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W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style. His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in 'Of Human Bondage' , Maugham became a... show more
William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style.

His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in 'Of Human Bondage' , Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.

During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in the south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death.
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Birth date: 25-01-1874
Died: 16-12-1965
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Gatta ci cova
Gatta ci cova rated it 6 years ago
“Dicono che recitare è soltanto finzione. Questa finzione è la sola realtà” Suo padre è il più bell’uomo d’Inghilterra, sua madre la più brava attrice. L’unico desiderio di Roger si chiama “realtà”. Non li rimprovera, tuttavia il loro modo di vivere gli ha tolto la possibilità di credere in qual...
A Man With An Agenda
A Man With An Agenda rated it 8 years ago
'Cakes and Ale' has our narrator, as usual, a thinly veiled Maugham, reflecting on his memories and experiences with a recently deceased elder-statesmen novelist and his first wife, Rosie. When a writer of popular historical romances assigns himself the role of biographer, with Driffield's second an...
Reading Slothfully
Reading Slothfully rated it 8 years ago
A short bonbon from Maugham. Maugham himself calls it a novelette, but it's really a novella, 30,364 words (I counted them). Anyway, a young and fabulously beautiful widow, Mary Panton, has gotten away from London and memories of a bad marriage and is living in the Italian villa of some friends, in ...
Burfobookalicious
Burfobookalicious rated it 9 years ago
This book chronicles the life of Phillip, from orphaned young boy to around thirty, set in the late 19th century and yet the story is so exquisitely told that a much longer period seemed to pass. Maugham tackles some weighty themes too, such as the meaning (or not) of life, class, death, gender, pov...
nente
nente rated it 9 years ago
I resented this book, because I loved Maugham's later work. It is difficult to accept that the author of [b:Of Human Bondage|31548|Of Human Bondage|W. Somerset Maugham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386924695s/31548.jpg|2547187] wrote this one: it's not only weak, it's bad all through.The idea of ma...
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