When William Somerset Maugham celebrated his seventh birthday in Paris, he received from Lady Anglesey, a family friend, a generous gift of twenty francs. Asked how he planned to use his money, young Willie (as he preferred to be addressed) eagerly...

The most important events in the life of William Somerset Maugham were those over which he had no control. Like one of the characters in his fiction or drama, Maugham was dealt an imperfect hand. Certain facts shaped the course of his life as a child...

W. Somerset Maugham was one of the most prolific and popular authors in world literature. During a career that spanned sixty-five years, he attained great renown, first as a dramatist, then as the author of entertaining and carefully crafted short...

W. Somerset Maugham ranks among the most prolific, versatile, and successful British authors. Among his more than eighty books, five are usually classified as travel literature. The composition of these works spanned more than four decades, indicating...

In a career spanning more than sixty years, W. Somerset Maugham wrote a handful of novels which are still studied as modernist works. His ear for language, the use of actual—sometimes grim—experience transformed into fictional material, and...

In a career spanning more than sixty years, W. Somerset Maugham wrote a handful of novels which are still studied as modernist works. His ear for language, the use of actual--sometimes grim--experience transformed into fictional material, and a concern...

Few modern writers have been as prolific or as versatile as William Somerset Maugham. He wrote twenty novels-the best of which are Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Cakes and Ale (1930), and The Razor's Edge (1944). For nearly...

Novelist, playwright, short-story writer, travel writer, autobiographer, and essayist, W. Somerset Maugham wrote only one collection of short stories that justifies his inclusion in any discussion of spy fiction: Ashenden; or The British Agent (1928)....

The British novelist William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), one of the most popular writers in English in the 20th century, is noted for his clarity of style and skill in storytelling. Born in Paris, on Jan. 25, 1874, where his father was solicitor to...