--1--
On January 25, 1874, in a delivery room on the second floor of the British Embassy in France, with the cry of a baby, a fresh baby was born. life came into this world.
This baby boy with fair skin, blond hair and big brown eyes was the great writer who later became famous in the world of literature - William Somerset Maugham.
When the Franco-Prussian War broke out in 1870, in order to expand its military strength, the French government legislated to force foreign boys born in France to become French citizens so that they could be drafted into the army in the future.
In order to evade this law, the British Embassy in France set up a maternity ward on the second floor of the embassy to allow the wives of justices and people directly related to the court to give birth on British soil.
Maugham's father, Robert Ormond Maugham, was a well-known lawyer and the semi-official legal adviser of the British Embassy, ??so he naturally enjoyed this special treatment.
Maugham was the fourth child in the family. The three previous brothers were all sent to England to study and only came back during the holidays. So Maugham lived a pampered and doted only son's life from birth.
This is the best time in his life. His beloved mother belongs entirely to him. There is a French maid who takes care of him. The Champs Elysées is his childhood playground. Such a life As fun as you want, be as fun as you want!
However, the happiness ended on January 31, 1882.
On this day, the 8-year-old Maugham lost his beloved mother. The 41-year-old Edith died of tuberculosis, which became a deep-rooted pain in his life until he grew old. Yes, it was hard for him to let go.
Maugham kept his mother's photo on his bedside all his life, and a lock of her long hair, which became the two most precious possessions in his life.
In the first chapter of "The Shackles of Humanity", Maugham opens the floodgates of memory and traces his inability to accept the pain of losing his mother:
When he walked into his dead mother's room, Opening the closet, I hugged the clothes my mother had worn with my young arms, smelling the warm atmosphere that still existed on them, feeling that my mother had not gone far, as if her kiss was still on her lips.
The book's meticulous description of Philip's childhood is based on Maugham's real experience.
Perhaps God was jealous that he was too happy before. Two years later, God took his father to heaven.
The 10-year-old Maugham became an orphan.
He was adopted by the pastor's uncle and drifted across the ocean like a small boat to the strange UK.
Without parents, doting, joy, warmth, and luxurious life have become a thing of the past.
In my childhood, there was no sunny day anymore, like rain beating duckweed, I was lonely and helpless.
During his lifetime, his mother often drank afternoon tea with Maugham and took him to various social activities. At that time, he was a cheerful and confident little boy who often recited poems and performed performances for guests.
A world away from life in Paris, life at my uncle's house in Black Stables is monotonous and boring.
Due to lack of love, Maugham became withdrawn, had low self-esteem, and even suffered from a stutter. This brought him endless pain and shame.
Most of Maugham's childhood misfortunes can be attributed to his selfish uncle.
At his uncle's house, he could eat a small piece of the top of an egg every week, and his uncle would eat the rest alone.
Nine months after arriving in England, his uncle sent Maugham to King's School in Canterbury, leaving his nephew to fend for himself in the boarding school. Maugham grew up strong amid the ridicule and ridicule of his classmates. Although he was unhappy, he was fortunate to have books as his companions.
He developed the habit of reading in loneliness, which built a refuge for him. He licked his wounds in reading and digested the longing for his mother alone.
King's School in Canterbury had a huge impact on Maugham's life and foreshadowed his sexual orientation.
Years later when he was having dinner with friends at a club, he pointed at a respectable gentleman dining and said: "I slept with that guy when I was at King's School."
-- 2—
In 1890, the 16-year-old Maugham left King's School in Canterbury. With excellent grades, he gave up the opportunity to study at Cambridge University and went to Heidelberg University in Germany to start his study abroad career.
Maugham was talented and intelligent, but his success relied on acquired diligence and hard work.
In addition to his daily schoolwork, he spends most of his time reading and writing. While at King's School in Canterbury, he won a scholarship and the privilege of wearing a short black dress.
As the saying goes: Since ancient times, all good people have been self-disciplined.
Maugham was not only self-disciplined, but also an autodidact.
He is proficient in many languages ??and has read an astonishing amount, covering everything from astronomy to geography, religious philosophy, novels and prose.
"The reason for human existence is unknown, free will is an illusion, and the afterlife does not exist." Schopenhauer's pessimistic theory gave Maugham a great inspiration.
Having developed a keen interest in philosophy, he no longer believed in religion.
While studying abroad, Maugham met Brooks, a man who seemed to be talented but was actually a poser, and dedicated his virginity to him.
Mr. Jiang Xun once said that he would write the people he hated around him into his novels, and then find various reasons to forgive them. Maugham was the same, but much meaner. The superficial and artificial Hayward in "Human Shackles" is based on Brooks.
