So I'm reading a book of short stories by W Somerset Maugham

[kimbutgar]

I watched a movie in TCM called Trio last month and was fascinated by him as a writer and decided to read something classic for a change. Two of the stories I’m reading now takes place in Samoa and decided to Wikipedia the places he mentions. Samoa experienced the 1918 pandemic which lasted for two years. Interestingly they said that on the island 90% of the population experienced the flu, 30% of men, 22% of women and 10% of the children died. It took almost two years for the flu to disappear for things to return to normal. And that Germany was “ overseeing” the island until 1914 when New Zealand took over during WW1 and because of this more people came on the islands and spread the flu.

Any W Somerset Maugham fans?

[elleng]

1. Yes, his work years ago,

Of Human Bondage and The Razor's Edge among others.

[hatrack]

2. I dove into a big book of his short stories some years back . . .

Interesting, though definitely a product of his age.

Stories like "Rain" are all about the British stiff upper lip sagging in the face of reality - a preacher seduced and destroyed by his own sexual desire, an old school friend who'd ruined his reputation by "going native" and not wearing a collar and tie.

Makes me glad I was born when I was!

[kimbutgar]

7. Ok did he kill himself or was he murdered and by whom?

[hatrack]

15. Suicide - all that praying and the hooker still had her way with him . . . .

"You men! You're all the same! All of you!"

[scarletwoman]

3. The only book by him I've read is "The Razor's Edge" - because I love the 1984 movie.

I've intended to read "Of Human Bondage" for awhile, but haven't gotten around to it so far.

He was definitely a fascinating person.

[applegrove]

4. I used to read his short stories. I like that he played wisp and figured

people out by sitting in the lobbies if hotels around the world. Then i lost my way in highschool and stopped following my gut. Can't remember how racist his stories were: i assume so, him having the same lifespan as Churchill and all but I can't remember anything else. That is my white privilege to not know.

[kimbutgar]

8. Yes I finished a story and he refers to the natives as the N word

[applegrove]

9. There you go.

[applegrove]

10. We don't use the word 'natives' in canada. I don't think it is used in africa

either but it has been such a long time since i studied african history that i can't remember.

[kimbutgar]

12. He used the n gg r word

[applegrove]

13. Oh i got that. I agree it could easily have been that awful. I never read Anne Of

Green Gables as a child but i saw a play. I had a study tour to do with ANC members from South Africa once as an assistant. I got to know a single mom from that tour. Thought i'd buy her daughter a book to remember her mom's trip to Canada. I bought Anne of Green Gables. Then i flipped through it before wrapping it. I started to read it really. And out popped the n word (the one with the ggs in it). So I threw it away. I was lucky I didn't give it to her.

[hatrack]

16. "Wogs" shows up a few times - late-period Raj conversations . . .

.

[MLAA]

5. I remember this quote fro The Razor's edge

American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection English women only hope to find in their butlers. 😬

[IcyPeas]

6. The Moon and Sixpence

This is a drama inspired by the life of artist Paul Gauguin who gave up everything to do art in Tahiti.

It is also a movie, as is Of Human Bondage.

[Karadeniz]

11. Here's a story about him...if you've seen a photo of him, he was a real network of wrinkles. Anyway,

He's at a party and he makes the comment that his wrinkles are all laugh lines. A woman in the group said, "Oh, Somerset! Nothing was ever that funny!"

[appalachiablue]

14. The Razor's Edge and Rain, love both

despite the influence of colonialism and racism.