W. Somerset Maugham

W. Somerset Maugham

William Somerset Maugham CH (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German university. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, and became a full-time writer. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. By 1908 he had four plays running at once in the West End of London. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories. Maugham's novels after Liza of Lambeth include Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor's Edge (1944). His short stories were published in collections such as The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture as Before (1940); many of them have been adapted for radio, cinema and television. His great popularity and prodigious sales provoked adverse reactions from highbrow critics, many of whom sought to belittle him as merely competent. More recent assessments generally rank Of Human Bondage − a book with a large autobiographical element − as a masterpiece, and his short stories are widely held in high critical regard. Maugham's plain prose style became known for its lucidity, but his reliance on clichés attracted adverse critical comment. During the First World War Maugham worked for the British Secret Service, later drawing on his experiences for stories published in the 1920s. Although primarily homosexual, he attempted to conform to some extent with the norms of his day. He became a father and husband, marrying Syrie Wellcome in 1917, three years into an affair that produced their daughter, Liza. The marriage lasted for twelve years, but before, during and after it, Maugham's principal partner was a younger man, Gerald Haxton. Together they made extended visits to Asia, the South Seas and other destinations; Maugham gathered material for his fiction wherever they went. They lived together in the French Riviera, where Maugham entertained lavishly. After Haxton's death in 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham's secretary-companion for the rest of the author's life. Maugham gave up writing novels shortly after the Second World War, and his last years were marred by senility. He died at the age of 91. Description above from the Wikipedia article W. Somerset Maugham, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

  • Popularity : 6.415
  • Known For : Writing
  • Birthday : 1874-01-25
  • Place of Birth : Paris, France
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W. Somerset Maugham Movies

  • 1926
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    Camille: The Fate of a Coquette

    Camille: The Fate of a Coquette

    4 1926 HD

    A home movie version of the Dumas play. A young woman becomes a courtesan and tragedy befalls her. Appearances are made by many socialites of 1920s...

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  • 1948
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    Quartet

    Quartet

    6 1948 HD

    Somerset Maugham introduces four of his tales in this anthology film: "The Facts of Life," "The Alien Corn," "The Kite," and "The Colonel's Lady."

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  • 1951
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    Encore

    Encore

    6.2 1951 HD

    Encore is a 1951 anthology film composed of adaptations of three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Ant and the Grasshopper", directed by...

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  • 1950
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    Trio

    Trio

    6.3 1950 HD

    W. Somerset Maugham introduces three more of his stories about human foibles.

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  • 1936
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    Secret Agent

    Secret Agent

    6.1 1936 HD

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  • 1984
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    The Razor's Edge

    The Razor's Edge

    6.322 1984 HD

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  • 1944
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    Christmas Holiday

    Christmas Holiday

    6.4 1944 HD

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  • 1922
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    The Ordeal

    The Ordeal

    1 1922 HD

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  • 2006
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    The Painted Veil

    The Painted Veil

    7.2 2006 HD

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  • 1926
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    The Magician

    The Magician

    6.3 1926 HD

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  • 1928
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    Sadie Thompson

    Sadie Thompson

    6.8 1928 HD

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  • 1935
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    The Right to Live

    The Right to Live

    5.1 1935 HD

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  • 1932
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    Rain

    Rain

    6.8 1932 HD

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  • 1934
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    Of Human Bondage

    Of Human Bondage

    6.46 1934 HD

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  • 1953
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    Miss Sadie Thompson

    Miss Sadie Thompson

    5.2 1953 HD

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  • 1955
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    Three Cases of Murder

    Three Cases of Murder

    5.7 1955 HD

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  • 2000
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    Up at the Villa

    Up at the Villa

    5.224 2000 HD

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  • 1940
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    The Letter

    The Letter

    7.3 1940 HD

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  • 1934
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    The Painted Veil

    The Painted Veil

    6.6 1934 HD

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  • 1946
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    The Razor's Edge

    The Razor's Edge

    6.8 1946 HD

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  • 1942
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    The Moon and Sixpence

    The Moon and Sixpence

    6.1 1942 HD

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  • 1948
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    Quartet

    Quartet

    6 1948 HD

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  • 1940
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    Too Many Husbands

    Too Many Husbands

    6.3 1940 HD

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  • 1964
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    Of Human Bondage

    Of Human Bondage

    6.4 1964 HD

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  • 1966
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    Kouzlo domova

    Kouzlo domova

    1 1966 HD

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  • 1936
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    Isle of Fury

