From a tormented orphan with a clubfoot, Philip Carey grows into an impressionable young man with a voracious appetite for adventure and knowledge. His cravings take him to Paris at age eighteen to try his hand at art, then back to London to study medicine.
William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) studied medicine, but the
quick success of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), started
him on his lifelong literary career, during which he would become
one of the most popular English authors since Dickens. His own
life, however, was more tragic, shocking, and fascinating than any
novel. After his adored parents died, he grew up in a miserable
vicarage and suffered from a physical handicapof whichhe was
ashamed. During his lifetime, Maugham would marry and divorce, be
sent to Russia as a spy, and entertain such celebrities as Jean
Cocteau, Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, the Aga Khan, and Ian
Fleming at his Riviera mansion. Among his masterpieces are Of Human
Bondage, The Painted Veil, The Razor's Edge, and The Moon and
Sixpence. In addition, such works as "The Letter" and "Rain"
established Maugham as a gifted short story writer.
Benjamin DeMott (1924-2005) was professor of English and the Mellon
professor of humanities at Amherst College. The author of two
novels, he was best known for his cultural criticism in leading
periodicals and in such books as The Imperial Middle- Why Americans
Can't Think Straight About Class and The Trouble with Friendship-
Why Americans Can't Think Straight About Race.
Maeve Binchy (1940-2012) was the New York Times bestselling author
of Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Tara Road (an Oprah's Book Club
Selection), Circle of Friends, Light a Penny Candle, and many other
novels.
“The modern writer who has influenced me the most.”—George
Orwell
“One of my favorite writers.”—Gabriel García Marquez
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
