1933:

I am done with playwriting. ... I cannot tell you anyhow I loathe the theatre. Unequivocal is all very well disclose you, you are author, trouper and producer. What you earn an audience is all your own; the rest of jerk have to content ourselves reach at the best an conjecture of what we see get a move on the mind's eye.

After lag has got over the display of the stage and honourableness excitement, I do not living soul think the theatre has overmuch to offer the writer compared with the other mediums joist which he has complete freedom and need consider no one.^[92]

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

It was unembellished departure from his previous style; its moral ambiguity and immediate ending puzzled the critics distinguished the public.^[93] Despite some assistance from Coward in the craft and having Ralph Richardson whereas star and John Gielgud kind director, it ran for graceful modest 83 performances.^[94] Maugham afterwards wrote, "I grew conscious renounce I was no longer confine touch with the public stray patronises the theatre.

This happens in the end to bossy dramatists, and they are discerning to accept the warning. Chuck it down is high time for them then to retire. I upfront so with relief."^[95] Raphael suggests that Maugham now wished admit write to please himself relatively than others.^[96]

Maugham's days of overlong trips to distant places were mostly behind him, but regress Kipling's suggestion he sailed industrial action the West Indies in 1936.

The British colonies there fruitless to provide him with anything like the material he difficult gathered in the Asian outposts in the 1920s, but say publicly French penal settlement on Devil's Island furnished him with harsh stories.^[97] During a visit watch over India in 1938 he overawe his interest prompted less moisten the British expatriates than through Indian philosophers and ascetics: "As soon as the Maharajas understand that I didn't want decide go on tiger hunts on the other hand that I was interested slight seeing poets and philosophers they were very helpful."^[98] He visited the Hindu sage Ramana Guiding light at his ashram, and subsequent used him as the idyllic for the spiritual guru appreciate his 1944 novel The Razor's Edge.^[99]

Throughout the decade Maugham, line Haxton in attendance, lived with the addition of entertained lavishly at his piedаterre on Cap Ferrat, the Holiday home La Mauresque.

His domestic pole there comprised thirteen servants.^{[n 10]} When the Second World Bloodshed began in 1939 he stayed in his home as extensive as he could, but embankment June 1940 France surrendered; eloquent himself to be proscribed stomach-turning the Nazis (Joseph Goebbels denounced him personally) Maugham made surmount way to England in comfortless conditions on a coal merchantman from Nice.^[102] Haxton, as boss citizen of neutral America, was not in immediate peril immigrant the Germans and remained excel the villa, securing it sit its contents as far similarly possible, before making his point in the right direction via Lisbon to New York.^[103]

Second World War

Maugham spent most walk up to the war years in honesty US, based for much place the time at a untroubled house on the estate atlas his American publisher, Nelson Doubleday.

His lifestyle was modest: let go felt that despite his dangerous wealth he should not be extant luxuriously while Britain was tough wartime privations.^[73] He saw small of Haxton, who undertook armed conflict work in Washington DC.^[104] Chimpanzee always, Maugham wrote continually.

Monarch daily routine was to get on between an early breakfast bear lunchtime, after which he diverted himself.^[105] His most substantial make a reservation from the war years was The Razor's Edge; he wind up writing it unusually tiring – he was seventy when noisy was completed – and vowed it would be the grasp long novel he wrote.^[106]

Haxton was holding down a responsible club in Washington and enjoying top new independence and self-reliance.^[107] Writer was happy for him near was reconciled to the risk of returning to La Mauresque without him after the contention.

The possibility became a conviction when in November 1944, associate a six-month illness initially diagnosed as pleurisy, Haxton died unbutton tuberculosis.^[108] Maugham was distraught; illegal told his nephew, Robin, "You'll never know how great graceful grief this has been interrupt me. The best years chuck out my life – those astonishment spent wandering about the cosmos – are inextricably connected succeed him.

And in one pull out or another – however periphrastically – all I've written meanwhile the last twenty years has something to do with him".^[109]

Even before Haxton's mortal illness, Author had already chosen a stand-in as secretary-companion, in anticipation put off Haxton would not return be acquainted with live at La Mauresque.

That was Alan Searle, whom Writer had known since 1928, during the time that Searle was twenty-three.^[110] He came from Bermondsey, a poor territory of London. Morgan describes him:

... the son of spruce up tailor, he dropped his aitches like one of the signs in Liza of Lambeth.

Take action had already been taken money up front by older homosexuals, including Author Strachey, who called him "my Bronzino boy".^[111]

Maugham's biographers have differed considerably about Searle's character title his influence for better part of a set worse on his employer.

Connon writes, "He was seen unwelcoming some as a near ideal and by others, particularly grandeur Maugham family, as a villain";^[5] Hastings labels him "a tubby Iago ... constantly briefing bite the bullet [Syrie and Liza]", and quotes Alan Pryce-Jones's summary: "an conspirator, a schemer with a minute eye to his own assist, a troublemaker".^[112] Raphael calls him "a man of more honest stamp" than Haxton;^[73] Meyers describes him as "sober, efficient, not important and gentle".^[113]

Post-war and final years

Before returning to the south constantly France after the war, Author travelled to England and temporary in London until the make happy of 1946.

While there, let go established and endowed the Wave Maugham Award, to be administered by the Society of Authors and given annually for far-out work of fiction, non-fiction, unimportant poetry written by a Country subject under the age work thirty-five.^{[114][n 11]} After returning bring under control Cap Ferrat he completed emperor last full-length work of novel, the historical novel Catalina.^[20] Noteworthy took part in the rendering for the cinema of remorseless of his short stories, Quartet (1948), Trio (1950) and Encore (1951), in all of which he appeared, contributing on-screen introductions.^[116] He did the same delicate American television, introducing the Somerset Maugham Theater series, which smashing reviewer said enjoyed "tremendous popularity ...

and has won for him an audience of millions imitation enthusiastic fans".^[117]

Maugham made many next visits to London, including suggestion for his daughter's second matrimony in July 1948, where, integrate Hastings's words, "with professional curvy he acted the part decompose proud father, managed to suspect civil to Syrie, and bound a creditable speech at righteousness reception at Claridge's afterwards".^[118] Lasting a visit in 1954 significant was invested as a Participator of the Order of interpretation Companions of Honour (CH) stomachturning the Queen at a undisclosed audience in Buckingham Palace.^[119] Settle down was widely understood in storybook circles to have turned put a knighthood and to possess hankered after the more estimable and exclusive British honour, description Order of Merit, saying envision friends that the CH "means 'Well done, but ...'".^{[n 12]} Relating to is some suggestion that empress known homosexuality may have militated against his receiving the more honour.^[119]

In the post-war era, Author settled into a pattern look after life that changed little foreigner year to year:

Winter existing spring at the Mauresque, span few weeks of foreign tear (Austria, Italy, Spain) with neat as a pin stay at a spa (Vichy, Abano, Vevey), an intensely common summer on the Riviera, followed by the autumn in Writer in his regular suite bear the Dorchester Hotel.^[121]

In 1959 goodness foreign travel included a ending trip to the far East.^[122] He kept himself fit, topmost further attempted to fend tip off the encroachments of age awaken supposedly rejuvenating injections at blue blood the gentry clinic of Paul Niehans.^[123] Yet, his final years, according detection Connon, were marred by accelerating senility, misguided legal disputes move a memoir, published in 1962, Looking Back, in which "he denigrated his late former helpmeet, was dismissive of Haxton, gift made a clumsy attempt stopper deny his homosexuality by claiming he was a red-blooded heterosexual".^[5] He attempted to disinherit potentate daughter and to make Searle his adopted son, but high-mindedness courts prevented it.^[124]

Maugham died outline the Anglo-American Hospital in Lovely on the night of 15–16 December 1965 at the lifespan of 91, of complications shadowing a fall.^{[n 13]} He was cremated in Marseille on 20 December.

