W. Somerset Maugham has 9 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 12 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.8★ across 30 ratings. The most-rated is The Razor's Edge.
The Razor's Edge
Summary
Larry Darrell is a young American in search of the absolute. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of Maugham's most brilliant characters: his fiancée Isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions; and Elliot Templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate American snob. The most ambitious of Maugham's novels, this is also one in which Maugham himself plays a considerable part as he wanders in and out of the story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates. William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author of the 1930s. Maugham was orphaned by the age of ten, but after an unhappy childhood, he flourished when he moved to London to study medicine as a young man, giving him plenty of inspiration for his literary ambitions. His first novel, Liza Of Lambeth, sold out in a matter of weeks, prompting Maugham to leave medicine and embark on a 65-year career as a man of letters. By 1914 he was famous, with ten successful plays produced and ten novels published. In 1917, he was asked by the British Secret Intelligence Service (now MI6) to undertake a special mission in Russia; an experience which would go on to inspire Ashenden, a collection of short stories about a gentlemanly spy that influenced Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Maugham’s most famous works include Of Human Bondage, a semiautobiographical novel, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale and The Razor's Edge. His writing has inspired a string of over 35 film adaptations and has influenced many notable authors, including Anthony Burgess, George Orwell and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
©1944 Somerset Maugham (P)2012 Audible Ltd
Of Human Bondage
Summary
One of the most widely read novels of the 20th century, W. Somerset Maugham's masterpiece, Of Human Bondage, gives a harrowing depiction of unrequited love. Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan born with a clubfoot, finds himself in desperate need of passion and inspiration. He abandons his studies to travel, first to Heidelberg and then to Paris, where he nurses ambitions of becoming a great artist. Philip's youthful idealism erodes, however, as he comes face-to-face with his own mediocrity and lack of impact on the world. After returning to London to study medicine, he becomes wildly infatuated with Mildred, a vulgar, tawdry waitress, and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life. First published in 1915, the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage combines the values left over from the Victorian era with the prevailing irony and despair of the early 20th century. Unsentimental yet bursting with deep feeling, Of Human Bondage remains Maugham's most complete statement of the importance of physical and spiritual liberty, a theme that resounds more loudly than ever today.
Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor
The Painted Veil
Summary
This is the story of Kitty Fane, the adulterous wife of a bacteriologist stationed in Hong Kong. When her husband discovers her deception, he exacts a terrible vengeance: Kitty must accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic in China.
©2006 W. Somerset Maugham (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Ashenden
Summary
When war broke out in 1914, Somerset Maugham was dispatched by the British Secret Service to Switzerland under the guise of completing a play. Multilingual, knowledgeable about many European countries, and a celebrated writer, Maugham had the perfect cover, and the assignment appealed to his love of romance, and of the ridiculous. The stories collected in Ashenden are rooted in Maugham's own experiences as an agent, reflecting the ruthlessness and brutality of espionage, its intrigue and treachery, as well as its absurdity.
©1955 W. Somerset Maugham (P)2012 Audible, Ltd.
The Moon And Sixpence
Summary
Charles Strickland, a conventional stockbroker, abandons his wife and children for Paris and Tahiti, to live his life as a painter. While his betrayal of family, duty and honour gives him the freedom to achieve greatness, his decision leads to an obsession which carries severe implications.
©2008 The Executers of the Estate of W. Somerset Maugham 2008 (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Classic English and Scottish Dramas Starring Ralph Richardson and John Mills, Volume 2
Summary
Fully restored and remastered, Heritage Media presents the greatest of vintage artists in classic dramas from English and Scottish Literature. Here is the legendary Ralph Richardson starring in ‘My Adventure in Norfolk’, adapted from the original tale by A. J. Alan, and John Mills starring in 'The Kite', adapted from the original tale by Somerset Maugham. Theatre Royal is a unique series of classic radio dramas produced in the 1950s by the late Harry Alan Towers. Starring the leading theatre artists of the day, it is the only series of radio dramas in which Laurence Olivier ever appeared. He was joined by Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Orson Welles, Robert Morley, John Mills, Michael Redgrave, Trevor Howard, Robert Donut, Alec Guinness and Margaret Lockwood. Over the Years, Theatre Royal has received a glittering array of accolades, including: “vivid, tense, and compressed.”( Classic radio) “Craft, like character, ages well.”(Daily Telegraph) “Great fun to listen to and, as radio history, they are unsurpassed.” (Sunday Telegraph) “Voices like these justify the Golden Days tag. We won't hear their like again.” (Sunday Times) “A must for archive fans. The excitement of vintage radio drama with strong storylines.” (Radio Times.)
