Page "W. Somerset Maugham" Paragraph 2

Maugham's masterpiece is generally agreed to be Of Human Bondage, a semiautobiographical novel that deals with the life of the main character Philip Carey, who, like Maugham, was orphaned, and brought up by his pious uncle.

Philip's clubfoot causes him endless self-consciousness and embarrassment, echoing Maugham's struggles with his stutter and, as his biographer Ted Morgan notes, his homosexuality.

His later novels were based on historical people: The Moon and Sixpence fictionalizes the life of Paul Gauguin ; and Cakes and Ale contains thinly veiled characterizations of the authors Thomas Hardy and Hugh Walpole.

Maugham's last major novel, The Razor's Edge, published in 1944, was a departure for him in many ways.

While much of the novel takes place in Europe, its main characters are American, not British.

The protagonist is a disillusioned veteran of World War I who abandons his wealthy friends and lifestyle, traveling to India seeking enlightenment.

The story's themes of Eastern mysticism and war-weariness struck a chord with readers as World War II waned.

It was quickly adapted as a movie.