Full text of cakes and ale maugham internet archive. Free downloadable version in various formats including kindle, epub, pdf and others. Acceptable cakes and ale w somerset maugham 19630101 the hinges are in goo. In 1917, he took the first of many voyages to the paci.
Russian translations, 1927, 1960 and cakes and ale 1930 he condemned religious hypocrisy and ugly philistine mores. Maugham, william somerset article about maugham, william. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been commissioned to. The story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in maughams shortstory collection ashenden. Maugham exposes the misguided social snobbery levelled at the character rosie driffield, whose frankness, honesty, and sexual fr. Somerset maugham, cakes and ale or the skeleton in the cupboard.
For literary reasons it starts with a vicious portrait of. Publication date 1930 media typeprint pages308 cakes and ale, or, the skeleton in the cupboard is a novel by the british author w. When maugham published cakes and ale in 1930, it was obvious that alroy kear in the novel was a barbed caricature of walpole. Cakes and ale, or, the skeleton in the cupboard 1930 is a novel by the british author w. Cakes and ale by william somerset maugham paperback. Maughams masterpiece is generally agreed to be of human bondage, a semiautobiographical novel that deals with the life of the main character. Somerset maugham led many lives, including that of a doctor in londons slums, a successful playwright and novelist, an agent for british intelligence during world war i, and a world traveler. 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. Like i had not then acquired the technique that i flatter myself now enables me to deal competently with the works of modern artist. Somerset maughams most popular book is of human bondage. Per doubledays practice of designating first editions, first edition so stated on title page verso. Cakes and ale vintage international kindle edition by. Original blue cloth lettered in gilt, in pictorial dustwrapper printed in black and red.
As we learn from selina hastings in her excellent biography, the secret lives of somerset maugham, cakes and ale was written in 1930 in maugham s sumptuous home, the villa mauresque on cap ferrat, at the time in his life when he was happiest and most content. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the. In another writers hands the subject matter could easily have become rather sordid and angstridden, but maugham has a light touch that is so engaging and delightful you are won over by the character of rosie, even when your intellect tells you that you shouldnt be which. Mar 04, 2010 cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary literary poseurs and a skilfully crafted study of freedom. With michael hordern, judy cornwell, mike pratt, lynn farleigh. Maugham exposes the misguided social snobbery levelled at the character rosie driffield, whose frankness, honesty, and sexual freedom make her a target of conservative propriety.
In cakes and ale maugham makes only the slightest of attempts at disguising its autobiographical nature. Cakes and ale by w somerset maugham this quiet book is a joy to read. Social climber alroy kear is flattered when he is selected by edward driffields. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android.
We found great results, but some are outside somerset. Maughams first literary successes were the plays lady frederick staged 1907, the circle 1921, and sheppey 1933. Review of cakes and ale by somerset maugham a writers. Somerset maugham s cakes and ale dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale. Born in the british embassy in paris, where his father worked, maugham was an orphan by the age of ten. Lord george, the local coal merchant, adds to the merriment and is to play. Cakes and ale, or, the skeleton in the cupboard cover of the first uk edition authorw.
Maugham, somerset article about maugham, somerset by the. Blackstable takes the place of whitstable as it did in of human bondage. William somerset maugham pa commons william somerset maugham, og kjend som w. He was educated at kings school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university. Hardcover published in 1979, hardcover published in 1980, kindle edition, hardcover published in 1955, paperback pub. Four of maugham s novels of human bondage, cakes and ale, the moon and sixpence, and the razors edge are classics of their kinds. Cakes and ale is probably the most cheerful of maugham s works, considering that it comprises chiefly of the narrators recollections of a carefree summer vacation due to a strange friendship with a middleaged writer, driffield, and his sensuous, friendly wife, rosie. Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society betwe. As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maugham s sardonic wit and lyrical warmth expertly combine in this. Review of cakes and ale by somerset maugham john david. Somerset maugham tells the story of author william ashendens series of contracts over decades with a greatly renowned novelist, and the need of his wouldbe biographer for details that william alone can provide. Somerset maugham countryunited kingdom languageenglish genrenovel publisherwilliam heinemann ltd garden city publishing company, inc. Driffield to recall incidents relating to edward driffield for kears sanitized biography, the narrator.
