William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British Novelist, short-story author,
and playwright. Born at the British Embassy in Paris, Maugham went on to
receive an M.D. degree in 1897 and later served with a British ambulance
unit and with military intelligence during World War I. Maugham was chief
secret service agent in Russia during the Bolshevik coup of 1917. His other
best-known novels include The Moon and Sixpence (1919), Cakes and Ales
(1930), and The Razor's Edge (1944).
Of Human Bondage (1915) Usually regarded as Maugham finest work, "Of
Human Bondage" deals with the artistic and intellectual development of
Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan with a club foot who struggles for
independence against his cold-hearted uncle and aunt in whose care he
has been placed. Parts of the novel are autobiographical.
