Collected Short Stories Volume 1
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- Create Date：2021-04-13 14:54:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：W. Somerset Maugham
- ISBN：0099287390
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Summary
This classic collection of stories moves from England， France and Spain to the silver sands of the South Pacific。 It includes the famous story 'Rain'， the tragedy of a narrow-minded and overzealous missionary and a prostitute， and 'The Three Fat Women of Antibes，' an extravagantly sardonic tale of abstention and greed， as well as a host of other brilliant tales。
Reviews
Sonia
，
ahhhhso goodyou should read it if you want your mind to be blown every time you sit down for a readi don't know where maugham got his ideasbut i do know that we're very lucky he wrote them down and i'm lucky to have read them ahhhhso goodyou should read it if you want your mind to be blown every time you sit down for a readi don't know where maugham got his ideasbut i do know that we're very lucky he wrote them down and i'm lucky to have read them 。。。more
Maria
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I really loved resading these stories！
Jeff Hobbs
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Read so far:*Rain --*The fall of Edward Barnard --*Honolulu --The luncheon --The ant and the grasshopper --3Home --The pool --Mackintosh --Appearance and reality --The three fat women of Antibes --The facts of life --3Gigolo and Gigolette --The happy couple --The voice of the turtle --The lion's skin --The unconquered --The escape --The judgment seat --*Mr Know-all --The happy man --The romantic young lady --The point of honour --The poet --The mother --*A man from Glasgow --Before the party --3 Read so far:*Rain --*The fall of Edward Barnard --*Honolulu --The luncheon --The ant and the grasshopper --3Home --The pool --Mackintosh --Appearance and reality --The three fat women of Antibes --The facts of life --3Gigolo and Gigolette --The happy couple --The voice of the turtle --The lion's skin --The unconquered --The escape --The judgment seat --*Mr Know-all --The happy man --The romantic young lady --The point of honour --The poet --The mother --*A man from Glasgow --Before the party --3Louise --The promise --*A string of beads --The yellow streak-- 。。。more
Federico
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Err:509
Jen
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A collection of short stories written in the time of Colonialism。 While lazy racism and sexism is integral to many of the stories， Maugham’s intense yet subtle commentary on the many hypocrisies and ironies of human nature redeem this collection。
Maite
，
I'm not sure if this was arranged around a theme （tropical islands and rich white people living in different countries） but I really liked the selection and specially the mixture between what was clearly fiction based on his knowledge of people and far places in the world and things that sound like might actually have happened to him。 I'm not sure if this was arranged around a theme （tropical islands and rich white people living in different countries） but I really liked the selection and specially the mixture between what was clearly fiction based on his knowledge of people and far places in the world and things that sound like might actually have happened to him。 。。。more
Sara
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Maugham is definitely an accessible writer with a well written， good humored， fluid and captivating prose。 One understands his past appeal to the theater public。 Unfortunately， what puts me off is the persistent Imperialism topic， that feels ill suited today， since British supremacy is implied in his stories， in regard to the natives - inherent racism。 But I did catch some well deserved reflections on the matter， even if it is clear that the writer does not contemplate other ethnicities equal to Maugham is definitely an accessible writer with a well written， good humored， fluid and captivating prose。 One understands his past appeal to the theater public。 Unfortunately， what puts me off is the persistent Imperialism topic， that feels ill suited today， since British supremacy is implied in his stories， in regard to the natives - inherent racism。 But I did catch some well deserved reflections on the matter， even if it is clear that the writer does not contemplate other ethnicities equal to the white。 Alas， Maugham is a product of his time， adding also some misogyny to the fire。 I do not recommend the tale of a rape， portrayed as a 'fact of life， matter of fact' by the victims own parents but even so more rampantly by the point of view of the rapist - nonetheless a nazi officer！He certainly produces well written characters， complex and full of contradictions。 My favorite tales were 'The Fall of Edward Barnard'， 'Rain' and the harrowing 'Before the Party'。 However， most likely I won't pick up this writer again， even if tempted by 'The Painted Veil'， which is a great film。 。。。more
Rhonda
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W。 Somerset Maugham is a master story teller with great insight into the human condition。 I don't know much about the man and is views， but colonialism and empire are very much a part of his stories。 W。 Somerset Maugham is a master story teller with great insight into the human condition。 I don't know much about the man and is views， but colonialism and empire are very much a part of his stories。 。。。more
Mike Bloom
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I'm prone to overrate short story collections， because if most of the stories are great or even just some of the stories are exceptional， I tend to regard the entire book as five-star quality。 Somerset Maugham short stories were recommended to me and I found that， overall， this collection was excellent。 A great read。 I'm prone to overrate short story collections， because if most of the stories are great or even just some of the stories are exceptional， I tend to regard the entire book as five-star quality。 Somerset Maugham short stories were recommended to me and I found that， overall， this collection was excellent。 A great read。 。。。more
