Villa Mauresque par Floc'h & Rivière. Somerset Maugham et les siens : A Graphic Novel of W. Somerset Maugham's Life

Villa Mauresque. Somerset Maugham et les siens
Graphic novel of W. Somerset Maugham's life

Villa Mauresque par Floc'h & Rivière. Somerset Maugham et les siens (Paris: La Table Ronde, 2013)

This post is about an extremely interesting new book, a graphic novel of W. Somerset Maugham's life, by Jean-Claude Floch and François Rivière, published in May 2013. It is in French and maybe it will be translated in English in the future (especially with the upcoming 140 years sort of anniversary of Maugham's birth), but I doubt whether the front cover would remain the same in the English version...

Somerset Maugham et les siens

Just back from Paris, though I did not bring back with me any interesting old editions of Maugham's work (simply too many other things to do than going to hunt for books, except the obligatory trips to Shakespeare & Co. and the Abbey), I did come across this unusual book at L'écume des pages.

Maugham dans sa chambre

This is a biography out of the ordinary, narrated in first person by Maugham himself and people who were close to him at some points in his life: his brother Frederic Maugham, Barbara Back, Beverley Nichols, Hugh Walpole, his nephew Robin Maugham, and his chef Annette. Some important people are missing, such as Gerald Haxton, Alan Searle, Syrie Maugham, or even Maugham's daughter, but I presume that the narrators are chosen based on what written records or interviews are available for the writer to put himself into their shoes for a moment.

Maugham et Haxton

I am not familiar at all with biographies of Maugham; I have read very few of them. What I do notice is the difference in tone from the ones I have read, especially when touching upon the sensitive subject of his sexuality. It is taken as very matter of fact in this book, together with other things that Maugham did which, though not outrightly condemned, were implicitly judged with the choice of words and the presentation of the facts in other accounts of his life.

This effect may have been achieved by the diverse viewpoints, very cleverly done, from the different narrators. The ending is sad and touching. One feels relieved and glad that Maugham was finally reunited with his beloved mother.

Villa Mauresque, back cover

It is curious though on the back cover, of all biographies that have been published since, Anthony Curtis's is used. Is this a message from the French?

It amuses me a lot too that Mrs Frances van Buren Hale and Maugham's exchange is used to decorate the back cover!

This is not a book to look for details or information about Maugham's life, but it is a very joyful read, a tribute to the author for those who admire him.

Paris and Maugham

I did take the opportunity to visit some of the places reminiscent of Maugham. It would be foolish to entertain the idea that one could see the landmarks as he described. Nonetheless, I walked around the area where he lived and played as a child, the majestic boulevards, the view of the Arc de Triomphe, the statues and the trees in the Tuileries.

I walked to the British Embassy where Maugham was born, and saw something that I had not seen before in my travels. The side of the street in which the Embassy was was cordoned off; one could only walk on the other side of the street. A guard was posted there and when I was trying to take a photo of the Embassy I was seriously whistled at and told by gestures that photos were not allowed, as if the very air in that block was British soil and one would need a Visa to breathe in. One could almost wish that something happened to the Embassy to justify all these prohibitions, or am I forbidden to write this too? Not to mention, I could not take a good look at Maugham's father's office on the opposite side of the Embassy.

Otherwise, it was a delightful trip. Rue d'Odessa is the same "dingy narrow" street, only dingier and crowded; Montparnasse of course no longer has the "tranquil air of a provincial town." Café du Dôme is now an expensive restaurant that not even "small tradesmen" could afford every day. I did dine there as a treat and the oysters (perles de l'impératrice, such an extravagant name!) were unbelievable. La Rotonde just opposite offers more affordable food and more lively atmosphere, but the quality of the former is not the same as in the Dôme.

I stayed at the Lutetia, not from its mention in any of Maugham's works but from La posibilité d'une île by Michel Houllebecq, an excellent book for those into Sci-fi and dystopian fiction. It was recommended by Zygmunt Bauman as a book to look into if one was interested to know what the present society was frightened of. (By the way, if ever Bauman comes to lecture near you, do go.)

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Villa Mauresque: Somerset Maugham et les siens at Amazon.com
Villa Mauresque. Somerset Maugham et les siens at Amazon UK
Villa Mauresque: Somerset Maugham et les siens at AbeBooks

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