'He was always so entirely there. He termed his masterpiece 'not an autobiography, but an autobiographical novel fact and fiction are inexorably mingled the emotions are my own.' By combining residual Victorian values with the early twentieth century's mood of irony and despair, Maugham offers a timeless view of emotional isolation and the possibility of redemption through self-knowledge and maturity. Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time 'It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham,' wrote Gore Vidal.

Somerset Maugham's homosexuality was a constant source of anxiety, alienation, and shame. Like his protagonist's physical deformity, W. But Philip's degradation has only just begun, as an obsession with a vulgar, cold-hearted waitress threatens to destroy what remains of his idealism. Seeking passion and inspiration, he pursues his dreams of becoming an artist in Heidelberg and Paris but returns to London, humbled by his own mediocrity. The sensitive orphan is burdened by a club foot that sets him apart from his schoolmates and heightens his loneliness. It is generally agreed to be his masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature, although Maugham stated, 'This is a novel, not an autobiography, though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure invention. Desperate for love and eager for experience of a wider world, Philip Carey grows up in the oppressive confines of his uncles vicarage.

Desperate for love and eager for experience of a wider world, Philip Carey grows up in the oppressive confines of his uncle's vicarage.

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham