A Writer's Notebook (Vintage International) [Paperback]

W. Somerset Maugham (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vintage International | Publication Date: December 1, 2009

Filled with keen observations, autobiographical notes, and the seeds of many of Maugham's greatest works, A Writer's Notebook is a unique and exhilarating look into a great writer's mind at work. From nearly five decades, Somerset Maugham recorded an intimate journal. In it we see the budding of his incomparable vision and his remarkable career as a writer. Covering the years from his time as a youthful medical student in London to a seasoned world traveler around the world, it is playful, sharp witted, and always revealing. Undoubtedly one of his most significant works, A Writer's Notebook is a must for Maugham fans and anyone interested in the creative process.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Maugham is a great artist.... A genius." —Theodore Dreiser "An expert craftsman . . . His style is sharp, quick, subdued, casual." —New York Times "[Maugham] has given infinite pleasure and left us a splendor of writing which will remain for as long as the written English word is permitted to exist." —Daily Telegraph "The modern writer who has influenced me most is Somerset Maugham"--George Orwell"Maugham remains the consummate craftsman . . . [Hid prose is] so compact, so economical, so closely motivated, so skillfully written that it rivets from first to last." —Saturday Review of Literature   "It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham. . . . He was always so entirely there." —Gore Vidal

From the Inside Flap

From 1892, when he was eighteen, until 1949 when this book was first published, Somerset Maugham kept a notebook. It is without a doubt one of his most important works. Part autobiographical, part confessional, packed with observations, confidences, experiments and jottings it is a rich and exhilarating admission into this great writer?s workshop. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307473198
• ISBN-13: 978-0307473196
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gems from a Master, May 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Writer's Notebook (Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

This quasi-journal of Maugham's thoughts, travels, philosophies and bits of literature is facinating on several levels. For an avid Maugham fan, you can see the germination of the ideas and the travels that became his novels. The charming, brilliant and matter-of-fact way in which Maugham says startling things about life will have you underlining passages throughout the work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book of Wisdon, July 23, 2010

By 

lester - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Writer's Notebook (Vintage International) (Paperback)

I've read most of Somerset Maugham's writings & far from being one of the foremost of the 2nd rate authors ( as he himself termed it ) I consider him to be one of the foremost of all writers. It is possible to re - read Maugham's stories a number of times & get more from them on each reading. His stories are always beautifully written, have a beginning a middle & an end & always have a point. A writers notebook has more wisdom within it's pages than any other book I have read. I first read it perhaps 30yrs back & it has greatly influenced my views on life & it is great that a publisher has re - issued it as I had lost my copy many years back & until recently had not been able to locate a copy for sale other than those on the vintage market.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maugham in miniature, March 29, 2011

By 

Prof PJL Klatzow (Rondebosch, Cape, ZA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Writer's Notebook (Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

Maugham was a secretive character all his life. Cursed with a dreadful stutter he toured the world in the company of his "secretary" Gerald. Gerald, an attractive high flier, acted as Maugham's "discoverer", bringing back little bits of information which Maugham then wove into his stories.
Maugham had a profound and penetrating view of the frailties of human nature. This little volume consists of snippets and observations which COULD have been major pieces, but were left in unfinished state. If you can bear the fragmentation, it is a wonderfully revealing book, one which can be picked up and put down often. It greatly helps of course if you appreciate Maugham's laconic observations of people. He was a somewhat morose individual but a writer of unsurpassed style.