William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the
20th century. He was not only a novelist, but also a one of the most
successful dramatist and short-story writers.
He was born in Paris in 1874. His parents died when he was very
young and the boy was brought up by his uncle, clergyman. After his
parents' death the boy was taken away from the French school which he
had attended, and went for his lessons daily to the apartment of the
English clergyman at the church.
At the age of ten the boy was sent to England to attend school. In 1890
he went abroad and studied at the University of Heidelberg from which he
returned to England in 1892 and as his parents had destined him for the
medical profession, he became a medical student at St. Thomas’s
hospital in London.
His experience in treating the sick gave Maugham material for his first
work "Lisa of Lambeth". After that, although he became a fully qualified
doctor, Somerset decided to devote his life to literature. "I didn’t
want to be a doctor. I didn’t want to be anything but a writer".
Soon after the publication of his first novel Maugham went to
Spain and travelled widely to all parts of the world. He visited Russia,
America, Africa, Asia. The technique of the short story had always
interested Maugham. De Maupassant and Chekhov influenced him but he
developed a form of a story that has unmistakable Maugham’s flavor.
Somerset Maugham has written 24 plays, 19 novels and a large
number of short stories. The most mature period of his life began in
1915, when he published one of his most popular novels.
Maugham wants the readers to draw his own conclusion about the
characters and events described in his novels. The most prominent works
by Somerset Maugham are: "Cakes and Ale", "Theatre", and "The Razor’s
Edge".
Realistic portrayal of life, keen character observation, and
interesting plots coupled with beautiful, expressive language, simple
and lucid style, place Somerset Maugham on a level with the greatest
English writers of the 20th century.
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