    Isle of Fury

    5.3 1936 HD

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  • 1946
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    Of Human Bondage

    Of Human Bondage

    6 1946 HD

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  • 1951
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    Encore

    Encore

    6.2 1951 HD

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  • 1969
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    Constance

    Constance

    1 1969 HD

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  • 1957
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    The Seventh Sin

    The Seventh Sin

    5.3 1957 HD

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  • 1982
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    The Letter

    The Letter

    6 1982 HD

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  • 1959
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    The Moon and Sixpence

    The Moon and Sixpence

    1 1959 HD

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  • 1987
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    Change of Fortune

    Change of Fortune

    3.9 1987 HD

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  • 1944
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    The Hour Before the Dawn

    The Hour Before the Dawn

    5 1944 HD

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  • 2016
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    The Scar

    The Scar

    1 2016 HD

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  • 1925
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    The Circle

    The Circle

    5.4 1925 HD

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  • 1925
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    East of Suez

    East of Suez

    1 1925 HD

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  • 1965
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    Kaakum Karangal

    Kaakum Karangal

    1 1965 HD

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  • 1955
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    Three for the Show

    Three for the Show

    6 1955 HD

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  • 1919
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    The Divorcee

    The Divorcee

    1 1919 HD

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  • 1961
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    A String of Beads

    A String of Beads

    1 1961 HD

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  • 1917
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    The Land of Promise

    The Land of Promise

    1 1917 HD

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  • 1938
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    Vessel of Wrath

    Vessel of Wrath

    6.7 1938 HD

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  • 1936
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    The Tenth Man

    The Tenth Man

    6 1936 HD

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  • 1984
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    Overnight Sensation

    Overnight Sensation

    6 1984 HD

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  • 1974
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    Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love

    Rex Harrison Presents Stories of Love

    1 1974 HD

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  • 1980
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    Gigolo and Gigolette

    Gigolo and Gigolette

    6 1980 HD

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  • 1933
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    Our Betters

    Our Betters

    5.4 1933 HD

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  • 1973
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    The Tragedy of Dr. Hosny

    The Tragedy of Dr. Hosny

    8 1973 HD

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  • 1982
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    The Breadwinner

    The Breadwinner

    1 1982 HD

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  • 1978
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    Theatre

    Theatre

    6 1978 HD

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  • 1933
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    The Narrow Corner

    The Narrow Corner

    5.5 1933 HD

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  • 1962
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    Adorable Julia

    Adorable Julia

    5.9 1962 HD

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  • 1962
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    Finden Sie, daß Constanze sich richtig verhält?

    Finden Sie, daß Constanze sich richtig verhält?

    1 1962 HD

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  • 1931
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    The Holy Flames

    The Holy Flames

    1 1931 HD

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  • 1959
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    The Traitor

    The Traitor

    1 1959 HD

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  • 2004
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    Being Julia

    Being Julia

    6.458 2004 HD

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  • 1939
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    The Circle

    The Circle

    1 1939 HD

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  • 1930
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    Strictly Unconventional

    Strictly Unconventional

    3.5 1930 HD

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  • 1947
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    The Unfaithful

    The Unfaithful

    6 1947 HD

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  • 1980
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    Sadie

    Sadie

    6 1980 HD

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  • 1925
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    Infatuation

    Infatuation

    1 1925 HD

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  • 1926
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    The Canadian

    The Canadian

    7 1926 HD

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  • 1929
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    Charming Sinners

    Charming Sinners

    1 1929 HD

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  • 1950
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    Trio

    Trio

    6.3 1950 HD

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  • 1950
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    Trio

    Trio

    6.3 1950 HD

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  • 1931
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    Woman in the Jungle

    Woman in the Jungle

    5 1931 HD

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  • 1920
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    Jack Straw

    Jack Straw

    1 1920 HD

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  • 1929
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    The Sacred Flame

    The Sacred Flame

    1 1929 HD

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  • 1980
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    Wilson's Reward

    Wilson's Reward

    1 1980 HD

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  • 1931
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    The Letter

    The Letter

    1 1931 HD

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  • 1929
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    The Letter

    The Letter

    5.6 1929 HD

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  • 1950
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    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    1 1950 HD

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  • 1970
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    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    5.5 1970 HD

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  • 1970
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    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    6.7 1970 HD

    A British television anthology of stories, often with sinister and wryly comedic undertones, and a twist at the end. With early episodes written and...

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  • 1970
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    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    2 1970 HD

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  • 1970
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    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    Somerset Maugham Theatre

    2 1970 HD

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