So great an influence does Somerset Maugham hold over English literature of the twentieth century that many biographers have sought to capture his remarkable life. Not only did Maugham write great novels, he also held sway in theater and even in film, gaining substantial wealth as a result. Moreover, his vast circle of acquaintances spanned both literary and political spheres. Despite celebrity, Maugham determined to hide his personal life from prying eyes. A stutterer, he dreaded public embarrassment. An only partially closeted homosexual, he had a justifiable horror of suffering Oscar Wilde's sad fate. Maugham took pains that all his correspondence be destroyed prior to his death, but some escaped the flames, and Hastings draws on those letters and on interviews with Maugham's daughter. These coalesce into compelling, nonjudgmental portraits of Maugham's brothers, wife, and daughter and of the many men with whom he notoriously consorted. Pointedly, but not deterministically, connecting Maugham's literary output with his life, Hastings has achieved an especially readable biography that sheds new light on a literary giant. " (Booklist Reviews) Check Our Catalog
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