Therefore, never offend someone who can write novels, because he will add fuel to the fire and write you into the novel.
Soon, Maugham saw through Brooks and discarded him as waste.
Philosophy cannot bake bread. Before talking about dreams, please eat a full meal first.
Some people say that excellent people never leave themselves a way out. This is true, but it is not absolute.
Maugham is a person who will leave a way out for himself and go all out.
This may be related to his childhood insecurity.
After staying in Germany for more than a year, Maugham returned to England. In 1892, at the age of 18, Maugham entered St Thomas' Medical College in London to study medicine. Although he had little interest in medicine and the five-year semester was too long, Maugham obtained medical licenses in both internal medicine and surgery at the same time when he graduated, as well as a position as an obstetrician and gynecologist.
Maugham is so awesome!
He never gave up writing for five years.
He said: "I write because I can't help it."
He also said: "Not reading is as uncomfortable as if I don't smoke."
He keeps a full schedule and is not willing to waste every inch of his time.
Maugham not only read an astonishing amount, but also read at an astonishing speed. He can read through Shakespeare, Ibsen, Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant and many other famous classics in a short period of time, and copy and memorize part of the content.
Flaubert once said to his student Maupassant: "No matter what you want to say, there is only one sentence that can truly express him."
Maugham was inspired by Flaubert The influence is far-reaching and runs through the veins of his writing throughout his life.
In the early days of creation, he especially admired Maupassant.
As we all know, Maupassant's short stories are exquisitely written and he is known as one of the "three great short story masters in the world". His works are cleverly designed, clear in narrative, and have a strong sense of realism.
Maugham's debut novel, "Lisa of Lambeth", imitates Maupassant's writing style. Maugham was still a medical student at the time. Not only do you have to complete professional course exams, but you also have to use your spare time to read and write.
Some people think that Maugham's life is simply too boring, right?
Capitalized NO!
Maugham's life had nothing to do with boredom. His gorgeous emotional life was the stimulant of his happiness. He described himself this way: "I fell in love almost constantly, from the age of 15 to 50."
The first time Maugham slept with a woman was when he was in medical school, and he went to the Strand Street to recruit The prostitute, no doubt, contracted gonorrhea and had to secretly see a doctor. Still, he was happy that he was functioning "normally."
At the age of 20, Maugham knew that he was bisexual. He tried his best to convince himself: "I am three-quarters normal and only one-quarter gay." But the opposite is true.
In April 1895, Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor for sodomy.
This case made Maugham more determined to protect his privacy and kept the secret of his homosexuality secret.
But this did not prevent Maugham from expressing his strong sexual desire. He behaved cautiously, and the implicit alienation of the literati gave him a good layer of protection.
--3—
Once "Lisa of Lambeth" was published in September 1897, it attracted a lot of attention. Maugham graduated from medical school in October of the same year. The success of his first book made him decide to abandon medicine and pursue literature.
However, "Lisa of Lambeth" only earned Maugham twenty pounds in royalties.
Like most people who make a living from writing, he had to struggle with poverty in his early days.
Once, Maugham attended a literary salon and found an old duke sitting next to him.
"Do you like cigars?" the Duke asked him, taking out a large cigar box from his pocket.
"I like it very much." Maugham, who could hardly afford cigars, said.
"I like it very much, too." The Duke picked out a cigar, looked at it carefully, and said, "I always bring my own cigars to dinner parties." With that, he closed the box with a snap. Putting the cigar back into his pocket, "I suggest you do the same. ”
The humiliation brought about by poverty deeply stung Maugham.
He wanted to become famous, so he devoted himself to his work, and his creativity exploded. Explosion. He can write a travelogue, four short stories and a novel in eight months.
You know, this is purely handwriting!
" I am naturally insightful and have a knack for writing dialogue...writing comes as naturally to me as breathing. "
But Maugham did not expect that real success would have to wait nine years.
It was not the novel that made him famous and rich, but the drama.
During this period, he experienced countless setbacks, and it was common for him to be rejected. It was his iron will that allowed him to survive.
On October 26, 1907, the comedy "Mrs. Frederick" was put on the stage. Maugham became famous overnight and was dubbed the title of English playwright.
"My success was spectacular and unexpected." Maugham recalled.
Finally, he no longer has to worry about money, and no longer has to be jealous of his love rival.
There are many fashionable hostesses chasing him, and many handsome boys he likes to satisfy his desires.
Maugham has become a box-office guarantee. He has almost written one hit and he has become as famous as Bernard Shaw.