A literary biography within a novel that examined the private sin that accompanies public success. Somerset maughams cakes and ale dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale. Thomass hospital with a view to practice in medicine, but the success of his first novel, liza of lambeth 1897, won him over to letters. Maugham 18941965 was safely settled in the south of france when the storm broke over this book. All the time the real ted driffield preferred nipping down to the pub and spending the evening jawing and yarning with local workers and common. Cakes and ale pivots on the attempt by driffields second wife, amy, to sanitise her famous husbands obscure and tumultuous youth. Returning to settle in france in 1928, he wrote what many regard as his satirical masterpiece cakes and ale. It is a masterfully structured story, told largely in retrospect, with. Somerset maugham 1874 1965 was a british playwright, novelist and short story writer. Somerset maugham, english novelist, playwright, and shortstory writer whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd understanding of human nature. The story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in.
Definition of cakes and ale in the idioms dictionary. Somerset maugham s irony and cool detachment make him an acknowledged master of the short story. If this were the place i could write a very neat little guide to enable the amateur of pictures to deal. Somerset maugham was born in 1874 and lived in paris until he was ten. Somerset maugham somerset maugham by anthony curtis the secret lives of somerset maugham by selina hastings maugham. Twelfth night takes for its theme the doubleness of human character, ranging from the calculated hypocrisy of the virtuous exemplified by literary opportunist and wouldbe biographer alroy kear to the animal weaknesses of the goodhearted yet unreformable rosie. The moon and sixpence by william somerset maugham paperback. Buy 1, get 1 at 5% off add 2 to cart see all eligible items. Of all somerset maughams novels this is the most entertaining and arguably his best ever. He was raised by an uncle, who tried to persuade the youngster to become an accountant or parson. There are moments when i want to shake my fists at the sky and shriek aloud with rage. Henry purcell i gave her cakes and i gave her ale alfred deller duration.
Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society between the wars. Review of cakes and ale by somerset maugham youtube. The winds of war would not allow maugham to remain in france indefinitely. Somerset maugham 25 january 1874 16 december 1965 william somerset maugham was born at the british embassy in paris, france, where his father was an english lawyer handling the legal affairs of the british embassy. Somerset maugham,neil hunt for free with a 30 day free trial. Social climber alroy kear is flattered when he is selected by edward driffields wife to pen the official biography of her lionized novelist husband, and determined to write a bestseller. Includes new facsimile dust jacket in archival brodart sleeve.
Contentment and a zest for life wafts off the pages like expensive french pefume. An introverted child afflicted with a stammer, maugham was orphaned at 10 and sent to live with his uncle, a vica. Jan 25, 2014 cakes and ale is probably the most cheerful of maugham s works, considering that it comprises chiefly of the narrators recollections of a carefree summer vacation due to a strange friendship with a middleaged writer, driffield, and his sensuous, friendly wife, rosie. Maugham exposes the misguided social snobbery levelled at the character rosie driffield, whose frankness, honesty and sexual freedom make her a target of conservative propriety. Maugham, somerset william somerset maugham mom, 18741965, english writer, b. After reading cakes and ale, she wrote to sassoon on 5 november 1930. Somerset maugham has 656 books on goodreads with 3528325 ratings. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highestpaid author during the 1930s. Cakes and ale is a piercing satire of british literary circles, and features apparently very recognisable portraits of authors thomas hardy, and maugham s erstwhile friend horace walpole. Cakes and ale project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The novel deals with the craft of writing and the foibles of those who do it. We rode anxiously, clinging like grim death to the handlebars, but exultant, and driffield said that as soon as we felt sure of ourselves we must go. Maugham was not known as a bombthrower, but cakes and ale in 1930 changed that.
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