Added by: Maria | Karma: 3098.81 | Fiction literature | 27 December 2008
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The stories published here were largely written in the three decades following the First World War. Although Maugham had written short stories early in his career, preoccupation with his other writing led to a long interval before he next took up the form, on a voyage in the South Seas in 1919, originally as a relief from other work.
Each of these stories can stand on its own. Maugham himself wrote that such a compactness of technique, character and incident may seem disconcerting in a world where at least one loose end is normally left behind; but the compactness is part of the method used by such short story writers as Maugham. As he put it in his own distinctive way, such a writer ‘seeks to prove nothing. He paints a picture and sets it before you. You can take it or leave it.’ Most take it.
Middle-aged woman, a star of the London theatre, beautiful, fulfilled. But she thinks that something is missing in her life and falls in love with a very young guy, who is mesmerized by her fame. Later the young lover meets a girl of his age and falls in love with her, leaving behind his older paramour. The story is as old as this world. What makes it so different from other million love stories? The talent of its writer and the truly wonderful finale. Maugham was able to turn the whole thing upside down. And it's not one of those sticky-sweet novels, this one has a strong character, which makes it truly interesting to read....
A home-reading guide with ready-made exercises and vocabulary lists is included in the archive!
W. Somerset Maugham - Up at the Villa С.Моэм - На вилле Level: Pre-Intermediate Адаптированная книга для чтения The book is scaned and OCRed by bkate .
Honolulu
William Somerset Maugham After working in British Intelligence during World War I, William Somerset Maugham set off to regain his health by traveling to Asia, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands. During this trip he gather materials and wrote the stories that appeared in 1921 in The Trembling of a Leaf. The six short stories and two "sketches" include the famous story "Rain"-adapted for both theater and film as Sadie Thompson, "Macintosh", "The Fall of Edward Barnard" .Of course love is always a subject of the tropics and Maugham's deft, ironic handling of the theme in "Red" and "Honolulu" is masterful.. These short stories are some of his best, and among the best ever written about the exotic South Seas. (Amazon.com).
Looking for local color, Somerset Maugham went slumming there and wrote this in his notebook: “You go down side-streets by the harbor, in the darkness, across a rickety bridge, and you come to a road, all ruts and holes; a little farther … there is a certain stir, an air of expectant agitation; you turn down a narrow alley, either to the right or to the left, and find yourself in the district… . The pretty bungalows are divided into two lodgings; each is inhabited by a woman, and each consists of two rooms and a kitchenette.”
Honolulu
