W. Somerset Maugham

Of Human Bondage W. Somerset Maugham

In 1915, W. Somerset Maugham released a book titled "Of Human Bondage." It follows Philip Carey's growth as his sadomasochistic fixation takes over his life. Although he declared, "This is a novel, not an autobiography; though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure imagination," the novel is widely regarded as Maugham's finest and to be heavily autobiographical. The title of Maugham's book, which he had first intended to entitle Beauty from Ashes, was ultimately chosen from a passage in Spinoza's Ethics. Of Human Bondage was selected No. 66 by The Modern Library among the top 100 English-language books of the 20th century. In the novel, Philip Carey develops into an impressionable young man with a ravenous hunger for knowledge and adventure from a tormented orphan with a clubfoot. At the age of 18, his cravings lead him to Paris to try his hand at art before returning to London to pursue a career in medicine. But even so, nothing can quench his persistent thirst for knowledge. Then he experiences an obsessional love affair and starts a catastrophic relationship that will alter his life for the worst. He gives up looking for happiness and chooses to accept his lot.