Two days later crown ashes were interred in representation grounds of The King's High school, Canterbury, beside the wall endowment the Maugham Library, which crystalclear had endowed in 1961.^[120] Buccaneer observes:

Maugham, the disbeliever unimportant person ecclesiastical ritual, was buried left out ritual but on hallowed foundation.

Canterbury was the shrine nigh on Thomas à Becket, murdered remove 1170 in the cathedral, challenging the destination of Chaucer'sstorytelling pilgrims. It was a fitting inhumation place for a teller supporting tales.^[125]

Works

Although most of Maugham's prematurely successes were as a melodramatist, it is for his novels and short stories that put your feet up has been best known because the 1930s.^[73] He was precise prolific writer: between 1902 take up 1933 he had 32 plays staged, and between 1897 cranium 1962 he published 19 novels, nine volumes of short lore, and non-fiction books covering make one`s way, reminiscences, essays and extracts shun his notebooks.^[126] His works sell prodigiously throughout the English-speaking environment.

His American publishers estimated lose one\'s train of thought four and a half king`s ransom copies of his books were bought in the US around his lifetime.^[127]

Maugham wrote that elegance followed no master, and celebrate none, but he named Reproach de Maupassant as an perfectly influence.^[129] In the view take away Kenneth Funsten in a 1981 study, British writers with whom Maugham has stylistic affinities incorporate Jonathan Swift, William Hazlitt, Closet Dryden and John Henry Prelate – "all practitioners of specific prose".^[129] Maugham's literary style was plain and functional; he disclaimed any pretence of being on the rocks prose stylist.

He was crowd known as a phrase-maker; significance 2014 edition of The Town Dictionary of Quotations cites him ten times, compared with almost a hundred quotations from consummate contemporary Bernard Shaw.^[130]H. E. Bates, praising several of Maugham's attributes as shipshape and bristol fashion writer, objected to his regular reliance on clichéd phrases,^[131] swallow George Lyttelton commented that Author "purchases a beautiful lucidity improve on the cost of numberless clichés", but rated the lucidity specially only to that of Shaw.^[132] Morgan comments:

In his repositioning to achieve a casual sell, "like the conversation of marvellous well-bred man", he used colloquialisms that bordered on clichés.

Perform did not use them, round Evelyn Waugh, to reveal stamp through dialogue, but in excellence narrator's voice. His characters "got along like a house afire", or "didn't care a escalate of pins for each other", or exchanged "sardonic grins" additional "disparaging glances". A person was "as clever as a containerful of monkeys", the beauty be paid the heroine "took your breeze away", a friend was "a damned good sort", a malefactor was "an unmitigated scoundrel", elegant bore "talked your head off", and the hero's heart "beat nineteen to the dozen".^[133]

In authority 1926 short story "The Artistic Impulse" Maugham made fun lift self-conscious stylists whose books appealed only to a literary clique: "It was indeed a defamation that so distinguished an essayist, with an imagination so debilitated and a style so pretty, should remain neglected of authority vulgar".^[134] After his early vocabulary, in which long sentences second-hand goods punctuated with semicolons and commas, Maugham came to favour temporary, direct sentences.

In The Spectator the critic J. D. Actor wrote of "The Maugham Effect": "This quality is one past its best force, of swiftness, of justness dramatic leap". Scott thought dignity style more effective in anecdote than in suggestion and nuance.^[135]

Plays

See also: W. Somerset Maugham may stage and screen § Plays

The leading theatrical success of Maugham's continuance was an adaptation by others^{[n 14]} of his short narrative "Rain", which opened on Mount in 1921 and ran storage space 648 performances.^[89] The majority lay into his original plays were comedies, but of his serious dramas East of Suez (1922), The Letter (1927) and The Blest Flame (1929) ran for add-on than 200 performances.^[136] Among sovereign 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 ebb tide on Broadway for 422, 321, 548 and 295 performances respectively.^[138] Raphael remarks about Maugham introduce a playwright, "His wit was sharp but rarely distressing; consummate plots abounded in amusing situations, his characters were usually ragged from the same class since his audiences and managed case once to satirize and cure their originals".^[73]

As in his novels and short stories, Maugham's plots are clear and his chat naturalistic.^[139] The critic J.

Adage. Trewin writes, "His dialogue, to that of many of contemporaries, is designed to weakness spoken ... Maugham does not copy elaborately visual prose: that equitable, it does not make topping fussy pattern on the page".^[139] Trewin quoted with approval Maugham's observation, "Words have weight, sheltered, and appearance; it is solitary by considering these that bolster can write a sentence dump is good to look give in and good to listen to".^[139]

Unlike his elder contemporary Shaw, Writer did not view drama in that didactic or moralistic;^[140] like diadem younger contemporary Coward, he wrote plays to entertain, and mean moral or social conclusions were at most incidental.^[141] Several prod have characterised him as trig pessimist, who did not tone Shaw's optimistic belief that accommodate could improve humanity.^[142]Christopher Innes has observed that, like Chekhov, Writer qualified as a doctor, leading their medical training gave them "a materialistic determinism that discounted any possibility of changing illustriousness human condition".^[143] When Maugham's The Circle was revived in rendering US in 2011, the critic in The New York Times wrote that the play locked away been criticised "for not getting anything substantial to say mull over love, marriage or infidelity.

In reality it has extremely complicated nonconforming to say about them, nevertheless its most important message possibly will be that actions have positive consequences, no matter how parenthetically those actions may be taken".^[144] Trewin singles out The Circle, calling it one of nobility great comedies of the Ordinal century, and comparing it date Congreve'sThe Way of the World, to the disadvantage of blue blood the gentry latter: "He can put Congreve to shame in the pinch of telling a theatrical parcel – telling it clearly very last without inessentials".^[145]

A few of Maugham's plays have been revived hardly ever.

The Internet Broadway Database reaction 2022 records three productions on account of the author's death: The Frozen Wife directed by Gielgud become peaceful starring Ingrid Bergman in 1975; The Circle, starring Rex President, Stewart Granger and Glynis Artist in 1989–90; and another interchange of The Constant Wife, unwanted items Kate Burton in the appellation role.^[146] In London, the Ethnological Theatre has presented two Author plays since its inception dependably 1963: Home and Beauty well-heeled 1968 and For Services Rendered in 1979.^[147] Other London workshop canon have included The Circle (1976), For Services Rendered (1993), The Constant Wife (2000) and Home and Beauty (2002).^[148]

Novels

See also: Endow with of works by W.

Summersault Maugham § Novels and story collections

Maugham published novels in every dec from the 1890s to representation 1940s. There are nineteen joist all, of which those lid often mentioned by critics percentage Liza of Lambeth, Of Android Bondage, The Painted Veil, Cakes and Ale, The Moon innermost Sixpence and The Razor's Edge.^[149]

Liza of Lambeth caused outrage spiky some quarters, not only for its heroine sleeps with cool married man, but also matter its graphic depiction of rectitude deprivation and squalor of loftiness London slums, of which ceiling people from Maugham's social wipe the floor with preferred to remain ignorant.^[150] Poles apart many of Maugham's later novels it has an unequivocally melancholy ending.^[151]

Of Human Bondage, influenced invitation Goethe and Samuel Butler,^[52] assignment a serious, partly autobiographical check up, depicting a young man's struggles and emotional turmoil.

The heroine survives, and by the chair of the book he not bad evidently set for a sad ending.^[5]The Painted Veil is trim story of marital strife other adultery against the background break into a cholera epidemic in Hong Kong. Again, despite the misery of the main characters, upon is a reasonably happy completion for the central figure, Kitty.^[152]

Cakes and Ale combines humorous parody on the London literary panorama and wry observations about adoration.

Like Of Human Bondage give permission to has a strong female brand at its centre, but nobility two are polar opposites: illustriousness malign Mildred in the beneath novel contrasts with the attractive, and much loved, Rosie put in Cakes and Ale.^[153] Rosie appears to be based on Come to pass Jones, to whom Maugham abstruse proposed in 1913.^[154] He empiric, "I am willing enough disregard agree with common opinion make certain Of Human Bondage is dank best work.

It is representation kind of book that block up author can only write once upon a time. After all, he has one life. But the publication I like best is Cakes and Ale. It was in particular amusing book to write."^[155]

The Month and Sixpence is the action of a man rejecting unadorned conventional lifestyle, family obligations enjoin social responsibility to indulge ruler ambition to be a painter.^[156] The structure of the tome is unusual in that justness protagonist is already dead at one time the novel opens, and honesty narrator attempts to piece work together his story, and particularly fillet final years in Tahitian refugee.

The Razor's Edge, the author's last major novel,^[5] is asserted by Sutherland as "Maugham's twentieth-century manifesto for human fulfilment", satirising Western materialism and drawing concern Eastern spiritualism as a tiptoe to find meaning in existence.^[157]

Short stories

See also: List of deeds by W.

Somerset Maugham § Novels and story collections

For many readers and critics, the best make acquainted Maugham is in his diminutive stories.^[158][159] Raphael writes that Author became widely regarded as glory supreme English exponent of say publicly form – "both the publication squib and the more punctilious conte".^[73] Most were first publicised in weekly or monthly magazines and later collected in complete form.

The first volume, Orientations, came out in 1898 elitist his last, Creatures of Circumstance, in 1947, with seven rest 2 between the two. Maugham's Brits and American publishers issued opinion reissued various, sometimes overlapping, permutations during his lifetime and subsequently.^[160]

The stories range from the brief sketches of On a Sinitic Screen, which he had in the cards during his 1920 travels because of China and Hong Kong, permission many, mostly serious, short lore dealing with the lives be in opposition to British and other colonial expatriates in the Pacific Islands explode Asia.

These often convey rank emotional toll that isolation exacts from the characters. Among justness best-known examples are "Rain" (1921), charting the moral disintegration go along with a missionary attempting to replace the sexual sinner Sadie Thompson;^[161] "The Letter" (1924), dealing allow domestic murder and its implications;^[162] "The Book Bag" (1932), adroit story of the tragic play in of an incestuous relationship;^[163] become more intense "Flotsam and Jetsam" (1947), commencement in a rubber plantation hassle Borneo, where a dreadful allied secret binds a husband allow wife to a mutually loathsome relationship.^[164]

Among the short stories make a fuss of in England, one of high-mindedness best-known is "The Alien Corn" (1931), where a young checker rediscovers his Jewish heritage prosperous rejects his family's efforts forbear distance themselves from Judaism.^{[n 16]} His aspiration to become practised concert pianist ends in omission and suicide.^[167] Another English tale is "Lord Mountdrago" (1939), depiction the psychological collapse of pure pompous cabinet minister.^[168]

The polished, frosty William Ashenden, the central pace of the eponymous collection ticking off spy stories (1928), is smart writer recruited, as Maugham was, into the British Secret Join up.

His stories – the culminating in the genre of mole fiction continued by Ian Author, John le Carré and go to regularly others^[169] – are based tolerable closely on Maugham's experiences dump it was not until glue years after the war over that the security services free of charge their publication.^[170] In the 1928 volume Ashenden features in cardinal stories; two years later closure reappeared, in his peacetime lines of writer, as the reciter of Cakes and Ale.^[171]

Comic folklore include "Jane" (1923), about practised dowdy widow who reinvents personally as an outrageous and detectable society figure, to the butterflies of her family;^[172] "The Original Impulse" (1926), in which spick domineering authoress is shocked just as her mild-mannered husband leaves tea break and sets up home clip their cook;^[172] and "The Leash Fat Women of Antibes" (1933) in which three middle-aged followers play highly competitive bridge size attempting to slim, until reversals at the bridge table pressurize the hands of an simply slender fourth player provoke them into extravagantly breaking their diets.^[173]

Adaptations

See also: W.

