W Somerset Maugham Libri

This final classic collection reveals Somerset Maugham’s unique talent for exposing and exploring the bitter realities of human relationships in tales of love, infidelity, passion and prejudice. The stories range from “The Lotus Eater” where a man envisions a life of bliss in the Mediterranean, to the astringent tales of “The Outstation” and “The Back of Beyond” in Malaya and South East Asia. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

She did not know what to say. She was undecided whether indignantly to assert her innocence or to break out into angry reproaches. He seemed to read her thoughts. I've got all the proof necessary 'Kitty Fane is the beautiful but shallow wife of Walter

Autobiographical and confessional, and yet not, this is one of the most highly regarded expressions of a personal credo – both a classic avowal of an author’s ideas and his craft.

Filled with keen observations, autobiographical notes, and the seeds of many of Maugham's greatest works, A Writer's Notebook is a unique and exhilarating look into a great writer's mind at work.From nearly five decades, Somerset Maugham recorded an intimate journal. In it we see the budding of his incomparable vision and his remarkable career as a writer. Covering the years from his time as a youthful medical student in London to a seasoned world traveler around the world, it is playful, sharp witted, and always revealing. Undoubtedly one of his most significant works, A Writer's Notebook is a must for Maugham fans and anyone interested in the creative process."

Alle vedove dei grandi scrittori tocca spesso in sorte di trasformarsi in vestali, per mantenere la memoria del caro estinto al riparo da scandali e pettegolezzi. Non è mai un compito facile, e la seconda signora Driffield lo sa bene. Se poi al momento di individuare un agiografo affidabile la scelta ricade su un uomo come Alroy Kear, astro nascente della scena letteraria, ma già noto per «essere in grado di spolpare un uomo fino all’osso, senza per questo serbargli rancore», il minimo che possa accadere è che dal passato del riverito Edward Driffield riemerga almeno un fantasma. Che ha le sembianze – inaccettabili per i frequentatori dei salotti londinesi, irresistibili per chiunque altro – di Rosie, la prima signora Driffield. Da questo spunto Maugham ha ricavato una commedia di costume divertentissima e feroce. E se alla sua uscita nel 1930 (quando chiunque riconosceva nei personaggi tutte le leggende dell’epoca, da Thomas Hardy a Hugh Walpole fino all’autore stesso nei panni della sua controfigura prediletta, il narratore Ashenden) il libro suscitò enorme scandalo, oggi viene da molti ritenuto l’opera in cui Maugham si è spinto più lontano – addirittura, sostiene Gore Vidal, fino a Jane Austen.

William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English playwright, novelist, and short story writer. He was one of the most popular authors of his era, and reputedly the highest paid of his profession during the 1930s. By 1914 he was famous, with 10 plays produced and 10 published novels. His masterpiece is generally agreed to be Of Human Bondage (1915), a semi-autobiographical novel that deals with the life of the main character Philip Carey, who like Maugham, was orphaned, and brought up by his pious uncle. His last major novel, The Razor's Edge, published in 1944, was a departure for him in many ways. While much of the novel takes place in Europe, its main characters are American, not British. His other works include: Liza of Lambeth (1897), Mrs Craddock (1902), A Man of Honour (1903), The Land of the Blessed Virgin (1905), The Bishop's Apron (1906), Lady Frederick (1907), The Magician (1908), Home and Beauty (1909), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Circle (1921), The Trembling of a Leaf (1921), and On a Chinese Screen (1922).