Books by W. Somerset Maugham

Spændingsroman. Fortællingen om den ensomme agent Ashenden afslører spionagetjensten som brutal og absurd. En skånselsløs krig i krigen hvor ingen kan stole på nogen og hvor forræderi hører til dagens orden.Det er alle agentromaners fader. Ian Fleming, Graham Greene og John Le Carré har alle åbent erkendt deres litterære gæld til W. Somerset Maugham og hans Ashenden – eller den britiske agent.I 1914 blev Maugham, under dække af at skulle færdiggøre et skuespil, sendt til Lucerne i Schweiz som hemmelig agent for Secret Service – det senere MI6. I 1928 skabte han med Ashenden litteraturens første hemmelige agent på baggrund af oplevelserne som spion under første verdenskrig.W. SOMERSET MAUGHAM 1874 – 1965, engelsk forfatter. Maugham opnåede at være en af de mest populære og bedst betalte forfattere i sin tid. Maughams forfatterskab er bredt og rummer alle genrer. Blandt hans værker er romanerne Livets lænker, som både J.D. Salinger og George Orwell har nævnt som inspirationskilde, og Det brogede slør der er filmatiseret med Edward Norton i hovedrollen."Hotellet lå ud til søen. En piccolo åbnede døren for ham, og han trådte ind i foyeren fulgt af et vindstød, der sendte papirerne på portierens disk op i luften. Ashenden blev blændet af lyset. Han standsede for at spørge, om der var breve til ham. Der var ingen, og han skulle netop til at gå ind i elevatoren, da portieren sagde, at der sad to herrer i hans værelse og ventede på at komme til at tale med ham. Ashenden havde ingen venner i Genève.

The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham's most brillant characters - his fiancee Isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and Elliot Templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate American snob.

It includes the famous story 'Rain', the tragedy of a narrow-minded and overzealous missionary and a prostitute, and 'The Three Fat Women of Antibes,' an extravagantly sardonic tale of abstention and greed, as well as a host of other brilliant tales.

Da den udstationerede engelske læge dr. Walter Fane opdager at hans hustru er ham utro udtænker han i sin forbitrelse en ganske særlig straf. Hustruen Kitty tvinges til at ledsage ham i hans arbejde i en landsby i det indre af Kina, hvor koleraen hærger. Det brogede slør er William Somerset Maughams klassiker fra 1925 om moral, ære og straf. Den skildrer mennesket i sit paniske forsøg på at realisere sig selv og samtidig skabe en mening med livet.Hans unikke forståelse for at opbygge spænding har – udover at afføde utallige filmatiseringer – resulteret i en enorm popularitet og en bred læserskare.Det Brogede Slør er filmatiseret tre gange, blandt andet i 1934 med Greta Garbo og Herbert Marshall i rollerne som lægen og den utro hustru.William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), engelsk forfatter og dramatiker, der står bag spændingsromaner som Livets Lænker fra 1915, samt den tre gange filmatiserede novelle Regn/Livets Luner fra 1921. Hans erfaringer som hemmelig agent for den britiske efterretningstjeneste – Secret Service – har haft afgørende indflydelse på hans forfatterskab, og han har rejst verden tynd på forskellige missioner og opgaver.Hans romaner er en bred vifte af skildringer fra hele verden, beskrevet i det klare, nøgterne sprog, der er karakteristisk for hans stil. Maugham står for sig selv som forfatter idet han formår at forene hæsblæsende spænding med en underliggende ironisk skepsis overfor omverdenen og de mennesker, der bebor den.

From a tormented orphan with a clubfoot, Philip Carey grows into an impressionable young man with a voracious appetite for adventure and knowledge. His cravings take him to Paris at age eighteen to try his hand at art, then back to London to study medicine. But even so, nothing can sate his nagging hunger for experience. Then he falls obsessively in love, embarking on a disastrous relationship that will change his life forever....Marked by countless similarities to Maugham's own life, his masterpiece is "not an autobiography,” as the author himself once contended, "but an autobiographical novel; fact and fiction are inexorably mingled; the emotions are my own.” And although he based Of Human Bondage on what he knew, his is an "excessively rare gift of storytelling...almost the equal of imagination itself.”*With an Introduction by Benjamin De Mott and an Afterword by Maeve Binchy*The Sunday Times (London)

The third volume of Somerset Maugham's Collected Short Stories, introduced by the author, contains the celebrated series about Ashenden, a secret service agent in World War I.

This final classic collection of stories reveals Somerset Maugham's unique talent for exposing and exploring the bitter realities of human relationships.

The stories in this collection move from Malaya to America and England, and include some of Maugham's most famous tales; In this second volume of his collected stories, Maugham illustrates his characteristic wry perception of human foibles and his genius for evoking compelling drama from an acute sense of time and place.

From the love affair between a missionary and a drunkard to the mystery surrounding a death at sea, this collection gives a warm and humourous insight into life and history of life in the colonies and stands as a superbly entertaining and compelling testament to Maugham's skill and power as a short story writer.

Philip's yearning for adventure takes him to Germany and later Paris where he tries to make his mark as an artist before returning to London to study medicine. Here, a tortured and one-sided love affair with Mildred, a vulgar yet irresistible waitress, changes the course of his life for ever.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PAUL THEROUXSomerset Maugham's success as a writer enabled him to indulge his adventurous love of travel, and he recorded the sights and sounds of his wide-ranging journeys with an urbane, wry style all his own.

