Somerset Maugham and His World

by Frederic Raphael

Recounts the main events and relationships of Maugham's long life and analyzes most of the important plays, stories, novels, and essay collections, with a glance at film scripts and miscellanea

Genres: Biography

128 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1977

About the author

Writer, critic and broadcaster, Frederic Raphael was educated at Charterhouse School and at St John's College, Cambridge. He has written several screenplays and fifteen novels. His The Glittering Prizes was one of the major British and American television successes of the 1970s.

Reviews

[Zuberino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid summary of the old gargoyle’s life and career. Raphael tries to be as fair-minded as he can be, and consistently gives Maugham the benefit of the doubt, frequently submitting his Parisian upbringing, early medical training, and hypercautious homosexuality as defences against a whole range of critical charges - from Maugham’s famously dry and detached prose style to some of his views, attitudes and life choices. The number of times the word “lotus” occurs in this book almost gives the game away; perhaps Raphael’s opinion of his subject is really somewhat dimmer than that which he so gamely tries to promote in this commission from the publisher. Very very few of the works are discussed with anything like unalloyed praise. Indeed, even during his lifetime, old Willie was taking it in the neck from the literary high and mighty, who looked down both on his prolific (often facile) output and his ability to make scandalous amounts of money from it. (Humayun Ahmed, hello!)

Nonetheless, the truth is that even today, a hundred years later, the novels and stories all remain in print, even that which Raphael calls the “worst” of his work - Up at the Villa - can be found in any Foyles or Waterstones. That his most vicious critics like Edmund Wilson have all but disappeared from view while Maugham continues to be read and enjoyed speaks to the enduring appeal of that utterly unique voice, which so captivated the teenage me in The Summing Up, lo these many years ago.

Thus, much thanks, Willie!

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this. It’s a good, basic, and brief overview of Maugham’s life and career, free of the scandal-mongering of some of the longer and later Maugham biographies.

[Ali Miremadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear eyed, affectionate portrait of S-M. Raphael’s a lovely stylist and perfect for this. An enjoyable way to go through the life and work of one of the greatest minor writers of the last century.