A William Somerset Maugham Encyclopedia (Music Reference Collection; 60)

William Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular and successful British writers of his time. From October 1897, when he completed his medical education at St. Thomas's Hospital in London, until his death in December 1965, Maugham wrote twenty novels, filled nine volumes with his short stories, wrote thirty-one plays, and published seven volumes of prose nonfiction. His writings reflect the tensions of the Boer War, World War I, and World War II; the lavishness of the highest levels of British and American society during the first six decades of the 20th century; the glamor of Hollywood, Paris, New York, San Francisco, and London; and the romance of China, Malaya, Borneo, and India. This encyclopedia includes entries on Maugham's short stories, plays, novels, and nonfiction narratives, and on persons, places, organizations, and events important to his life, his works, and his times. Each entry closes with a brief bibliography, and the volume includes a selected bibliography of critical works.