The Moon and Sixpence W Somerset Maugham 9781517397296 Books
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Somerset Maugham narrates the story of Charles Strickland, a well off London stock broker who abandons his wife and children in midlife to become a painter. Strickland is convinced that he must paint, despite that fact that he has never done so. Perhaps inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, Maugham’s characterization of Strickland reveals that his pursuit of his personal artistic vision is not without considerable sacrifice and the callousness of his character often falls under question. Told in Maugham’s absorbing story telling style, the novel gains depth and complexity in revealing the narrator’s struggle to appreciate Strickland’s genuine artistic expression in view of his often incomprehensible behavior.
The Moon and Sixpence W Somerset Maugham 9781517397296 Books
Perhaps this novel should have a warning label underneath the title "Warning: may cause you to re-evaluate your life" because that was my experience of this masterpiece.The plot is loosely based on the life of Gaugin, a famous painter but even if you are fairly ignorant of his work you can still be deeply moved by this novel.
Charles Strickland is a middle aged man with a sound profession and a respectable family. He throws all this away to become an artist. First he goes to Paris where he lives in poverty and squalor and destroys at least two other people who just happen to cross his path then after further misadventures he lands in Tahiti and there he paints his masterpieces.
What really made this book for me was the sense that even though Strickland had thrown his life away and lived in appalling poverty and degradation his life was more meaningful and even beautiful as a result than if he had stayed a respectable middle class man. The idea of a life spent pursuing beauty at whatever cost is intoxicating and I've never come across a writer who can convey what this means better than W. Somerset Maugham.
Highly recommended.
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Tags : The Moon and Sixpence [W. Somerset Maugham] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Somerset Maugham narrates the story of Charles Strickland, a well off London stock broker who abandons his wife and children in midlife to become a painter. Strickland is convinced that he must paint,W. Somerset Maugham,The Moon and Sixpence,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1517397294,FICTION Classics
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The Moon and Sixpence W Somerset Maugham 9781517397296 Books Reviews
I have put this, not new, but still beautiful book, on the reading list for a class I am teaching, Into The Heart of Art. This book stirred a lot of controversy when it was first published, because it's a brazen and obvious portrayal of the life of the well known artist, Gauguin, borrowing so unmistakeably from his life and yet, not at all Gauguin, because the artist portrayed has a very same but different life. The beautiful old copy of this book, which I got from , has lovely prints of Gauguin's paintings within, and if you can get it, I heartily recommend this particular edition! Somerset Maugham is a wonderful writer. The book itself makes us all ponder the nature of the creative spirit that pushes a person to the extremes of giving up so much that is "comfortable" to pursue his or her art. The Gauguin portrayed in this book is not a sympathetic character, and yet, he is pursued by his Muse. There are beautiful, memorable quotes about art in this book. Purchase it. Find them. Enjoy!
Mr. Maugham was, perhaps, the greatest short-story writer, ever. If not, he was surely one of them and near the top. The book was captivating and very readable. My one criticism is the omission of Paul Gauguin's friendship with Vincent Van Gogh, a central issue in his life. However, who am I to criticize this fine writer.
The Moon and Sixpence was written as a sort of biographical fiction on the life of the painter Paul Gauguin. Gauguin was called Strickland in the book, and was cast as a disillusioned former stockbroker and family man. The narrator becomes obsessed with following his life and movements, due to Strickland's extraordinarily misanthropic and apathetic view of western society. The narrator struggled to grasp Strickland's motivations. It seemed his best explanation was that Strickland was possessed by a drive to find a sort of terrible primeval beauty in man and the world around him. Yet Strickland's genus as a painter was eventually recognized, contrasting greatly with the man himself. The narrator used Strickland as a sort of muse, to reflect upon the human condition. This was a book that started slow, but was hard to put down. Definitely worth the read.
A dreadful misogynist who left his wife and 3 kids without remorse or a smidgen of regret in his mid-40s to pursue the painter's life in Paris, stole the wife of another painter who committed suicide when he rejected her as no longer necessary. Ultimately, he moves to Tahiti to live, paint masterpieces, marry a young native girl and die a leper.
Maugham's interesting study based on the life of the painter Paul Gauguin is partly a mockery of society's willingness to turn sinners into saints and partly a sober look at the artist's lifelong pursuit of "beauty" and its costs to both himself/herself and to loved ones.
I'd recommend it if you like Somerset Maugham, which I do, even though he was somewhat of an old lady in temperament. Warning too it's fairly sexist -- one example, "Women are strange little beasts,... You can treat them like dogs, you can beat them till your arm aches, and still they love you." He shrugged his shoulders. "Of course, it is one of the most absurd illusions of Christianity that they have souls.... In the end they get you, and you are helpless in their hands. White or brown, they are all the same."
Perhaps this novel should have a warning label underneath the title "Warning may cause you to re-evaluate your life" because that was my experience of this masterpiece.
The plot is loosely based on the life of Gaugin, a famous painter but even if you are fairly ignorant of his work you can still be deeply moved by this novel.
Charles Strickland is a middle aged man with a sound profession and a respectable family. He throws all this away to become an artist. First he goes to Paris where he lives in poverty and squalor and destroys at least two other people who just happen to cross his path then after further misadventures he lands in Tahiti and there he paints his masterpieces.
What really made this book for me was the sense that even though Strickland had thrown his life away and lived in appalling poverty and degradation his life was more meaningful and even beautiful as a result than if he had stayed a respectable middle class man. The idea of a life spent pursuing beauty at whatever cost is intoxicating and I've never come across a writer who can convey what this means better than W. Somerset Maugham.
Highly recommended.
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