This collection offers a cross-section of the masterful work of one of the 20th century's preeminent storytellers. Set in exotic locales as well as the English countryside, the tales explore human nature with keen insight and subtle wit. Each story presents meticulously drawn characters and timeless themes of love, betrayal, and the search for meaning. It is essential reading for fans of classic short fiction.
These 30 short stories, comprising Somerset Maugham's first collection, are set in locations ranging from England, France and Spain to the silver sands of the South Pacific. They include Rain, The Three Fat Women of Antibes, The Voice of the Turtle, and Before the Party.
Somerset Maugham's irony and cool detachment made him an acknowledged master of the short story. The stories collected here are typical of Maugham's wry perception of human weakness and his unique talent for evoking a sense of time and place. They are set in familiar Maugham territory - the South Seas, Europe and America - but they are all concise and compelling dramas played out by unforgettable characters. The collection includes some of Maugham's most famous stories: "The Alien Corn," "Flotsam and Jetsam" and particularly "The Vessel of Wrath," a surprising tale of burgeoning love between a repressed mission lady and a drunken reprobate.
The third volume of the renowned English author's short stories deal with the adventures of Ashenden, an agent in the Intelligence Department during the First World War
This final classic collection reveals Somerset Maugham's unique talent for exposing and exploring the bitter realities of human relationships in tales of love, infidelity, passion and prejudice. The stories range from "The Lotus Eater" where a man envisions a life of bliss in the Mediterranean, to the astringent tales of "The Outstation" and "The Back of Beyond" in Malaya and South East Asia.