Surprisingly I haven’t really seen him mentioned at all, except when I post about him in the various “favorite book” threads that float around. So any other fans out there?
Right now I’m reading * The Gentleman in the Parlour * which sounds vaguely dirty but is actually one of his non-fiction works about a trip through Asia he took in the 1930’s. This is the first bit of non-fiction by Maugham that I’ve read and I’ve found myself even more in awe of this man than after reading his novels, a feat I didn’t think possible. His novels and the characters he creates have always resonated with me in a very personal way that I’ve never really understood until now. Just reading his own observations and thoughts in this book has revealed him to be a kindrid spirit, some passages in this book could have easilly been written by me. Or rather I should say some passages in this book reflect my own feelings so accurately that it is as though I had written them myself, if I possesed his talent for prose.
For what it’s worth my favorite novel is * Of Human Bondage *, which is the only book I’ve read which has ever overwhelmed with emotion enough to openly weep. However my favorite quote is still from * Cakes and Ale * (see my sig below)
Ahh well that’s all I really have to say for now. So what do the rest of you think of his work?
Maugham is simply one of the finest scribes of the English language since The Bard himself. His ability to prune each story of every single unnecessary word rivals even the best poetry. There are few modern writers who could not take lessons from the man. In many ways, it is rather sad that Maugham’s orientation prevented him from elaborating on the subject to a greater degree. His ability to characterize human emotion and motivation is quite superb.
Each time I find a new book of his to read, it is much like opening a Yuletide present for all the pleasure I get from it. Few authors are able to evince such intense reading enjoyment as he does.
One of my favorites, although I’ve never gotten through any of his novels (I might have read Of Human Bondage in high school, but I think I jut claimed to have read it.) He’s about the best writer of stories and tales, though, of his generation.
I only fairly recently read “The Razor’s Edge”, embarassingly. I really wish I had discovered it as a teenager, I think it would have really spoke to me, and it’s much better than the Kerouac/Salinger horseshit I was in to.
I started “Of Human Bondage” soon after, but it was too depressingly close to personal circumstances, and I had to put it aside.
The older I get, the more I feel failed by the educational system, and I was a literature major, for Christ’s sake. What I haven’t read would fill libraries, stuff I was never exposed to, and wish I had read with a teacher’s guidance, including most of the British, French, and Russian canon.
** toque ** I couldn’t agree with you more with regards to your comments about being failed by the educational system. I was first introducted to Maugham by a Russian exchange student (I’m American) I knew my senoir year of highschool when she gave me a copy of * The Moon and Sixpence * which is a book that should have been a part of the curriculum.
It was years after reading * Moon and Sixpence * before I was really able to get into Maughams work in a serious way, I can’t help but think had I been introduced to his writing by a teacher that I wouldn’t have wasted so many years preparing myself for his work.
I do suggest that you try to finish * Of Human Bondage * parts of Carey’s life were despressing similar to my past and present circumstances at the time I read it but I ultimately found reading the book to it’s conculsion comforting.
Now I must make a note to buy * The Razors Edge * when I see it in a bookstore considering the high praise it has recieved here.
I enjoyed The Razor’s Edge greatly, but thought the movie version was entirely justified in removing the authorial character, an untranslatable literary device. A decent film, and a very good book indeed.
You mean the Bill Murray version and not the Tyrone Power version. Tyrone Power’s had Maugham as a character in the film, however, it sucks. Like Murray’s version, it does deviate from the book, however, unlike Murray’s version, it gives away the enigma of Larry Darrell in the first few minutes of the film. What happens next, I’ve no idea as I turned it off in disgust.
I did mean the Bill Murray version, yes. As a bit of (possibly apocryphal) trivia, Murray only agreed to make Ghostbusters if he could also make The Razor’s Edge (which was not a very “Hollywood” type of film).
The book had a certain dated quality about it, and I found some of the characters rather emotionally sterile, including the narrator (although when you do get some emotional depth, it’s brought into sharper relief because of this). Nevertheless, an excellent story.
I’ve also read The Moon and Sixpence, but it’s been so long ago I remember virtually nothing of it.
but is actually one of his non-fiction works about a trip through Asia he took in the 1930’s. This is the first bit of non-fiction by Maugham that I’ve read and I’ve found myself even more in awe of this man than after reading his novels, a feat I didn’t think possible. His novels and the characters he creates have always resonated with me in a very personal way that I’ve never really understood until now. Just reading his own observations and thoughts in this book has revealed him to be a kindrid spirit, some passages in this book could have easilly been written by me. Or rather I should say some passages in this book reflect my own feelings so accurately that it is as though I had written them myself, if I possesed his talent for prose.