However, success did not change Maugham. He was still diligent and self-disciplined. Writing a play a month was very easy for Maugham.
Ten years of sharpening his sword made him see clearly the nature of achievement.
The biggest change was that Maugham became a millionaire.
Being talented, beautiful and rich will inevitably attract jealousy. In particular, Maugham liked to write the people around him into his books. Some people took him to court, others said he plagiarized...
Maugham was not someone to be trifled with.
Once, the eccentric Crowley made a list saying that Maugham had plagiarized him because Maugham had written him into "The Magician". This approach disgusted Maugham.
Somerset Maugham's friend Kelly once painted a portrait of Crowley. He suggested that Carey send the portrait to the Royal Academy of Arts and caption it: "Son of a Bitch" .
……
Maugham’s poisonous tongue is evident.
In fact, his uncles, aunts, brothers, as well as the men and women he loved, including Virginia Woolf, Gauguin and many other celebrities can be found in his novels.
Even Churchill signed a gentleman's agreement with him: "Ruli, you promise never to make fun of me, and I promise never to make fun of you."
This Churchill would be the future British Prime Minister.
At that time, Churchill was a cabinet minister. Late one night, everyone was drinking and chatting at Stoke Manor. Maugham suddenly interjected a sentence, which shocked Churchill: A self-righteous young man was talking from the perspective of a writer. nonsense.
Churchill immediately fell silent and everyone laughed loudly.
--4—
Maugham never wrote about Wilde, the subject was too dangerous.
Wilde publicly declared that no one has the right to condemn the behavior of others, and that everyone should go his own way, go where he wants to go, and live in the way he chooses.
Maugham fully agreed.
As of today, I mean, go your own way and let others have their say.
Homosexuality was not legal in Britain at that time.
After Wilde’s homosexuality was exposed, he lost all his fame and fortune, and died within a few years of his release from prison.
A man's love for a man is "a love that cannot be expressed."
Maugham was very interested in Wilde's social circle, such as Wilde's first male lover, and Among the women Wilde dated was Alfred Douglas.
It was precisely because Wilde fell in love with Douglas, the son of the Marquess of Queensberry, that the Marquess openly revealed his homosexuality and was imprisoned.
Maugham tried his best to understand the dead Wang Erde in these people.
He and Wilde have many similarities, but Maugham was much luckier. He cleverly avoided tragedy from happening to himself.
Maugham never lacked male lovers in his life, but there was only one woman he really loved for many years. Her name was Ethelwyn Sylvia Jones, and everyone called her Sue.
This blond girl with maternal brilliance fascinated Maugham.
After the two had sex for the first time, Sue asked Maugham: "How long do you think this relationship can last?"
Maugham joked: "Six weeks. ”
But the fact lasted for eight years.
In December 1913, Maugham's proposal to Su was rejected. Two weeks later, Su married the earl's son.
Maugham was devastated by the loss of Sue. He wrote her into "Having Fun", and the lifelike Rosie was based on Sue.
Soon, Maugham met Cyril.
This affair was devastating.
Cyril is a married woman who is separating from her husband, and Maugham is just one of her many lovers. It is also the one she is most satisfied with.
Maugham was rich, fashionable, and single, and he became Cyril's obvious prey. It wasn't until Cyril managed to conceive his child that Maugham realized he had fallen into this woman's trap.
On May 26, 1917, when his daughter Lisa was two years old, Maugham was forced to marry Cyril.
A loveless marriage is a disaster.
Cyril was a philistine, vain, and loved money as much as her life. She once secretly sold the jade necklace Maugham bought her from China, and then claimed compensation from the insurance company.
What is even more bizarre is that she uses her home as an exhibition hall to sell furniture used by Maugham. Maugham often found that the sofa he had sat on the day before was missing, and the table he had used was also missing.
They quarreled constantly, and sleeping with Cyril required Maugham to fully mobilize his imagination. At one stage, he even wanted to commit suicide.
This entanglement lasted for twelve years, and Cyril gave Maugham a hard blow during the divorce.
"She made my life a complete hell...she kept asking for money from me and her mouth was open like a brothel door."
Take a look , Somerset Maugham even used metaphors to curse people so appropriately!
That’s awesome!
The excitement is much more than that.
Maugham also had a brief affair with Princess Alexandra Kropotkin of Russia. Even his brother was surprised that he actually got a real princess into bed.
--5—
Maugham experienced two world wars.
In August 1914, when the First World War started, Maugham applied to the Red Cross to be a volunteer and went to the front line.
He is patriotic, adventurous and does not like to stick to the rules.
