Former owners bookplate sticker affixed to front pastedown endpaper. Larry darrell is a young american in search of the absolute. Somerset maugham, first published by doubleday doran in the united states in 1944, relates the experiences of a world war i pilot, larry darrell, who chooses to embrace a countercultural lifestyle as a way of dealing with his ptsd, though the syndrome is of course not identified as such in the book. Apr 10, 2018 the razors edge by somerset maugham can be a tricky novel to follow. It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by his experiences in world war i, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. One of the most challenging books somerset maughan has given us. The razors edge william somerset maugham the razor s edge is a novel by w. Free download or read online the razors edge pdf epub book. Even before i began to read it, i knew a few things about it viz. Jan 09, 2014 the razors edge is no different and i rate it as his best novel but for his masterpiece of human bondage. Somerset maugham, 9780099284864, download free ebooks, download free pdf epub ebook. I saw the old movie 1946 when i was a kid and that made me look up the book and read it. Review of the razors edge by somerset maugham a writers. The razors edge by somerset maugham can be a tricky novel to follow.
William somerset maugham was born in 1874 and lived in paris until he was ten. The razors edge is no different and i rate it as his best novel but for his masterpiece of human bondage. Those who look to him for a colorful, romantic story will find this slowpaced at the start. It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by his experiences in world war i, who sets off in. Download the razors edge pdf book by william somerset maugham i have never begun a novel with more misgiving. Somerset maugham is a novel about a group of young americans who are trying to find their way in the world during the years following world war i. He was raised by an uncle, who tried to persuade the youngster to become an accountant or parson. Somerset maugham the razors edge vintage classics, paperback 2000 8vo. The sunday times london it is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of somerset maugham. For in larry dornell he has drawn a character symbolic or many we shall meet in the. Somerset maugham ebook product description larry darrell is a young american in search of the absolute. The razor s edge follows the spiritual and physical journey of larry darrell, a sensitive, intelligent young man who refuses to conform to the prevailing social norms of postworld war i america.
If you missed out on the summary of part 3, click here. The razor s edge was maugham s third attempt at writing a book with the exact same plot even down to having characters with the same name. The razors edge is somerset maughams masterpiece, although some would give that honor to of human bondage. The razors edge was maughams third attempt at writing a book with the exact same plot even down to having characters with the same name. The razors edge a blog on william somerset maughams novel. The progress of his spiritual odyssey involves him with some of maughams most brilliant characters his fiancee isabel whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and elliott templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate american snob. Somerset maugham has written many classics, but this one could also be called a book of philosophy. Buy the razors edge vintage classics by maugham, w.
Dust jacket is chipped along periphery and front foreedge, rubbed. I first read this book when i was a child of thirteen. For businessexclusive pricing, quantity discounts and downloadable vat invoices. The razors edge william somerset maugham the razors edge is a novel by w. The razor s edge is an unusual amalgam threequarters witty social commentary about american and european society, onequarter eastern philosophy bound together by maugham s impeccable prose almost as though henry james and hermann hesse had collaborated. That is all we can analyze about the movie adaptation of the razors edge since the book that inspired a major flop now scares the producers. Maugham, like the young philip carey, seeks a pattern in the lives of those he has met, and he finds that each life in the razors edge has. Somerset maugham william somerset maugham and other ebooks from all genres of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, historical documents and sheet music, all of which are available on a subscription basis. Somerset maugham october 11, 2016 january 2, 2019 books weve read admin leave a comment somerset maugham has always been one of my most favorite authors. It is a complete story it has a beginning, a middle and definitely an end.
Somerset maugham developed an interest in indian spirituality. Born in the british embassy in paris, where his father worked, maugham was an orphan by the age of ten. Download the razors edge ebook pdf free therazorsedgesgs. Its epigraph reads, the sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass overthus the wise say the path to salvation is hard, taken from a verse in the kathaupanishad. A group of students interpret their favorite scenes of the razors edge and add their own personal touch. Guy hague some people think guy hague was the real life role model for larry darrell. He was one of the most popular writers of the day, and the razors edge was an immediate success on both sides of the atlantic. The story begins through the eyes of larrys friends and acquaintances as they witness. Maugham was seventy years old when the book was published, and it was to be the last of his major novels. This was also the case in the novel the burden of the passions of man, and in the novel the moon and the pitt.
