Selena Hastings: "The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham"

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I have been a devoted fan of Somerset Maugham's writing since 2003. That was the year when I first set off on my independent travels, and after a few weeks I washed up in Vienna with nothing to read. I found a second-hand bookshop trading in English literature as well as German, and I was captivated by the cover of 'The Razor's Edge'. Since then I've read more books by Somerset Maugham than by any other author, and although I haven't loved each and every one of them, I've always found something valuable withing their pages.
This biography by Selena Hastings is a fascinating and insightful examination of the great writer's life. As with all biographies, though, it ends on a sad note, with the author's decrepitude and eventual death making the final chapters a particular struggle for anyone sentimental about Maugham - like me.
If you would like to get hold of a copy of this magnificent book, check out the Amazon listing here:
amzn.to/2BDQuuG
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Опубликовано:

4 окт 2024

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@inr63 3 года назад

Your review’s exquisite. I’m a 27yr old girl - born and raised in Chicago, IL and still here. I’d never heard of Maugham until one randomly fortunate day in my early 20s. I was running out of the train station in a hurry b/c I was late to work. I’m not an approachable-looking person and even less so when I’m in a mood/late, but this old man all but leapt in front of me. He told me to stop and that he knew I “needed this”. I remember feeling the anger radiating off me I was so vexed by the slight deterrence, but b/c he wasn’t asking me to give him anything I just took what he was trying to give me and rushed off to work. What he placed in my hands was the Razor’s Edge. I’ve always been a little bit of a reader, but I’d never heard anything of the book nor the author prior to. Fast-forward to today - there’s not a work of Maugham’s I don’t cherish and that hasn’t yet impacted my life for the better. My name is Isabel and I swear on my own mother this is all 100% factual - the day, the old man from the station, The Razor’s Edge, the undying love that I’ll always have for Maugham and his work...everything. I’ll always be grateful to that old man that I never saw again; it’s a memory I’ll forever hold dear.

@CloselyObservedLiterature 3 года назад

What an amazing story! Thank you for sharing it 😁🤩

@carolking6355 3 года назад

Do you think it was Maugham himself. If so Wow! I read him in the late 1950s and was entranced by his books. There is a wonderful interview on utube with him when he is 91. Do watch it. Tell me what you think.

@slukas1375 2 года назад

What a great story. It's remarkable that you, an Isabel, came to "The Razor's Edge" (featuring another Isabel) in such a peculiar way. It was meant to happen.

@slukas1375 2 года назад

I have read the Hastings biography and I am in agreement that it is worth 5 stars. I have been a lifelong fan of Maugham ever since I worked in a bookstore in my teens (many years ago). The manager asked if I'd ever read anything by Maugham, and when I said I hadn't, she gave me "Of Human Bondage" saying: "read this and you'll be hooked." She was right. Many years later, I have many of his novels and short story collections in my small home library. He remains my favourite author of all time. I've been kind of surprised that a major motion picture about his life hasn't yet been made. His work endures, and I hope it continues to do so for a long time to come.

@richardmiranda640 3 года назад

Such a casual word we live in.

@johnappleby405 4 года назад

Good succinct review. Maugham's life and work are undoubtedly interesting and I will probably buy the book. It's been a long time since I read anything by Maugham though. My favourite was 'The Moon and Sixpence'.

@CloselyObservedLiterature 4 года назад

'The Moon and Sixpence' is both fascinating and beautiful!

@67Parsifal 6 лет назад

I read this book a few years ago and I agree with your estimation of it. You do come away feeling deep sympathy for Maugham, even though he was a 'difficult man'. Have you read Beverly Nichols book 'A Case Of Human Bondage?'

@CloselyObservedLiterature 6 лет назад

Sadly not - it seems highly rated on Amazon but generally out of print. Shame there isn't a good Kindle version doing the rounds!