War is cruel. Maugham carried a stretcher and shuttled through the battlefield under heavy artillery fire, watching the dead bodies piled into hills and the wounded soldiers crying loudly.
It was also during this war that he fell in love at first sight with the handsome 22-year-old Gerald Haxton, a volunteer from the American Red Cross.
Haxton accompanied Maugham as a secretary for thirty years.
After Maugham's divorce, the two settled in Villa Maresco in France.
Villa Maresco is in an excellent location, facing the sea, with the Alps at its back, Nice and Cannes to the west, and the Italian Riviera to the east. It’s so beautiful that you can imagine it. All luxury is here.
Regarding the man Maugham loved most in his life, there are mixed reviews from the outside world.
Some people say that Gerrard has an unruly face.
Others say he is a liar.
Gerald often acted as a pimp, introducing young and beautiful men to Maugham, and he himself was constantly having affairs outside.
While Maugham was in love with Gerald, he secretly got involved with an 18-year-old British boy named Allen.
This Allen was the villain who later caused a break between Maugham and his daughter.
This is a later story.
In short, the relationship between Maugham and Gerald is elusive and their love is complicated.
Besides, during World War I, Maugham was eager to engage in war-related work. So he was hired by the British Intelligence Agency and became a spy.
Although Maugham was an amateur spy, he was the leader of a group of professional spies.
He used his identity as a writer as a cover to travel to the neutral country of Switzerland to collect intelligence sent by Germany.
In August 1917, Maugham was sent to Russia again to lobby the then Prime Minister John Kerens to insist on fighting. When Maugham first met Krens, he felt that he was not worthy of the support of the Allies: "He looked very unhealthy, like an exhausted man."
As Maugham expected, the operation failed. .
However, Maugham's performance was highly praised by the British authorities.
Later, Maugham wrote "The British Agent Ashenden" based on this experience.
While the book was popular with readers, it was not well received by critics. The New York Times even commented: "This is a sample of Somerset Maugham's 'second gear' writing."
Interestingly, this spy novel was regarded by the British Military Intelligence as Workbook. It also inspired the Soviet military intelligence department's research on British spy novels.
What an unintentional trick!
In 1939, during the Second World War, Maugham, the spy, became a British propagandist again. During this period, through hypnotherapy, he no longer stuttered when speaking in public.
Maugham used his influence in France and the United States to speak, write articles, appear on radio programs, and accept interviews, with only one purpose: to help Britain win alliances.
Shortly after the war, Maugham devoted himself to charity.
He established the "Maugham Literary Award" to fund the travel of literary creators. He also contributed money and efforts to the preparations for the National Center for the Performing Arts. In 1951, he donated 80 collected paintings at one time.
Surprisingly, Maugham also donated money to build a library, build a tennis court, and build a building for his alma mater, the King's School in Canterbury. He also donated a large number of books and furniture, and asked to be buried here when he died.
You know, Maugham did not have a happy life when he was studying at King's School.
It seems that time can heal everything and the wounds will eventually heal.
Maugham, who was successful and famous, often visited the graves of his uncle and aunt.
--6—
Maugham had wanderlust.
We spend money traveling, while Maugham made money traveling.
...Well, don’t get me wrong, Maugham has been a doctor, a writer, and a spy, but he has never been a tour guide!
He once said in a letter to a young student: "A writer cannot wait for experience to come to him, he must go out to find experience."
Maugham is a realist. Your imagination must be based on facts.
Therefore, he is keen to find inspiration and accumulate materials in travel.
Everywhere Maugham went, he wrote at least one book, and sometimes it was not a problem to write three or five.
Well, Maugham is not only awesome, awesome, but also awesome!
In 1916, Maugham and his male secretary Gerald went to Tahiti, French Polynesia. It is said that Gauguin died here of gonorrhea 15 years ago.
Gauguin painted pictures on three glass doors in order to thank a farmer who took care of him at that time. Maugham found the farmer, but unfortunately, two of the glass doors had been damaged, and only one was still in good condition.
Maugham immediately offered to buy the door, and the owner agreed without thinking, as long as the price was enough to replace it with a new door.
In this way, Maugham bought a painting by the great painter Gauguin for only two hundred francs.
Gauguin's paintings are now worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I really want to shed tears for the ignorance of that native!
Later, Maugham created "The Moon and Sixpence" based on Gauguin.
During this trip to the South Pacific, Maugham also wrote a collection of short stories "The Tremor of a Leaf."
In 1919, Maugham visited China and wrote three works: "East of Suez", "The Veil", and "On the Chinese Screen".
