Somerset Maugham: biography, personal life, works, photos

In the 30s of the twentieth century, the name of Somerset Maugham was known in all circles of European society. A talented prose writer, brilliant playwright, politician and British intelligence ... How did all this fit together in one person? Who is Maugham Somerset?

Englishman born in Paris

On January 25, 1874, the future famous writer Somerset Maugham was born on the territory of the British Embassy in Paris. His father, who came from a dynasty of lawyers, had planned such an unusual birth beforehand. All the boys born in those years in France, having reached adulthood, had to go to serve in the army and participate in hostilities against England. Robert Maugham could not allow his son to fight against the homeland of his ancestors. Born at the British Embassy, ​​little Somerset automatically became a British citizen.

Childhood injuries

Somerset Maugham's father and grandfather were confident that the boy would follow in their footsteps and become a lawyer. But fate went against the wishes of relatives. William lost his parents early. His mother died of consumption in 1882, and two years later, oncology took the life of his father. The boy was brought up by English relatives from Wheatstable, a small town located near Canterbury.

Until the age of 10, the boy spoke only French, and it was difficult for him to master his native language. Uncle's family did not become for William native. Henry Maugham, who served as the vicar, and his wife were cold and dry to the new relative. The language barrier did not add mutual understanding. The stress from the early loss of parents and moving to another country turned into a stutter, which remained with the writer for life.

Study

In the UK, William Maugham attended Royal School. Due to his fragile physique, short stature and strong accent, the boy was ridiculed by his classmates and avoided people. Therefore, he accepted the admission to the University of Heidelberg in Germany with relief. In addition, the young man took up his favorite business - the study of literature and philosophy. Another hobby of Maugham was medicine. In those years, every self-respecting European man should have had a serious profession. Therefore, in 1892, Maugham entered the London Medical School and became a certified surgeon and therapist.

During the First World War

The prose writer met the outbreak of World War I by serving in the British Red Cross. Then he was recruited by British intelligence MI-5. Over the course of the year, Maugham completed intelligence missions in Switzerland. In 1917, under the guise of an American correspondent, he arrived with a secret mission in Russian Petrograd. Somerset's task was to prevent Russia from leaving the war. Despite the failure of the mission, Maugham was pleased with the trip to Petrograd. He fell in love with the streets of this city, discovered the work of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov. For the sake of reading their works, he began to learn Russian.

Between wars

Since 1919, in search of thrills, Maugham began to travel around the countries of Asia and the Middle East. Visited China, Malaysia, Tahiti. From the prose writer, he drew inspiration, which led to fruitful work. Over the course of two decades, many novels, plays, short stories, essays, and essays have been written. As a new direction - a number of socio-psychological dramas. In his villa, bought in 1928 on the French Riviera, eminent writers often gathered. Herbert Wells and Winston Churchill visited her. In those years, Maugham was the most successful English writer.

During the second world

The writer met the beginning of this war in France. There he was supposed to track the mood of the French and write thematic articles about the fact that the country would not give up its military positions. After the defeat of France, Somerset Maugham was forced to leave for the United States. There he lived all the years of World War II, working on writing scripts for Hollywood. Returning home after the war, the playwright regretfully observed a picture of devastation and ruin, but continued to write further.

After the war

In 1947, the Somerset Maugham Award was approved. It was awarded to the best English writers under the age of 35. In 1952, Maugham was awarded a doctorate in literature. He no longer traveled and devoted much time to writing essays, preferring them to dramaturgy and fiction.

About personal life

Maugham did not hide his bisexuality. He tried to create a traditional family by marrying Siri Welkom in 1917. She was an interior decorator. They had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth. Due to frequent travels in the company of his secretary and lover, Jerold Hexton, Somerset was unable to save the marriage. The couple divorced in 1927. Throughout his life, the writer has had novels with both women and men. But after the death of Hexton in 1944, the playwright had no such warm feelings for anyone.

Leaving life

William Somerset Maugham passed away at the age of 91 (12/15/1965). The cause of death was pneumonia. The ashes of the prose writer were dispelled at the walls of the Maugham Library, located at the Canterbury Royal School.

The beginning of the creative path

Somerset Maugham's first work was writing a biography of opera composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. It was written in the university years. The work was not properly appreciated by the publisher, and the young writer burned it in his hearts. But to the delight of future readers, the first failure did not stop the young man.

Somerset Maugham’s first major work was Lisa from Lambeth. It was written after the author’s work at St. Thomas’s Hospital and was well received by critics and readers. This made the writer believe in his talent and try himself in the role of a playwright, writing the play “Man of Honor”. The premiere did not make a splash. Despite this, Maugham continued to write, and a few years later became successful in drama. The comedy "Lady Frederick" staged in Cort Tietr in 1908 deserved special love from the public.

Creative dawn

After the noisy success of “Lady Frederick,” one of the best works of Somerset Maugham began to emerge:

• science fiction novel "Magician", published in 1908;
• "Catalina" (1948) - a mystical novel about a girl who miraculously got rid of a terrible disease, but never became happy;
• "Theater" (1937) - an ironically described story of an elderly actress who tries to forget about her age in the arms of a young boyfriend;
• the novel "Patterned Veil" (1925) - a beautiful and tragic love story, thrice filmed;
• "Mrs. Craddock" (1900) - another life story about the relationship between a man and a woman;
• "The Conqueror of Africa" ​​(1907) - an action-packed novel about love during a trip;
• "Summing up" (1938) - the author’s biography in the form of notes on his work;
• "On the Chinese Screen" (1922) - a story full of Maugham's impressions of visiting the Chinese Yangtze River;
• "Letter" (1937) - a dramatic play;
• "Sacred Flame" (1928) - a detective drama with a philosophical and psychological meaning;
• "Faithful Wife" (1926) - a witty comedy about gender inequality;
• "Sheppy" (1933) - a social drama about a small man in the world of big politics;
• "For Services Provided" (1932) - a play about the state of society facing the threat of fascism and World War II;
• "Villa on the Hill" (1941) - a romantic story about the life of a young widow in anticipation of happiness;
• "Then and Now" (1946) - a historical novel about Italy of the early sixteenth century;
• Close Corner (1932) - a crime novel containing thoughts about Buddhism;
• collections of short stories “On the Outskirts of the Empire”, “An Open Opportunity”, “Trembling of the Leaf”, “Six Stories Written in the First Person”, “Eshenden, or the British Agent”, “A King”, “All the Same Mix”, “Casuarina "," Toys of Fate ";
• collections of essays "Scattered Thoughts", "Changeable Mood", "Great Writers and Their Novels."

Along with major works, Somerset Maugham's stories were also popular:

• "Unconquered";
• "Something human";
• "The Fall of Edward Barvard";
• "A man with a scar";
• "Bag with books."

Somerset Maugham. Best essays

Of particular note is Somerset Maugham’s novel “The Burden of Human Passion.” It was written in 1915 and is considered autobiographical. The protagonist of the work passes many life tests, but, in spite of everything, finds his place in life. He was left an orphan early, and lameness did not add happiness. But this did not prevent the hero from desperately searching for the meaning of life. As a result, he finds happiness in a simple human life without unnecessary passions. In the 60s, the author removed a significant number of scenes from the novel, presenting to the literary world the new creation of Somerset Maugham “The Burden of Passion”. The work was thrice screened.

The next book that gained readership was the novel “Pies and beer, or Skeleton in the cupboard”, written in 1930. It is noteworthy that Somerset Maugham borrowed the name of the novel from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The novel is full of sarcasm in relation to the British literary environment and describes the life of a young talented writer. At the same time, the plot is marked by all manifestations of life - relations between people, delusions of youth, the influence of gossip and prejudice on human fate. One of the heroines of the novel is the prototype of a real woman with whom Maugham had a romantic relationship. "Pies and beer" has become a favorite work of the author. In the 70s, a series was released for the book.

Somerset Maugham's “Moon and Penny” is a world-famous novel. He is a biography of the French painter Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin. For the sake of painting, the protagonist of the novel dramatically changes his life at the age of 40. He leaves his family, home, permanent job, despite illness, depression and poverty, is completely devoted to creativity. "The Moon and the Penny" makes one think about whether everyone dares to change their usual way of life in order to achieve a lofty goal.

Another bestseller from the British novelist is The Razor's Edge. The novel was published in 1944. It describes the life of different walks of life between the First and Second World Wars. The author covers a large period of time, makes his heroes make choices, look for the meaning of life, rise and fall. And of course, love. "At the Razor's Edge" is Maugham's only work in which the writer touches on deeply philosophical topics.

This is how one of the most controversial English writers appears before readers and critics. A little extravagant, in some things skeptical, somewhere a satirist, somewhat a philosopher. But in general, Somerset Maugham, a genius, inimitable and one of the most widely read authors of world literature, presented his fans with more than 70 works and 30 plays, many of which were made into great adaptations.