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| William
Somerset Maughan
1874 - 1965 |
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. The writer William Somerset Maugham completed a doctor examination but soon afterwards decided to become a writer because of his success with his first novels and plays. In his first work "Liza of Lambeth" he described the poverty quarters of London in an authentic way and caused a huge discussion with it. With his plays "Lady Frederick", "The Constant Wife" and "Of Human Bondage" (15) - probably his greatest success - made him popular in no time. During World War I he worked as a secret agent for the MI6 and he digested these experiences in his book "Ashenden; or The British Agent" (28). William Somerset Maughan wrote many other books and short stories in the next years which often contained his own experiences he collected on his journeys. Thanks to the enormous readers which were appealed by his books he soon was regarded as the most successful writer of his generation. When he bought the Villa Mauresque at the end of the 20's his house soon became well-known for somerset Maugham's art collection and became a popular meeting place. He made a decision in 1933 no longer to write plays for the theater but to direct his focus to books. With "Catalina" (48) was his last roman published, in 1959 he stopped his writing activity. The success of his books was soon reflected in many cinematical adaptions
and his timeless stories are reflrected in new movies till today.
The sound film era fell back to his books too. To the numerous movies of those years belong "Weib im Dschungel" (31) with Charlotte Ander and Erich Ponto, "Die heilige Flamme" (31) by Wilhelm Dieterle, "Of Human Bondage" (34) with Bette Davis, "The Painted Veil" (34) with Greta Garbo, "Secret Agent" (36) by Alfred Hitchcock, "The Tenth Man" (36), "Vessel of Wrath" (38) with Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester, "The Letter" (40) by William Wyler with Bette Davis, "The Razor's Edge" (46) with Tyrone Power, "The Unfaithful" (47) by Vincent Sherman, "Miss Sadie Thompson" (53) with Rita Hayworth, "Bezaubernde Julia" (60), "Lady Frederick" (64), "Eine konsequente Frau" (71) by Wolfgang Liebeneiner, "Diener und andere Herren" (78) with Heinz Rühmann, "The Razor's Edge" (84) with Bill Murray, "Being Julia" (04) by Istvan Szabo and "The Painted Veil" (06) with Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. William Somerset Maugham can also count on a famous admirer. No less
a person than Alfred Hitchcock explained in an interview that Somerset
Maugham is one of few writers he is reading in his leisure time.
Other filmed books by William Somerset
Maughan:
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