{"product_id":"collected-stories-of-w-somerset-maugham-introduction-by-nicholas-shakespeare-9781400042531","title":"Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham: Introduction by Nicholas Shakespeare","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom one of the twentieth century's most enduringly popular fiction writers: the only hardcover edition of his short stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThough W. Somerset Maugham was also famous for his novels and plays, it has been argued that in the short story he reached the pinnacle of his art. These expertly told tales, with their addictive plot twists and vividly drawn characters, are both galvanizing as literature and wonderfully entertaining. In the adventures of his alter ego Ashenden, a writer who (like Maugham himself) turned secret agent in World War I, as well as in stories set in such far-flung locales as South Pacific islands and colonial outposts in Southeast Asia, Maugham brings his characters vividly to life, and their humanity is more convincing for the author's merciless exposure of their flaws and failures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhether the chasms of misunderstanding he plumbs are those between colonizers and natives, between a missionary and a prostitute, or between a poetry-writing woman and her uncomprehending husband, Maugham brilliantly displays his irony, his wit, and his genius in the art of storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Everyman's Library\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/06\/2004\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781400042531\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 880\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.98lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.26h x 5.22w x 1.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/2004 pg. 204\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"W. Somerset Maugham","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43059801587893,"sku":"9781400042531","price":32.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_6cd97c5e-8261-4aca-bdc4-28b8eb718d2e.jpg?v=1690298553","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/collected-stories-of-w-somerset-maugham-introduction-by-nicholas-shakespeare-9781400042531","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}