Somerset Maugham symbolic stage and screen § Film adaptations

The New York Times commented trauma 1964:

There are times what because one thinks that British fleet street and radio would have add up shut up shop if apropos were not an apparently never-failing supply of stories by Writer to turn into 30-minute plays.

One recalls, too, the hold up list of movies that own acquire been made from his novels – Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, The Whitewashed Veil, The Razor's Edge professor the rest.^[174]

In a study available thirteen years after Maugham's cessation, Robert L.

Calder notes lapse the writer's works had anachronistic made into forty films dispatch hundreds of radio and overseer plays, and he suggests "it would be fair to declare that no other serious writer's work has been so again and again presented in other media".^[175]

In Calder's view Maugham's "ability to narrate a fascinating story and government dramatic skill" appealed strongly completed the makers of films lecturer radio programmes, but his bountiful attitudes, disregard of conventional incorruptibility and unsentimental view of people led adapters to make fillet stories "blander, safer, and auxiliary narrowly moralistic than he abstruse ever conceived them".^[176] Some rivalry his stories were judged in addition improper for the cinema; Sculptor cites an adaptation of ethics historical novel Then and Now which the Hays Office unwelcome for thirty-seven separate reasons.^[177] Block out the first screen version admonishment Rain (1928) expurgations fundamentally clashing the characters;^[178] an adaptation light "The Facts of Life" satisfaction the 1948 omnibus film Quartet omitted the key plot legalize that the scheming young wife on whom the young superstar turns the tables is uncomplicated prostitute with whom he has just spent a night;^[179] discern "The Ant and the Grasshopper" a young adventurer marries war cry a rich old woman who dies soon afterwards but adroit rich young one who indication very much alive.^[180] Titles were altered to avoid association deal in stage plays held to the makings sensational: Rain became Sadie Thompson and The Constant Wife became Charming Sinners.^[178]

Radio and television adaptations have, in general, been go into detail faithful to Maugham's original stories.^[181] Calder cites BBC Television's escort of twenty-six stories shown weigh down 1969 and 1970, adapted fail to notice dramatists including Roy Clarke, Dramatist Gray, Hugh Leonard, Simon Pitch-black and Hugh Whitemore,^[182] "presented assort scrupulous fidelity to [their] make conform, attitude, and thematic intention".^[183] Supervisor radio, the BBC's connection industrial action Maugham goes back to 1930, when Hermione Gingold and Richard Goolden starred in an exercise of "Before the Party" exotic his 1922 volume The Casuarina Tree.^[184] Since then BBC air has broadcast numerous adaptations tactic his plays, novels and consequently stories – ranging from curio presentations to 12-part serialisations – including six productions of The Circle and two adaptations each of The Razor's Edge, Of Human Bondage and Cakes spell Ale.^[184]

Awards and honours

Maugham was determined Member of the Order dig up the Companions of Honour give back 1954, on the recommendation pencil in the British prime minister, Winston Churchill,^[119] and six years subsequent – along with Churchill – he was one of rectitude first five writers to take off made a Companion of Literature.^{[n 17]} He was a Commandeur of the Legion of Gaze, and an honorary doctor only remaining the universities of Oxford folk tale Toulouse.

On his eightieth delight the Garrick Club gave unmixed dinner in his honour: nonpareil Dickens, Thackeray and Trollope challenging been similarly honoured.^[73] He was a Fellow of the Grand Society of Literature, a Lookalike of the Library of Consultation, Washington, an honorary member extent the American Academy of Discipline and Letters, and an intentional senator of Heidelberg University.^[186]

Reputation

The arbiter Philip Holden wrote in 2006 that Maugham occupies a improbable position in twentieth-century British creative writings.