Maugham had a good impression of China. He said, "Beijing is one of the most comfortable cities in the world to spend the rest of your life."
During his trip to China, the famous scholar Gu Hongming gave Mao Tom was impressed. The old man spoke popular English, studied at Oxford and Cambridge, and worked as the secretary of Zhang Zhidong, a minister of the late Qing Dynasty.
When Maugham spoke passionately about Sino-Western relations, Gu Hongming reprimanded loudly: "You are forcing your evil inventions on us, but do you know that we are a nation with a talent for machinery? When the yellow race When equally sophisticated guns can be made and fired at you, what advantage do you white people have left?" Maugham wrote down the old gentleman's impassioned speech in his notebook. Later, it was used unchanged on Li Taicheng in "East of Suez".
Thumbs up for Gu Hongming, he has backbone!
The next year, Maugham went to Singapore, Bangkok, Brunei... wherever he went, he wrote stories, and he traveled half the world with his lover throughout his life.
--7—
Maugham had a romantic life, but he only had one daughter, Lisa, who was given birth to by Cyril.
Maugham, who was very wealthy, loved this daughter very much. He bought Lisa a car and a house, and also sponsored four grandchildren. He originally planned to leave all his property to Lisa after his death, but he couldn't resist his lover's pillow talk.
When Maugham was 70 years old, his lover Gerald died of illness, and Maugham was heartbroken.
Over the past 30 years, Maugham doted on Gerald, who was 16 years younger than him. He gave him luxury cars and yachts, and set up a trust fund to ensure that Gerald had enough food and clothing for the rest of his life.
Maugham is so generous to his lover!
Allen succeeded in taking over after Gerald's death.
At this time, the 34-year-old Allen had long lost his delicate appearance and turned into a chubby middle-aged uncle. Despite this, Maugham was still willing to have Allen by his side.
Maugham has a nephew named Robin, who is also gay.
Maugham treated his nephew as his own son, funded his studies and established a trust fund for him. Robin wanted to be a writer. Although Maugham felt that he had no talent, he still tried his best to help him in the literary world.
It’s a pity that Robin was too unsatisfactory. He drank too much, spent money arbitrarily, and had bad conduct. Soon after Maugham’s death, he began to sell his uncle’s secrets and tell the world that Maugham was gay.
Robin and Alan have a very good relationship.
It fits the saying: Birds of a feather flock together, and people flock together.
Allen's innocent and cute face is all fake, and his hypocritical face hides his ambition to usurp Maugham's property.
It is a pity that Maugham met countless people in his life, but in his old age, he was plotted by Allen.
Although Maugham's feelings for Allen were not as passionate as Gerald's, they were equally generous.
The gift Maugham gave to Allen was enough for him to squander in his lifetime.
Even so, Allen was still not satisfied.
There are nine paintings in Villa Maresco that Maugham purchased in his daughter’s name, including a painting by Picasso.
In fact, Maugham had already made a will at this time, leaving all the money, things in the villa, and the copyright to his daughter and four grandchildren.
Maugham often talked about his will when his daughter visited, and explained the details of the huge inheritance clearly, "I want you to know that you will be very rich," he told Lisa: "You She will be an extremely wealthy woman.”
This shows Lisa’s status in Maugham’s heart.
In 1960, for fear of being stolen, Maugham decided to auction all the paintings in his collection, including the painting painted by Gauguin on the door glass.
Allen took the opportunity to sow discord, saying that Lisa was only interested in Maugham's money, and seized on Maugham's resentment towards his ex-wife, making Maugham believe that Lisa was not his biological daughter.
Later, he tried every means to prevent Lisa from meeting her father, and threatened Lisa to make her give up the money from selling the paintings.
Maugham, who is nearly 90 years old, has lost his mind. He was manipulated by Allen, which directly led to Lisa and her father going to court.
In the end, Lisa only got 50% of the auction proceeds of the nine paintings and the ownership of the Maresco Villa.
In the early morning of December 16, 1965, Maugham died of illness.
Allen got his wish and became a millionaire.
However, the great Somerset Maugham still left a hand. In view of his huge inheritance, Allen simply could not spend it all.
Therefore, Maugham specified in his will that the remaining money after Allen's death would be donated to the Royal London Fund to help poor writers.
Haha... Maugham is indeed the best storyteller in the world.
His life is far more exciting than the story.
Rain in the Forest
2018.09.02
Bibliography of this article:
Translated by Zhao Wenwei from Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House
Translated by Ye Zun from People's Literature Publishing House
Translated by Su Fuzhong from Times Literature and Art Publishing House
Translated by Ruan Jinglin from Chongqing Publishing House