The Vagrant Mood

The Vagrant Mood is a brilliantly varied and colourful collection of essays. From Kant to Raymond Chandler; from the legend of Zurbaran to the art of the detective story; from Burke to Augustus Hare, Somerset Maugham brings his inimitable mastery of the incisive character sketch to the genre of literary criticism

He was a brilliant teller of tales, one of the most widely read authors of the twentieth century, and at one time the most famous writer in the world, yet W. Somerset Maugham’s own true story has never been fully told. At last, the truth is revealed in a landmark biography by the award-winning writer Selina Hastings. Granted unprecedented access to Maugham’s personal correspondence and to newly uncovered interviews with his only child, Hastings portrays the secret loves, betrayals, integrity, and passion that inspired Maugham to create such classics as The Razor’s Edge and Of Human Bondage. Portrayed in full for the first time is Maugham’s disastrous marriage to Syrie Wellcome, a manipulative society woman who trapped Maugham with a pregnancy and an attempted suicide. Hastings also explores Maugham’s many affairs with men, including his great love, Gerald Haxton, an alcoholic charmer. Maugham’s work in secret intelligence during two world wars is described in fascinating detail—experiences that provided the inspiration for the groundbreaking Ashenden stories. From the West End to Broadway, from China to the South Pacific, Maugham’s remarkably productive life is thrillingly recounted as Hastings uncovers the real stories behind such classics as Rain, The Painted Veil, Cakes & Ale, and other well-known tales.

Klaus W. Jonas' zweisprachige Ausgabe behandelt die literarische Laufbahn des Schriftstellers W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), eines der erfolgreichsten und meistgelesenen englischen Dramatiker, Essayisten und Romanciers der ersten Halfte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Maugham selbst hat das humorvolle Vorwort in der Form eines Briefes beigesteuert. Eine chronologische Darstellung seines Lebens wird erganzt durch zwei wissenschaftliche Essays des Verfassers zu Maughams umfassendem literarischen Schaffen. Von besonderem Interesse sind die Auszuge aus dem Briefwechsel zwischen Klaus W. Jonas und W. Somerset Maugham, die einen genaueren Einblick in die Personlichkeit des Schriftstellers erlauben und von der engen Vertrautheit der beiden Briefpartner zeugen. Den zweiten Teil der Ausgabe bilden eine ausfuhrliche Bibliographie von Maughams literarischem Schaffen sowie eine Auswahlbibliographie von mehr als 420 kritischen Studien in deutscher, englischer, japanischer, spanischer und franzosischer Sprache. 71 Abbildungen, viele von ihnen bisher unveroffentlicht und aus Privatbesitz, erhohen den dokumentarischen Wert dieses Bandes. In this bilingual edition the author attempts to trace the literary career of William Somerset Maugham (1874-1865), one of the most widely read and performed dramatists, essayists and novelists in English literature in the first half of the twentieth century. Maugham himself has contributed a humorous preface in the form of a letter addressed to the author. The detailed chronology of Maugham's life is being supplemented by two of the author's numerous essays dealing with the stupendous literary oeuvre of this writer. Of special interest are the excerpts from Maugham's letters to his German-born collector and biographer which provide an inside view into his personality and his friendship with Klaus W. Jonas. The second half of this volume contains a bibliographical record of Maugham's life-work and a select bibliography of 420 critical studies in German, English, French, Spanish and Japanese. 71 illustrations, many of which hitherto unpublished and privately owned, enhance the documentary value of this volume.

William Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular and successful British writers of his time. From October 1897, when he completed his medical education at St. Thomas's Hospital in London, until his death in December 1965, Maugham wrote twenty novels, filled nine volumes with his short stories, wrote thirty-one plays, and published seven volumes of prose nonfiction. His writings reflect the tensions of the Boer War, World War I, and World War II; the lavishness of the highest levels of British and American society during the first six decades of the 20th century; the glamor of Hollywood, Paris, New York, San Francisco, and London; and the romance of China, Malaya, Borneo, and India. His popularity brought him prosperity. At a 1962 auction, 35 of his paintings sold for nearly $1.5 million; bequests in his will totaled $280,000; his royalties during the last ten years of his life averaged $50,000 per year; and his Riviera estate, purchased in 1927 for $48,000, sold for $730,000 in 1967. This reference book is a guide to Maugham's fascinating life and career. The volume begins with a brief discussion of the importance of Maugham's life and work, followed by a detailed chronology of important biographical and literary events. Through several hundred alphabetically arranged entries, the encyclopedia overviews Maugham's drama, fiction, and prose nonfiction; his family; the persons whom he knew and with whom he associated; the places where he lived and to which he journeyed, particularly the cities and villages that he inserted into his works; and the historical, cultural, social, and political issues that governed his life and career. Each entry closes with a brief bibliography, and the volume includes a selected bibliography of critical studies.