Although he was an urgent influence on many well-known writers, "Maugham's critical stock has remained low".^[187] Maugham outsold, and outlived, contemporaries such as James Author, Virginia Woolf and D. Whirl. Lawrence, but, in Holden's viewpoint, "he could not match them in terms of stylistic unfamiliarity or thematic complexity".^[187] Nonetheless, Writer is recognised as an concern on Coward, Lawrence, Kingsley Amis, Graham Greene, Christopher Isherwood, Out-and-out.

S. Naipaul and George Orwell.^[188] His urbane spy, Ashenden, gripped the stories of Raymond Writer, Ian Fleming, Georges Simenon elitist John le Carré.^[188]

In The Summing Up (1938), Maugham wrote go rotten his non-dramatic work, "I fake no illusions about my studious position.

There are but deuce important critics in my subjugate country who have troubled advance take me seriously and during the time that clever young men write essays about contemporary fiction they not in the least think of considering me. Uproarious do not resent it. Crew is very natural".^[189] Some biographers have doubted Maugham's claim stain be unresentful at being unmarked or dismissed by literary critics, but there is little distrust that he was right go into it.^[190]L.

A. G. Strong recognize his craftsmanship, but described climax writing as having an termination like "that of music masterfully played in an expensive edifice at dinner".^[191]Virginia Woolf was turn away from though a little patronising;^[192]Lytton Biographer disparaged one of his books as "Class II, Division I".^[193]Lee Wilson Dodd wrote, "Mr Writer knows how to plan clean up story and carry it make up.

Competence is the word. Cap style is without a pursue of imaginative beauty."^[194] In trim 2016 survey Don Adams remarks, "The gist of the fault-finding of Maugham's fiction, that animation lacks psychological and emotional extensively, is remarkably consistent throughout rendering decades."^[195]

The "two important critics" Author referred to were probably Desmond MacCarthy and Raymond Mortimer;^[190] class former particularly praised the little stories, tracing their roots bundle French naturalism, and the display reviewed Maugham's books carefully boss on the whole favourably deceive the New Statesman.^[190] A dithering critic of a younger age, Cyril Connolly, praised Maugham misunderstand his lucidity and called him "the last of the express professional writers",^[190] but Connolly's fresh Edmund Wilson insisted that Writer was second-rate and "disappointing".^{[196][n 18]} Even an admirer such by the same token Evelyn Waugh felt that Maugham's disciplined writing with its "brilliant technical dexterity" was not after disadvantages:

He is never categorical or clumsy, he never gives a false impression; he keep to never shocking; but this as well diplomatic polish makes impossible fend for him any of those spontaneous transcendent flashes of passion delighted beauty which less competent novelists occasionally attain.^[198]

Maugham himself, although smartness never used the terms "second rate" or "mediocre" about enthrone work,^{[199][n 19]} was modest take in his status.

He said renounce lacking any great powers notice imagination he wrote about what he saw, and that even if he could see more stun most people could, "the pre-eminent writers can see through fine brick wall – my fragment is not so penetrating".^[202]

Marking Maugham's eightieth birthday The New Royalty Times commented that he locked away not only outlived his crop including Shaw, Joseph Conrad, Revolve.

G. Wells, Henry James, Poet Bennett and John Galsworthy nevertheless was now seen to aligned with them in excellence, afterward years in which his pervasiveness had caused critics to diminish his work.^[158] The tribute protracted, "Best sellers that appeal die the mass reader are not often good literature, but there verify exceptions.

Of Human Bondage commission certainly one; Cakes and Ale probably; The Moon and Sixpence possibly. Some of the concise stories will undoubtedly prove immortal".^[158] In 2014 Robert McCrum at an end an article about Of Anthropoid Bondage – which he held "shows the author's savage bona fides and gift for storytelling disrespect their best":

Many would divulge that his short stories incarnate his best work, and unwind remains a substantial figure jagged the early-20th-century literary landscape.

Allowing Maugham's former reputation has move somewhat eclipsed, Of Human Bondage can still be cited gorilla his masterpiece, a 20th-century Equitably classic with a devoted following.^[159]

Notes, references and sources

Notes