Somerset maugham, published in 1930 the story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in maughams shortstory collection ashenden. A few are in a book that has long remained out of print, a few others are scattered in various magazines. Mar 26, 2020 a novelist, ashenden is befriended by. In cakes and ale maugham makes only the slightest of attempts at disguising its autobiographical nature. Includes new facsimile dust jacket in archival brodart sleeve.
Lord george, the local coal merchant, adds to the merriment and is to play. Somerset maugham s play with pictures from the photoplay. Social climber alroy kear is flattered when he is selected by edward driffields. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been. Somerset maugham was born in 1874 and lived in paris until he was ten.
Per doubledays practice of designating first editions, first edition so stated on title page verso. The novel is entirely told in the first person singular past tense. Driffield to recall incidents relating to edward driffield for kears sanitized biography, the narrator. Cakes and ale or the skeleton in the cupboard by maugham. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been commissioned to write an official biography of the. Cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and william somerset maugham was born in and lived in paris until he was ten.
Review of cakes and ale by somerset maugham a writers. The story is told by willie ashenden, who previously appeared in maughams short story collection ashenden. Her character is treated favourably by the books narrator, ashenden, who understands that she was a muse to. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Cakes and ale is a satire of london literary society between the wars. Contentment and a zest for life wafts off the pages like expensive french pefume. 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. Blackstable takes the place of whitstable as it did in of human bondage. He used to spend the morning lying about the beach with next to nothing on and his brown body was as thin as a rail. I wonder if i can do it i knew salvatore first when he was a boy of fifteen with a pleasant face, a laughing mouth and carefree eyes.
Cakes and ale by william somerset maugham paperback. He kept his new one, its folds as full and stiff as though it were made not of alpaca but of perennial bronze, for funerals and. Warburton, was told that the prahu was in sight he put on his solar topee and went down to the landingstage. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highestpaid author during the 1930s. Full text of cakes and ale maugham org electronic reproduction prohibited cakes and ale knew that nothing short of a downright go. Article pdf available in english literature in transition 18801920 592 january 2016 with 1,434 reads. 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, former barmaid. Liza of lambeth, cakes and ale and the razors edge all featured women determined to service their strong sexual appetites, heedless of the result. Somerset maugham s cakes and ale is not the powerhouse novel that was of human bondage or the magician or the razors edge and i feel quite sure that quite a few readers might agree with me and, to a large extent, it is not but it has a character, rosie driffield, who is so unique, so seductive, enchanting, and mysterious that she carries this book to the. This is the first of three volumes of my collected short stories. Somerset maugham, was an english playwright, novelist, and short story writer. Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society between the wars.
Cakes and ale is a comedy of literary england in the early decades of the 20th century narrated by ashenden. Somerset maugham books and biography free pdf books from bookyards, one of the worlds first online libraries to offer ebooks to be downloaded for free. Both maughams parents died before he was 10, and he was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. 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. Cakes and ale is probably the most cheerful of maughams 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Somerset william somerset, 18741965, contrib the canadian, photoplay title of the land of promise. Somerset maugham creates a alter ego, william ashenden to reflect on the nature and course of literary fame. William somerset maugham, ediths youngest son, was born in the british embassy in paris to protect him from later conscription into the french. The guard, eight little dyak soldiers, stood to attention as he passed.
Maugham, english novelist, shortstory writer, and playwright is best remembered for his novel of human bondage. In 1947 maugham instituted the somerset maugham award, awarded to the best british writer or writers under the age of thirtyfive of a work of fiction published in the past year. 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 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. 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. Chapter sixteen is entirely devoted to william contemplating why authors write in the first person, which can be heroic, humorous, or charming. Somerset maugham article pdf available in english literature in transition 18801920 571. For literary reasons it starts with a vicious portrait of. Sketches and impressions in andalusia liza of lambeth the. Somerset maughams cakes and ale dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale.
The book is about writers and the real and fake legacies they leave behind depending cakes and ale by w. Jun 25, 2019 a novelist, ashenden is befriended by. As we learn from selina hastings in her excellent biography, the secret lives of somerset maugham, cakes and ale was written in 1930 in maughams sumptuous home, the villa mauresque on cap ferrat, at the time in his life when he was happiest and most content. Somerset maugham william somerset maugham and other ebooks from all genres of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, historical documents and sheet music, all of which are available on a subscription basis. He was educated at kings school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university. Somerset maugham s cakes and ale dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale. Cakes and aleroused a storm of controversy when it was first published in 1930. Cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary literary poseurs and a skilfully crafted study of freedom. As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and lyrical warmth expertly combine in this. Somerset maugham the explorer the hero the land of promise the land of the blessed virgin.
Cakes and ale, or the skeleton in the cupboard, by w. The first of the stories in this collection, rain, was written in 1920 in hong kong, but i had. 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. Somerset william somerset maugham s masterpiece is generally agreed to be of human bondage, a semiautobiographical novel that deals with the life of the main character philip carey, who, like maugham, was orphaned, and brought up by his pious uncle. Maugham was not known as a bombthrower, but cakes and ale in 1930 changed that.
Cakes and ale by w somerset maugham 1930 sir toby belch. First american edition, 1930, doubleday and company. The story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in maughams shortstory collection ashenden. Somerset maugham tells the story of author william ashenden s series of pdf. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been commissioned to write an official biography of the famous novelist edward driffield. The moon and sixpence by william somerset maugham paperback.
Available on kindle ebook and can be read on any device with the free. Something of his hospital experience is reflected, however, in the. Cakes and ale or the skeleton in the cupboard by maugham, w. The great novels and short stories of somerset maugham skyhorse. Ebook cakes and ale as pdf download portable document format. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cakes and ale. Somerset maugham download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. 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. Cakes and ale, or, the skeleton in the cupboard 1930 is a novel by the british author w. In my early youth i wrote a number, but they are so immature that i have preferred not to reprint them. Compiled in one book, the essential collection of books by w. By somerset maugham there had been a christening that afternoon at st peters, neville square, and albert edward foreman still wore his vergers gown. Interior clean and tight with only slight yellowing. Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale.