The Summing UpAutobiographical and confessional, and yet not, this is one of the most highly regarded expressions of a personal credo - both a classic avowal of an author's ideas and his craft. |
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Page 164
Such success as the book had was due to a lucky chance . It augured nothing for
my future . . But this I did not know . Fisher Unwin pressed me to write another
much longer book about the slums . He told me that was what the public wanted ...
Such success as the book had was due to a lucky chance . It augured nothing for
my future . . But this I did not know . Fisher Unwin pressed me to write another
much longer book about the slums . He told me that was what the public wanted ...
Page 182
Success . It is the most difficult thing the writer has to cope with . When after a
long and bitter struggle he has at last achieved it he finds that it spreads a snare
to entangle and destroy him . Few of us have the determination to avoid its perils .
Success . It is the most difficult thing the writer has to cope with . When after a
long and bitter struggle he has at last achieved it he finds that it spreads a snare
to entangle and destroy him . Few of us have the determination to avoid its perils .
Page 183
world ; it must be very stubborn if it is not modified by the softening influences of
success . Success besides often bears within itself the seed of destruction , for it
may very well cut the author off from the material that was its occasion . He enters
...
world ; it must be very stubborn if it is not modified by the softening influences of
success . Success besides often bears within itself the seed of destruction , for it
may very well cut the author off from the material that was its occasion . He enters
...
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User Review - wjburton - LibraryThingOne of my favourite bedside books of all time. I wore my first copy into pieces from overuse. I don't know of another book quite like it. Read full review
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User Review - hellbent - LibraryThingThis is one of the best books I read for providing a philosophical view of life. It is a book I intend to read again. Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
able accept action actors admire appearance artist asked audience beauty believe better called cause character common complete course critic deal difficult discover drama dramatist easy effect emotion English existence experience eyes fact feeling fiction follow forced gave give given hard human ideas imagination important instinct interest Italy knew knowledge least less literature live longer look matter Maugham means mind nature never novel once passing pattern perfect perhaps persons philosophers picture play pleasure possible present produced prose reader reason seemed seen sense short sometimes sort speak story success suggested suppose taken tell theatre things thought tion told took true truth turn universe wanted whole write written wrote young
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Summing Up Volume 10 of Collected edition of the works of W. Somerset Maugham W. Somerset Maugham Works Works, William Somerset Maugham |
| Author | William Somerset Maugham |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Arno Press, 1977 |
| Original from | The Ohio State University |
| Digitized | 18 May 2018 |
| ISBN | 0405078307, 9780405078309 |
| Length | 310 pages |
| Subjects | › Fiction / Literary |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |