CHRONOLOGY
|
Date and Place of Birth: 25th January 1874,
Paris, France. Christened William Somerset Maugham. Family Background: Of Irish origin. The
sixth and youngest son to the Solicitor at the British Embassy. Education: King’s School,
Canterbury. Heidelberg, Germany where he read philosophy and literature. St.
Thomas’ Medical School, London. Chronology: 1882: Death of his beloved mother of Tuberculosis. 1886: Orphaned at the age
of 12. Went to live with his aunt and uncle in Whitstable Kent.This sudden
change brought a stammer which was to cause him much grief at school. 1891: Spent nine months
in Heidelberg attending lectures. 1897: Qualified as a Doctor. Worked in a medical practice in the London slums
which gave him material for "Liza of Lambeth" which was graphic in
its detail. He never practiced medicine after that and relied on his income
of £150 left to him by his father. He traveled to Seville for nine months and
wrote a travel book. 1903: "A Man of
Honour" was performed by the Stage Society in London. 1907: His fortunes turned
upwards when his play "Lady Frederick" became a huge success at the
Royal Court Theatre despite it being a last minute inclusion in their
programme. 1908: Although his
initial attempts to get his plays published failed he had four works running
simultaneously on the London stage by 1908. 1911: Began writing
"Of Human Bondage". 1914: During the first
year of the First world War he served with a Red Cross unit in Northern
France. He then became an agent in Military Intelligence and moved to Geneva. 1915: Publication of his autobiographical
novel "Of Human Bondage". He traveled to the USA and Tahiti in the
company of his boyfriend Gerald Haxton but married Syrie Wellcome on his
return. 1917: By now he had moved
on to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) in Russia attempting to stop the outbreak of
the Russian Revolution. 1919: Publication of
"The Moon and Sixpence" based on his earlier visits to Tahiti and
the Far East. 1927: After his divorce
he settled in the south of France at the Villa Mauresque on Cap Ferrat, near
Nice. He filled the house with antiques and it became a centre for visiting
by the great and the good. 1928:
"Ashenden" is based on his experiences in Russia. 1930: Wrote what is considered his masterpiece "Cakes and Ale". 1939: He became a British
Agent again during the Second World War. 1940: He fled to the
United States where he stayed until 1946 where he was much taken with
mysticism. 1944: Death of Gerald
Haxton. 1946: Returned to the
Villa Mauresque in France where he lived with Alan Searle. 1950: Film version of
"Encore" produced with an introduction by the author himself. He
had by now become one of the best read and loved writers but did not receive
great critical acclaim as he was accused of being predictable and shallow in
his work. 1954: Made a Companion of
Honour. 1962: His book
"Looking Back" contained an attack on his ex-wife, now deceased,
which lost him a lot of friends. Written Works:
Marriage: 1915 to Syrie Wellcome (divorced 1927). Places of Interest: LONDON: British Library Date and Place of Death: 16th December 1965, Nice, France. Age at Death: 90. Site of Grave: Ashes were scattered near the Maugham Library, King's School,
Canterbury, Kent, England. |
Published by
“Britain Unlimited”
© http://www.britainunlimited.com/Biogs/Maugham.htm
Other
chronology: Next [1] [2]
Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Saturnino Figueroa Guerola
safigue@alumni.uv.es
Universitat de València Press