Justin
，
Why is this guy not more well known？ Why hasn't this collection of stories been turned into a Netflix or HBO series？ They have everything。 I've never been so entertained by a single collection of stories。 Looking forward to the next volume。 Why is this guy not more well known？ Why hasn't this collection of stories been turned into a Netflix or HBO series？ They have everything。 I've never been so entertained by a single collection of stories。 Looking forward to the next volume。 。。。more
Lewis Woolston
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It is a rare gift to be able to write a short story， say five or six pages all up， that has the power to change a person's life and make them rethink everything all the while entertaining them。 W。 Somerset Maugham was a genius who should be more widely read。 Dive into this collection， you won't regret it。 It is a rare gift to be able to write a short story， say five or six pages all up， that has the power to change a person's life and make them rethink everything all the while entertaining them。 W。 Somerset Maugham was a genius who should be more widely read。 Dive into this collection， you won't regret it。 。。。more
Chandar
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In these days of the novel （no， not Corona） written to be made into a movie， the art of short story writing pales into insignificance。 This bunch of stories written mostly about a hundred years ago is a masterly exercise in exploring human relationships with all their variety in emotions， character traits and foibles。 Kind of nostalgic reading experience！
Христо Блажев
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За британците в заника на империята: https://knigolandia。info/book-review/。。。Тук са строителите на империята， благородници， които винаги са на положение – и за които слабостта е опасна， особено когато е показана в естествената им среда: парламента， където дебнат хищните очи на политическите съперници。 Също и пищните салони， на които се събират най-отбрани люде с различни таланти и професии， а тяхното комбиниране е издигнато почти в наука。 Религията си пробива път в разкази като “Клисарят”， но са За британците в заника на империята: https://knigolandia。info/book-review/。。。Тук са строителите на империята， благородници， които винаги са на положение – и за които слабостта е опасна， особено когато е показана в естествената им среда: парламента， където дебнат хищните очи на политическите съперници。 Също и пищните салони， на които се събират най-отбрани люде с различни таланти и професии， а тяхното комбиниране е издигнато почти в наука。 Религията си пробива път в разкази като “Клисарят”， но само да за бъде осмяна от прагматичния дух на времето。 Но повечето разкази се развиват отвъд границите на Острова， сред безбрежните предели на империята。 И Моъм далеч не се спира само на мъжете с шлемовете， а и на жените， тези практични британки， които също могат да пуснат корени навсякъде。 Издателство ФАМАhttps://knigolandia。info/book-review/。。。 。。。more
Jim
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W。 Somerset Maugham's The Collected Short Stories of W。 Somerset Maugham: Volume 1 is the first of four volumes of the author's short stories put out by Penguin Books。 It turned out to be an almost ideal book to read while traveling outside the United States， as more than half of the stories were set outside of Britain。I found it interesting that Maugham introduced himself as a very urbane， cosmopolitan character who acted as a witness to tales told by other characters。 That first person charact W。 Somerset Maugham's The Collected Short Stories of W。 Somerset Maugham: Volume 1 is the first of four volumes of the author's short stories put out by Penguin Books。 It turned out to be an almost ideal book to read while traveling outside the United States， as more than half of the stories were set outside of Britain。I found it interesting that Maugham introduced himself as a very urbane， cosmopolitan character who acted as a witness to tales told by other characters。 That first person character is actually a fiction， as Maugham in real life was not as he described himself。 （But then， is anyone ever？） If the author saw himself as a fictional character， it didn't ultimately matter to me。 What did matter is that his stories are almost uniformly excellent。 I am somewhat surprised that he is not considered one of the giants of English literature。 。。。more
Gail Kennon
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not a dud in the bunch though the later ones which were shorter really packed a punch。 i want to read more of his work。
Ayan Dutta
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Ten stars 。。。。
Steve Payne
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I’ve never had a problem answering that old chestnut of a question， who is your favourite writer？ For me it’s Somerset Maugham every time – with second place being a fair distance behind。 I can half-heartedly and tiredly pick up one of his books at the end of a long day and within a couple of minutes – BANG！ – he’s got me。 I can think of no other writer who can do this so consistently。 He can create an alluringly exotic， or more familiar world which simmers with anticipation in just a couple of I’ve never had a problem answering that old chestnut of a question， who is your favourite writer？ For me it’s Somerset Maugham every time – with second place being a fair distance behind。 I can half-heartedly and tiredly pick up one of his books at the end of a long day and within a couple of minutes – BANG！ – he’s got me。 I can think of no other writer who can do this so consistently。 