©2011 Heritage Media Ltd (P)2011 Heritage Media Ltd
![Cover art for El Filo de la Navaja [The Razor's Edge]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GHAZ2eQ0L._SL500_.jpg)
El Filo de la Navaja [The Razor's Edge]
Summary
La gente siempre esta en el filo de una navaja, dice un proverbio oriental y en el se baso el ingles Somerset Maugham para una de sus ultimas novelas, en donde los protagonistas son un joven intelectual y una muchacha que solo ansia ser rica. Ese conflicto entre la mente y lo material lleva a una serie de interesantes desarrollos. Larry Darrell is a young man whose experiences in World War I lead him to question the meaning of his comfortable life. Postponing his engagement to Isabel, he travels first to Europe and then to India, where his studies with a Hindu holy man change his life.
©2001 Disonex S.A. (P)2001 Disonex S.A.
Cakes and Ale
Summary
Of all Somerset Maugham’s novels this is the most entertaining and arguably his best ever. Rosie is a barmaid with a heart of gold and a skeleton in her closet. Maugham’s portrait of her makes his novel fairly glow with witty observations of the contemporary literary scene. Features Willie Ashenden, who resurfaces in Maugham’s Ashenden.
©1930 William Somerset Maugham (P)1987 Recorded Books, LLC
The Somerset Maugham BBC Radio Collection
Summary
BBC Radio 4 dramatisations and readings of Somerset Maugham’s fiction - plus bonus programme Replay: Somerset Maugham. William Somerset Maugham was one of the most successful English writers of the 20th century and remains the most adapted for film and TV. This collection includes eight of his novels, plays and short stories, as heard on BBC radio, as well as an illuminating interview with the author himself. The Moon and Sixpence - respectable stockbroker Charles Strickland abandons his wife and children to live as a painter in Paris and Tahiti. Starring Ronald Pickup and Patrick Allen. The Painted Veil - first published in 1925 to a storm of protest, this is a haunting, poignant tale of one woman’s spiritual awakening. Starring Sarah Smart and Nicholas Farrell. The Sacred Flame - invalided following an air crash, Maurice is determined to remain cheerful. But his condition affects all those who are close to him. Starring Julian Glover, Wendy Hiller, Hannah Gordon and Janet Maw. Ashenden, Gentleman Spy - Ashenden, a writer by profession, returns from the First World War and is offered a position in the Secret Service. Five short stories based on Maugham’s own wartime experiences, read by Alex Jennings. For Services Rendered - in this incisive state-of-the nation play, it is 1932 and the progressive Ardsley family seem to be managing their lives very well. But in reality, each of them is fighting for survival. Starring David Calder, Sian Thomas and Louise Brealey. The Narrow Corner - sailing home from the East Indies, a doctor and his two companions are forced to seek shelter on the island of Kanda - where they encounter the beautiful, sultry Louise.... Starring Garard Green, Owen Scott, Douglas Blackwell and Cara Kelly. Christmas Holiday - 1938, and Charley is looking forward to spending Christmas in Paris with his old school friend Simon. But they are both ignorant of the storm clouds lowering over Europe.... Starring Peter Rumney and Anthony Daniels. The Razor’s Edge - after the First World War, Larry Darrell returns to Chicago but finds it difficult to fit back into society. To the dismay of his fiancée, Isabel, he heads for Paris and embarks on a spiritual quest. Starring Nicholas Le Prevost, John Light and Megan Dodds. Replay: Somerset Maugham - Philip French presents an archive interview with Somerset Maugham, recorded in 1954 on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd