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SomersetMaughamafamousBritishnovelist﹑playwrightandshortstorywriter.(25January1874–16December1965)section1BriefIntroductionofhislifeChildhood8yearsoldhismomdied,twoyearslaterhisfatherdied.MaughamwassenttotheUKtobecaredforbyhisuncle,HenryMacDonaldMaugham..hisuncleprovedcoldandemotionallycruel,hisnewschoolwasalsodifficultforhim.HewasteasedforhisbadEnglish(Frenchhadbeenhisfirstlanguage)andhisshortstature,whichheinheritedfromhisfather.ChildhoodMiserablebothathisuncle'svicarageandatschool,theyoungMaughamdevelopedatalentformakingwoundingremarkstothosewhodispleasedhim.ThisabilityissometimesreflectedinMaugham'sliterarycharacters.CareerMaugham'sfatherandthreeolderbrotherswerealldistinguishedlawyers,butMaughamaskedtobeexcusedfromthedutyoffollowingintheirfootsteps.Maughamhadbeenwritingsteadilysincetheageof15andferventlywishedtobecomeanauthor，butlaterhestudiedmedicineatthemedicalschool，meetingpeopleofalowsortwhomhewouldneverhavemetotherwise,andseeingthematatimeofheightenedanxietyandmeaningintheirlives.CareerIn1897,hepublishedhisfirstnovel,LizaofLambeth,ataleofworking-classadulteryanditsconsequences.LizaofLambeth'sfirstprintrunsoldoutinamatterofweeks.Maugham,whohadqualifiedasamedic,droppedmedicineandembarkedonhis65-yearcareerasamanofletters.Helatersaid,Itooktoitasaducktakestowater.MarriageDuringhisyearinHeidelbergMaughammetandhadasexualaffairwithJohnEllinghamBrooks,anEnglishmantenyearshissenior.Althoughhomosexual,MaughamenteredintoarelationshipwithSyrieWellcome,anAmerican-bornEnglishpharmaceuticalmagnate.HenryWellcomesuedhiswifefordivorce,namingMaughamasco-respondent.Themarriagewasunhappy,andSyriedivorcedhimin1929,findinghisrelationshipandtravelswithHaxtontoodifficulttolivewith.MarriageMaugham'slovelifewasalmostneversmooth.Heonceconfessed:IhavemostlovedpeoplewhocaredlittleornothingformeandwhenpeoplehavelovedmeIhavebeenembarrassed...Inordernottohurttheirfeelings,IhaveoftenactedapassionIdidnotfeel.Section2WorksandwritingstyleNotableWorksHisreputationasanovelistrestsprimarilyonthesebooks:LizaofLambeth(1897)wasW.SomersetMaugham'sfirstnovel,whichhewrotewhileworkingasadoctoratahospitalinLambeth.ItdepictstheshortlifeanddeathofLizaKemp,an18-year-oldfactoryworkerwholivestogetherwithheragingmotherinthefictionalVereStreet.Allinall,itgivesthereaderaninterestinginsightintotheeverydaylivesofworkingclassLondonersattheendofthenineteenthcentury.Inclassicguide,Maughamintroducesanddiscusseswhatheconsiderstobethetengreatestnovelsandtheirauthors.Herearesomeoftheformulaeofgreatnessinthegenre.Maugham'schoicelist:Fielding'sTomJones;《汤姆·琼斯》（亨利·菲尔丁）Dickens'sDavidCopperfield;《大卫·科波菲尔》（查尔斯·狄更斯）Flaubert'sMadameBovary;《包法利夫人》（福楼拜）Balzac'sOldManGoriot;《高老头》(巴尔扎克）EmilyBronte'sWutheringHeights,《呼啸山庄》（艾蜜莉·勃朗特）Dostoevsky'sTheBrothersKaramazov;《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》（陀思妥耶夫斯基)Stendhal'sTheRedandtheBlack;《红与黑》（斯汤达尔）Austen'sPrideandPrejudice;《傲慢与偏见》（珍·奥斯汀）Melville'sMobyDick;《白鲸记》（赫尔曼·梅尔维尔)Tolstoy'sWarandPeace.《战争与和平》（托尔斯泰）HisWritingStyleMaughamwasinfluencedbythepublishedjournalsoftheFrenchwriterJulesRenard,IbsenandhiscomedieswasinfluencedbyOscarWildealot.Maughamhadenjoyedfortheirconscientiousness,wisdomandwit.Healwaysholdcalm,aloofevenparticularattitudeswithsomesatireandmercytoobservelifeinalmostallhisworks.HisWritingStyleHisworksaremianlyaboutfamily,loveandthetwistsinmarriage.Hedescribedthesituationsandcustomsintheupperclassandexpressedthedoubtsaboutthesocietymorality.Hisworksaremoresatiricthanhumourous.section3InfluenceIn1947MaughaminstitutedtheSomersetMaughamAward,awardedtothebestBritishwriterorwritersundertheageofthirty-fiveforaworkoffictionpublishedinthepastyear.NotablewinnersincludeV.S.Naipaul,KingsleyAmis,MartinAmisandThomGunn.Onhisdeath,MaughamdonatedhisroyaltiestotheRoyalLiteraryFund.Otherwritersacknowledgedhiswork.AnthonyBurgess,whoincludedacomplexfictionalportraitofMaughaminthenovelEarthlyPowers,praisedhisinfluence.IanFlemingnotedthathewrotetheshortstoryQuantumofSolaceasanhomagetoMaugham'swritingstyle.GeorgeOrwellsaidthatMaughamwasthemodernwriterwhohasinfluencedmethemost,whomIadmireimmenselyforhispoweroftellingastorystraightforwardlyandwithoutfrills.