"The Moon and Sixpence" by W. Somerset Maugham is a story set in the early 1900s about a man named Charles Strickland who leaves his normal life as a stockbroker and decent family man in London to chase his dream of being a painter, which takes him all the way to far-off Tahiti. Strickland's journey helps the book look at big ideas like what it means to be a gifted artist, what people give up to follow their passions, and how complicated people can be. The story begins with the narrator thinking back on when he first met Strickland and how he seemed like just another regular guy, but soon finds that he's someone with deep feelings and a complicated personality. The beginning shows what Strickland's life was like before he became an artist, and it hints that he's going to have a big impact on the people around him, like his wife, Amy Strickland, who plays an important part in what happens next. As the tale unfolds, Strickland's dedication to his art causes a lot of problems and sets the stage for even bigger challenges in his life.
The Moon and Sixpence
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
A seemingly ordinary man shockingly abandons his family and comfortable life in pursuit of an all-consuming passion that drives him across the world.
Summary
About the AuthorWilliam Somerset Maugham was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German university. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, and became a full-time writer. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. By 1908 he had four plays running at once in the West End of London. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories.
William Somerset Maugham was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German university. He became a medical student in London and qualified as a physician in 1897. He never practised medicine, and became a full-time writer. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity. By 1908 he had four plays running at once in the West End of London. He wrote his 32nd and last play in 1933, after which he abandoned the theatre and concentrated on novels and short stories.
More Like This
Explore books similar to the one you're viewing
More by This Author
Discover other books written by the same author
The Making of a Saint
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
Cæsar's Wife: A Comedy in Three Acts
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
The Merry-go-round
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
Plays: Lady Frederick, The Explorer, A Man of Honour
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
The Moon and Sixpence
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
Mrs. Dot: A Farce
By W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
Related by Category
Discover books in the same genre or category
The Kentucky Warbler
By James Lane Allen
Southern Spain, Painted by Trevor Haddon, Described by A. F. Calvert
By Albert Frederick Calvert
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 370, August 1846
By Various
Prairie Smoke, a Collection of Lore of the Prairies
By Melvin R. (Melvin Randolph) Gilmore
New Atlantis
By Francis Bacon
The Freelands
By John Galsworthy