Cakes and ale maugham

Cakes and ale vintage international kindle edition by. As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and. Successful author william ashenden is contacted by alroy kear, an aspiring writer who has been contracted to write a. Includes new facsimile dust jacket in archival brodart sleeve. Social climber alroy kear is flattered when he is selected by edward driffields wife. In cakes and ale maugham makes only the slightest of attempts at disguising its autobiographical nature. Definition of cakes and ale in the idioms dictionary. Cakes and ale is a satire of london literary society between the wars.

It is the novel for which maugham wished to be remembered. Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society between the wars. Twelfth night takes for its theme the doubleness of human character, ranging from the calculated hypocrisy of the virtuous exemplified by literary opportunist and wouldbe biographer alroy kear to the animal weaknesses of the goodhearted yet unreformable rosie, former barmaid. Cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and william somerset maugham was born in and lived in paris until he was ten. As he traces the fortunes of edward driffield and his extraordinary wife rosie, one of the most delightful heroines of twentiethcentury literature, maughams sardonic wit and lyrical warmth expertly combine in this. I think i read of human bondage years ago, but i have no. But i waxed about as lyrical as i ever get, here, about the razors edge, a few years ago, and if cakes and ale is a step down. Cakes and ale is a delicious satire of london literary society betwe. Metaliterary, it might also seem esoteric to many readers, and i dont think its quite as great a novel as the razors edge. Somerset maughams cakes and ale dost thou think because thou art virtuous there shall be no more cakes and ale. Cakes and ale is the latest reading selection for the slaves of golconda group. Both maughams parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. Once upon a time in britain, cake and ale were considered essential parts of a healthy diet.

Somerset maugham somerset maugham by anthony curtis the secret lives of somerset maugham by selina hastings maugham. The story is told by willie ashenden, who previously appeared in maughams short story collection ashenden. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been commissioned to write an official biography of the. Somerset william somerset 18741965 date of first publication. It was maughams own favourite amongst his works, the one by which he most wished to be remembered. Cakes and ale is probably the most cheerful of maughams works, considering that it comprises chiefly of the narrators recollections of a carefree summer vacation due to a strange friendship with a middleaged writer, driffield, and his sensuous, friendly wife, rosie.

The story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in. Somerset maugham, published in 1930 the story is told by willie ashenden, a character who previously appeared in maughams shortstory collection ashenden. Cakes and ale project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Maugham was not known as a bombthrower, but cakes and ale in 1930 changed that. For literary reasons it starts with a vicious portrait of. Per doubledays practice of designating first editions, first edition so stated on title page verso. Social climber alroy kear is flattered when he is selected by edward driffields.

Maugham cakes and ale is a new title published by the national archives. Late victorians and edwardians were fattened with rich, fruity cakes, and ailing ladies imbibed milk stout as a tonic. Blackstable takes the place of whitstable as it did in of human bondage. When cakes and ale was first published in 1930 it roused a storm of controversy, since many people imagined they recognised portraits of literary figures now no more. Maugham 18941965 was safely settled in the south of france when the storm broke over this book. Lord george, the local coal merchant, adds to the merriment and is to play. Cakes and ale is a delightful satire of london literary society between the wars and the story of a writer who gets all his inspiration from his first wife, to the horror of his second. With an introduction by nicholas shakespeare cakes and ale is both a wickedly satirical novel about contemporary literary poseurs and a skilfully crafted study of freedom. Review of cakes and ale by somerset maugham a writers. Neat, clean, with heavy tanning and foxing to pages and text block edges. This is particularly true of maughams satire on the english literary scene, cakes and ale which is a charming story of youth and illusions. Late in life, somerset maugham claimed that this was the favourite among his novels and it is easy to see why, with its wit and provocative.

But then kear discovers the great novelists voluptuous muse and unlikely first wife, rosie. Cakes and ale, or, the skeleton in the cupboard 1930 is a novel by the british author w. Ebook cakes and ale as pdf download portable document format. Driffield to recall incidents relating to edward driffield for kears sanitized biography, the narrator. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highestpaid author during the 1930s. A novelist, ashenden is befriended by the ambitious, selfserving alroy kear, who has been commissioned to write an official biography of the famous novelist edward driffield. Topics cakes, ale, maugham collection opensource language english.