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W. Somerset Maugham's 143rd Birthday: Reading "The Three Fat Women of Antibes"
Home > Blog >Today is the 143rd anniversary of W. Somerset Maugham's birth. As in the past three years, I celebrate this occasion with a video. This year I have prepared one with Maugham reading his short story "The Three Fat Women of Antibes." This is the first audio recording I have of Maugham reading his stories, and it was the first time I listened to his voice. I stumbled upon this LP by a happy accident in my early collecting days and imagine the thrill! I had no LP …
W. Somerset Maugham's 142nd Birthday
Today is W. Somerset Maugham's 142nd birthday. As is the custom of the past two years, I have prepared a video to celebrate this occasion. Thanks very much for those who took the time to let me know that they liked them, which is very appreciated. This year it is something special (well, as were the other times...): we are going to listen to Maugham reading his own story, "The Happy Couple." The story can be read in MMCCL.I have to say that there is nothing like listening to Maugh…
50th Anniversary of W. Somerset Maugham's Death
King's School - W. Somerset Maugham gardenW. Somerset Maugham's plaque
Today is the 50th anniversary of W. Somerset Maugham's death. A solemn occasion, especially with the round number. Maugham told us that he wasn't too enthusiastic about a memorial service and was determined to have none; he frowned upon the festivity and the complacency of those who are still alive.
There is something more that he would be sour about this year. For those of us in some parts of this planet w…
100 Years of Of Human Bondage
This is a video created for the occasion of the 100th anniversary of W. Somerset Maugham’s most well-known book, Of Human Bondage.It was first published on 12 August 1915 by Heinemann, in the midst of WWI. The reason why I release the video early instead of spending a few more months to collate information (this is the type of project that never ends) is because I cherish the hope that Google may decide to dedicate a Doodle for Maugham, which is sorely missed. Last year I submitted a reques…
W. Somerset Maugham - 140th Birthday (25 January 1874 - 2014)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAUGHAM!Dear fellow Maugham admirers,
This post is to celebrate the 140th anniversary of W. Somerset Maugham’s birthday. Regretfully, he is not here with us. As a line from Musset’s Rolla that Maugham appeared to love says: "Je suis venu trop tard dans un monde trop vieux.”
For this special occasion (we humans have a penchant for round numbers), I have prepared a video. I love birthdays, a rare personal event in this overpopulated world.
There are only three authors whos…
W. Somerset Maugham - 48th Anniversary of Death (16 December 1965)
When my obituary notice at last appears in The Times, and they say: "What, I thought he died years ago," my ghost will gently chuckle. (A Writer's Notebook xvi)W. Somerset Maugham: "Teller of Tales," "Famed Writer," "The Last of the Giants of English Literature"
"In the end a writer is not judged by popular attention but by the worth of what he wrote, and how well it may endure the test of the years," wrote an anonymous contributor in the …