Maugham spent the winter months of 1919 travelling fifteen hundred miles up the Yangtze river. Maugham keenly observes, and gently ridicules, their dogged and oblivious persistence with the life they know.

A masterpiece of modern literature that mirrors Maugham's own career. Of Human Bondage is the first and most autobiographical of Maugham's novels. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as a would-be artist, Philip settles in London to train as a doctor.

Whether portraying a ship-borne flight from a lover's curse, murder in the jungle, or a marriage shattered by a past indiscretion, they all reveal Maugham at his best - sometimes caustic, sometimes gently comic, but always the shrewd and human judge of character and soul.

The Moon and Sixpence (1919) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Inspired by the life of French painter Paul Gauguin, Maugham set out to capture the disconnect between an artist's desire to create and their obligations to their loved ones and society. Praised for its multifaceted portrayal of tortured genius and wasted talent, The Moon and Sixpence explores the distance between expectation and desire in a man whose decisions, however, hastily made, are done with the loftiest of intentions. Some people live their whole lives without daring to dream, going from moment to moment in a haze of dreary reality, following expectation from birth to grave. Strickland seems to be one of these people-singularly dedicated to his work as a London stockbroker, uninterested in the arts, married as though through obligation alone. One day, he unexpectedly leaves his wife and children to pursue a career as a painter in Paris, completely and irrevocably severing himself from the professional and familial ties he sent his whole life building. Somehow, he proves incredibly adept, but each brilliant work of art is made at the expense of those he leaves behind. The Moon and Sixpence is a tale of creativity, disappointment, and struggle by a master stylist with a keen sense of the complications inherent to human nature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W. Somerset Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Magician (1909) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Controversial for its portrayal of infidelity and occult ritual, The Magician was instrumental in establishing Maugham's reputation as a leading author of the late Victorian era. Inspired by stories of Aleister Crowley, an influential occultist and magician, Maugham crafted a masterpiece of fantasy fiction that would inspire Crowley himself to write a hit piece for Vanity Fair erroneously accusing the novelist of plagiarism. Arthur Burdon has everything he could ever want. A successful career as a surgeon, financial stability, a beautiful young fiancée-everything. On a trip to Paris to visit Margaret, who is studying to be an artist, he meets a man named Oliver Haddo, a magician and acquaintance of Burdon's teacher Dr. Porhoët. Although Arthur, his fiancée, and their friends are initially impressed with Haddo's magic tricks, things soon take a strange turn when Margaret elopes with the mysterious magician. Distraught, Arthur retreats from life to dedicate himself to his work at the hospital. When Oliver and Margaret show up at a party in London, however, Arthur becomes convinced that his ex-lover is being held against her will. The Magician is a sinister tale of desire, disappointment, and the occult by a master stylist with a keen sense of the complications inherent to human nature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W. Somerset Maugham's The Magician is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

Of Human Bondage (1915) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Inspired by his experiences as an orphan and young student, Maugham composed his masterpiece. Adapted several times for film, Of Human Bondage is a story of tragedy, perseverance, and the eternal search for happiness which drives us as much as it haunts our every move. Orphaned as a boy, Philip Carey is raised in an affectionless household by his aunt and uncle. Although his Aunt Louisa tries to make him feel welcome, William proves an uncaring, vindictive man. Left to fend for himself most days, Philip finds solace in the family's substantial collection of books, which serve as an escape for the imaginative boy. Sent to study at a prestigious boarding school, Philip struggles to fit in with his peers, who abuse him for his intelligence and club foot. Despite his struggles, he perseveres in his studies and chooses his own path in life, moving to Heidelberg, Germany and denying his uncle's wish that he attend Oxford. As he struggles to become a professional artist, Philip learns that one's dreams are often unsubstantiated in the world of the living. Of Human Bondage is a tale of desire, disappointment, and romance by a master stylist with a keen sense of the complications inherent to human nature. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage is a classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.

The Sacred Flame is the story about the misfortune of Maurice Tabret, previously a soldier of World War One who had returned home unscathed to marry his sweetheart Stella. Unfortunately, after only a year of marriage, Maurice is involved in a plane crash and left crippled from the waist down. The play commences some years later in Gatley House near London, home of Maurice's mother, Mrs. Tabret.

Marion Nairn, a young widow, is spending the summer together with her young sister Lucy at Boulogne with Justice Proudfoot and his wife. The Duke of Hermanos, who is also passing his Summer at Boulogne, one day catches sight of Marion, and becomes her devoted admirer. He admires for a few days, but finally, he enters the house and declared his passion. Marion, ostensibly to get rid of him, tells him that she is married, whereupon he declares that her husband must die, and goes forth in search of him. One after another, the men in the piece are mistaken by the impetuous foreigner for the husband of his adored one, and one after another, he tries to fight them all.-5 women, 4 men

Set immediately after the Great War in 1918. Maugham called it "a farce in three acts". After the death of her husband, William, the spoilt and beautiful Victoria married his best friend, Frederick. When William comes back after the war alive after all, each man can hardly wait to surrender her to the other. However, Victoria seems to have another admirer waiting in the wings.-7 women, 5 men

Rich in humour, conflict and depth, The Circle follows Lady Kitty, who had given up a stuffy life with her titled husband to run away with a young adventurer, as she watches her niece, Elizabeth about to make the same mistake 20 years later. Glynis Johns, Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger starred in a hit revival of Maugham's sparkling comedy of manners on Broadway.-3 women, 4 men