The razors edge by william somerset maugham download eub. Pdf the razors edge by william somerset maugham download. He was educated at kings school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university. The razor s edge is one of those special books that strikes a chord making it so memorable, so impressive, so fundamentally inspiring that reading it once is never enough. The announced intent is to highlight the experiences of an american war verteran who rejects the. So far as i know, there is only one place in maughams voluminous output where he mentions the razors edge. There is no updated version planned to be released in the upcoming year of the movie of william somerset maughams book.
Set in chicago, paris, and india in the 1920s and 30s, it involves characters from sharply different worlds. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Dec 05, 2015 the razors edge, by british novelist w. Somerset maugham and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Maugham is a french author known to be very curious.
Not everyone, sadly, will feel its magic the same way i do. And i was delighted to find that the film screenplay written by lamar trotti followed the novel closely, retaining much of the most memorable lines and pieces of dialogue. The novel is concerned in large part with the search for the meaning of life and with the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. Unfollow the razors edge maugham to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Almost from the very second the razor s edge was made available to the reading public there has been a raging controversy as to if the storyline as presented by somerset maugham in what has turned out to be one of the bestselling novels of the 20th century was true or false, fact or fiction, real or not real. Somerset maugham october 11, 2016 january 2, 2019 books weve read admin leave a comment somerset maugham has always been one. The razors edge follows the spiritual and physical journey of larry darrell, a sensitive, intelligent young man who refuses to conform to the prevailing social norms of postworld war i america. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highestpaid author during the 1930s. Celia copplestone is a uniquely spiritual person surrounded by a group of people who have no notion. Somerset maugham, was published in london and new york in 1944. He thinks that when people are no good at anything they become writers as he did. Somerset maugham, published in 1944 the novel is concerned in large part with the search for the meaning of life and with the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. Publication date 1944 topics iiit collection digitallibraryindia.
The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 314 pages and is available in paperback format. Collecting the razors edge by maugham, w somerset first. Instead of marrying a rich, pretty chicago girl, he goes to paris searching for answers to questions about man, god and the meaning of life. Theodore dreiser maughams excessively rare gift of storytelling. William heinemann ltd read download a new earth ebook.
Thomas hospital with the idea of practising medicine, but the success of his first novel, liza of lambeth, published in 1897, won him over to letters. Mar 21, 20 a group of students interpret their favorite scenes of the razors edge and add their own personal touch. Yet, somehow its dilapidated condition enhanced my reading enjoyment. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are elliott templeton, larry darrell. At the beginning of the book, he states that he invents nothing and that his main purpose while writing is to set down his knowledge and experience. It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by. I could only find the razor s edge as a somewhat badly worn secondhand paperback with yellowed pages. Somerset maugham 1874 1965 was a british playwright, novelist and short story writer. Tyrone power, gene tierney, john payne and anne baxter star in this acclaimed film based on the 1944 novel from w. Buy the razor s edge vintage classics by maugham, w. This symbol appears in a great deal of maugham s books, regardless of editor. There was a remake 1984 that was surprisingly good.
This symbol appears in a great deal of maughams books, regardless of editor. The sunday times london it is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the razors edge. He visited india in 1938, and in madras was taken to an ashram to meet a man who, born venkataraman, had retreated to a life of silence, selfmortification, and prayer, and was now known simply as the maharshi. A remarkably fine copy of the book in like dust jacket with only the slightest toning to the spine. The razors edge is an unusual amalgam threequarters witty social commentary about american and european society, onequarter eastern philosophy bound together by maughams impeccable prose almost as though henry james and hermann hesse had collaborated. He visited india in 1938, and in madras was taken to an ashram to meet a man who, born venkataraman, had retreated to a life of silence, selfmortification, and. This series of blog posts will provide summaries of the main events of every part of the novel. It is also a chronicle of the birth of the united states as a world power. Almost from the very second the razors edge was made available to the reading public there has been a raging controversy as to if the storyline as presented by somerset maugham in what has turned out to be one of the bestselling novels of the 20th century was true or false, fact or fiction, real or not real.
But, perhaps, it was in the novel the razors edge that maugham was the best able to reflect all the problems of spiritual growth of an. Somerset maugham i was starting college, and i was facing the sort of existential crisis that comes with that large shift in identity. If you enjoy this kind of article make sure to like this post and tag along every tuesday. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. The theme of finding his true i was raised maugham in his works repeatedly. The first edition of the novel was published in 1944, and was written by w. The razors edge is a novel set in the 1920s and 1930s, tracing the intimate lives of representative british and american upper class.
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