He can create an alluringly exotic， or more familiar world which simmers with anticipation in just a couple of sentences， and in two more populate it with a cast of clearly drawn characters facing conflict or intrigue。 The perfect attributes for the short story。Many of Maugham’s novels would be in my top 100 books （including The Painted Veil， Of Human Bondage and The Razor’s Edge）， but most enjoyable of all are three of the four volumes of collected short stories （I wouldn’t include the third volume， which is a narrow collection primarily made up of spy stories）。 This review is for Volume One。Personally， I’d say about a dozen of the thirty stories here are top notch Maugham， ten are merely good， leaving just eight falling below par。My absolute favourites would be ‘Rain’ – the much filmed story of a disparate group of travellers quarantined in a rainy and oppressive Samoa （including the bawdy Sadie Thompson）; ‘The Pool’ – a white British man falls for and marries a native Samoan in the 1920s， to the horror of the white community; and 'The Facts Of Life' – a naïve young man nearly comes a cropper in the Riviera to a manipulative woman （typical Maugham character）， fortunately， as the young man’s father has explained to him， “My belief is that your boy’s born lucky， and in the long run that’s better than to be born clever or rich。”So many rich and characterful stories – 'Mr Know-All' （oh to be trapped aboard ship with the most annoying man imaginable）， 'The Yellow Streak' （a man wracked with guilt at not saving the life of another）， 'The Fall Of Edward Barnard' （a man works abroad for a year before marrying his lady – but finds himself falling in love with paradise）， 'The Lion’s Skin' （a deliciously waspy tale of one man accusing another of being a pretender）， 'Mackintosh' （a fellow white man in Samoa is horrified at the way another white man treats the natives）， 'The Voice Of The Turtle' （a writer who is writing a story about a soprano is introduced to one）， 'Louise' （a ‘sickly’ woman affects the lives of others）， 'The Promise' （a tale of a woman who likes the attention of various men） and 'The Unconquered' （a de Maupassant-type story set in wartime， in which opposing sides meet - a German soldier and a French woman）。Given his great output， Maugham will leave you with much to analyse and ponder over – but without pretension; for at the heart of it all， he is quite simply a master story teller。 。。。more
Isabel Alvarez
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Boring， not for me。 From another era or world。
Nat
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I think that one read-through is not quite enough to form a proper opinion of this collection， so I won't write a full review just yet。 Needless to say， however， Maugham's writing is always deft; often it is delightful。 A post-colonial reading of this series is a fair ways beyond my grasp currently， but I would like to make a feminist critique。 The women in this collection are not bound by the societal context they exist in， and rarely by the narrator's opinion either。 This collection was first I think that one read-through is not quite enough to form a proper opinion of this collection， so I won't write a full review just yet。 Needless to say， however， Maugham's writing is always deft; often it is delightful。 A post-colonial reading of this series is a fair ways beyond my grasp currently， but I would like to make a feminist critique。 The women in this collection are not bound by the societal context they exist in， and rarely by the narrator's opinion either。 This collection was first published in 1951， but by and large its female characters outstrip many of those written in the nearly 70 years since - they are diverse in character， motivation， expression and style。 They are also intelligent。 Maugham does not undermine this by comparison to the occasional narrator， but remains a genuine observer of the characters and stories he has written。 This is part of the reason I have rated it at 5 stars currently。 Although most of these stories take place nearly a century before I am writing this， they exhibit such a delicate exploration of human character that they remain recognisable。 They do this without feeling the need to relay everything through the veil of passion， or tragedy， or drama， Maugham evokes something deeply human with each story。 There is something warm and touching in even the most remote and inscrutable of his characters - and that is a result of his unparalleled ability to portray humanity in its many forms。This is not to say that the plots of these stories are ever boring or mundane。 Most of them are quite the opposite， but that is not the reason for the success of each character。 Whether it is The Three Fat Women of Antibes or The Unconquered， every story in this book is a profoundly intimate portrayal of our inner nature。 Sometimes， as in the case of the former example， this is of a trait not particularly remarkable or exciting。 However， these stories are so precisely put together that they appear more fundamental for it。 Maugham's writing seems archetypal。 As a result， it is a joy to read。Overall， then， this was a fantastic read。 The opening story， Rain was genuinely incredible， and I did wonder how the collection might hold up after that。 I still remember Rain clearly - and it certainly deserves the praise - but this series has many stories of comparable quality。 Every story also has a unique identity and sense of geography （the latter is intentional， as the author says in the foreword）， and I look forward to revisiting them again and again in the future。 This is the sort of book that I'd like to travel with。 。。。more
Patricia
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I read seven of these stories but I could only immerse myself in this masculine， colonial world for so long。 They are worth returning to but maybe one at a time。 My takeaway。 Somerset Maugham is a masterful story teller and his approach to the reader to get him/her settled for a good yarn really works。 They are good yarns and well told。 But my second take is that at this time Sylvia Townsend Warner， the two divine Elizabeths Bowen and Taylor to mention only three were writing short stories that I read seven of these stories but I could only immerse myself in this masculine， colonial world for so long。 They are worth returning to but maybe one at a time。 My takeaway。 Somerset Maugham is a masterful story teller and his approach to the reader to get him/her settled for a good yarn really works。 They are good yarns and well told。 But my second take is that at this time Sylvia Townsend Warner， the two divine Elizabeths Bowen and Taylor to mention only three were writing short stories that also revealed the society they moved in and they did it with sharp insights。 They probed into the world of the English in the mid Twentieth century and left us stories that are all different and memorable and with a prose that glows （Bowen） or sentences that are perfect （Taylor）。 Why was Somerset Maugham the famous story teller and they struggled for recognition？ What was wrong with people？ Us？Because Somerset Maugham’s world view is very limited。 He doesn’t question the very faulty social world he comes from。 It forms a fine background for a story and he captures that world which is now gone but attractive in a wistful way。 For this I forgive him a lot。 But I found myself getting bored。 I know where this is going and I don’t want to stay around for the next story。 。。。more
Simon Bradley
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Hands down the best short story writer the world has ever had the pleasure of reading。 This is just 1 volume of a multi-volume collection of his short stories but it gives you a really good idea of what to expect from Maugham in general and a fabulous picture of the times he lived in。 Exceptional。
Robert Muir
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Normally， I don't like short stories as much as novels。 The stories here are old enough to seem like events or adventures from a different time。 Perhaps that was what made it a rather entertaining read。 Normally， I don't like short stories as much as novels。 The stories here are old enough to seem like events or adventures from a different time。 Perhaps that was what made it a rather entertaining read。 。。。more
Chiefdonkey Bradey
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Like listening to the sad wisdom of a louche raconteur
Jacqueline Zirkzee
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I am a fan。
Janet
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A fantastic collection of stories。 The longer ones in this collection are set in the South Seas， but there is a nice mix of shorter stories in a wide variety of locales。 Very enjoyable， often quite funny。
Chris Waterford
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These were consistently better than his Far Eastern Tales---most of them were very entertaining。
Rhea Gajaria
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Wish I heard about Maugham earlier in my life。 Though a bit dense to read （attributing that to the old english writing style） the stories were beautiful written and some of the best shorts I’ve ever read。
Madhumanti
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This is a collection of short stories which amazes the reader with the author's depth of understanding of human nature。 It dwells on complex realities like how the most devout and God-fearing of people can sometimes be several times more evil than religion-defined sinners like prostitutes。 It keeps itself at a distance from distinct identities of black and white， and treads， rather， on the intricacies of thought and action。 While one may be tempted to praise the ambitious and diligent and look d This is a collection of short stories which amazes the reader with the author's depth of understanding of human nature。 It dwells on complex realities like how the most devout and God-fearing of people can sometimes be several times more evil than religion-defined sinners like prostitutes。 It keeps itself at a distance from distinct identities of black and white， and treads， rather， on the intricacies of thought and action。 While one may be tempted to praise the ambitious and diligent and look down upon the indolent， the author calls upon us to understand how sometimes enjoying our lives and admiring the beauty of nature around us is far more fulfilling than running behind that elusive pot of gold。 It harps on the compulsion which sometimes forces us to go against our conscience， the way a law-abiding family in a story is forced to harbour a criminal as the criminal happens to be their own beloved daughter/ sister。 While studying the frailties of human nature， the book beautifully describes the romantic weather and environment of the islands of Oceania which had been recently colonized at the time the book was written。 This is a book which beckons you to think， to feel and question whether it is really so easy to discern the good from the bad。 。。。more
David
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The longer pieces in this collection， mostly set in Samoa and Malaysia （'Rain'， 'The Fall of Edward Barnard'， 'Mackintosh' etc） are absolutely fantastic， better - in my opinion - than either of the two Maugham novels I've read so far。 The shorter， first person 'anecdotes' I found to be more of a mixed bag: some work well; most felt rather inconsequential。 On the whole though I'm very much looking forward to reading Volume 2。 The longer pieces in this collection， mostly set in Samoa and Malaysia （'Rain'， 'The Fall of Edward Barnard'， 'Mackintosh' etc） are absolutely fantastic， better - in my opinion - than either of the two Maugham novels I've read so far。 The shorter， first person 'anecdotes' I found to be more of a mixed bag: some work well; most felt rather inconsequential。 On the whole though I'm very much looking forward to reading Volume 2。 。。。more
Shawn Thrasher
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