Set in chicago, paris, and india in the 1920s and 30s, it involves characters from sharply different worlds. A remarkably fine copy of the book in like dust jacket with only the slightest toning to the spine. Free download or read online the razors edge pdf epub book. The razors edge a blog on william somerset maughams novel. The theme of finding his true i was raised maugham in his works repeatedly. The razors edge william somerset maugham the razors edge is a novel by w. 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. Even before i began to read it, i knew a few things about it viz. The razors edge william somerset maugham the razor s edge is a novel by w. This series of blog posts will provide summaries of the main events of every part of the novel. Review of the razors edge by somerset maugham a writers. The story begins through the eyes of larrys friends and acquaintances as they witness.
Somerset maugham and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the razors edge. One of the most challenging books somerset maughan has given us. Dec 05, 2015 the razors edge, by british novelist w. Somerset maugham october 11, 2016 january 2, 2019 books weve read admin leave a comment somerset maugham has always been one. Somerset maugham developed an interest in indian spirituality. Those who look to him for a colorful, romantic story will find this slowpaced at the start. The razors edge is somerset maughams masterpiece, although some would give that honor to of human bondage. Yet, somehow its dilapidated condition enhanced my reading enjoyment. The razors edge is a novel set in the 1920s and 1930s, tracing the intimate lives of representative british and american upper class. It is also a chronicle of the birth of the united states as a world power. Buy the razors edge vintage classics by maugham, w. 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. Download the razors edge ebook pdf free therazorsedgesgs.
It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by. 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. 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. Theodore dreiser maughams excessively rare gift of storytelling. If you enjoy this kind of article make sure to like this post and tag along every tuesday. 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. For businessexclusive pricing, quantity discounts and downloadable vat invoices.
Somerset maugham 1874 1965 was a british playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was raised by an uncle, who tried to persuade the youngster to become an accountant or parson. 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. 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. So far as i know, there is only one place in maughams voluminous output where he mentions the razors edge. 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. 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.
I saw the old movie 1946 when i was a kid and that made me look up the book and read it. Somerset maugham has written many classics, but this one could also be called a book of philosophy. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Download the razors edge pdf book by william somerset maugham i have never begun a novel with more misgiving. 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. I could only find the razor s edge as a somewhat badly worn secondhand paperback with yellowed pages. Larry darrell is a young american in search of the absolute.
Somerset maugham i was starting college, and i was facing the sort of existential crisis that comes with that large shift in identity. 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. 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. He was educated at kings school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university. Somerset maugham the razors edge vintage classics, paperback 2000 8vo. 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. The razors edge is no different and i rate it as his best novel but for his masterpiece of human bondage. 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. 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. Buy the razor s edge vintage classics by maugham, w. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. The first edition of the novel was published in 1944, and was written by w. William somerset maugham was born in 1874 and lived in paris until he was ten. 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.
Mar 21, 20 a group of students interpret their favorite scenes of the razors edge and add their own personal touch. The razors edge by somerset maugham can be a tricky novel to follow. Former owners bookplate sticker affixed to front pastedown endpaper. The announced intent is to highlight the experiences of an american war verteran who rejects the. Somerset maugham ebook product description larry darrell is a young american in search of the absolute. The sunday times london it is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to. 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. I first read this book when i was a child of thirteen. William heinemann ltd read download a new earth ebook. This was also the case in the novel the burden of the passions of man, and in the novel the moon and the pitt. He was educated at king s school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university.
Celia copplestone is a uniquely spiritual person surrounded by a group of people who have no notion. There is no updated version planned to be released in the upcoming year of the movie of william somerset maughams book. If you missed out on the summary of part 3, click here. He thinks that when people are no good at anything they become writers as he did. Guy hague some people think guy hague was the real life role model for larry darrell.
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. 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. The razors edge by william somerset maugham download eub. A group of students interpret their favorite scenes of the razors edge and add their own personal touch. Apr 10, 2018 the razors edge by somerset maugham can be a tricky novel to follow. Collecting the razors edge by maugham, w somerset first.
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. 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. Maugham was seventy years old when the book was published, and it was to be the last of his major novels. Publication date 1944 topics iiit collection digitallibraryindia. For in larry dornell he has drawn a character symbolic or many we shall meet in the. Pdf the razors edge by william somerset maugham download. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
This symbol appears in a great deal of maughams books, regardless of editor. Somerset maugham, was published in london and new york in 1944. 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. 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.
Start reading the razors edge vintage international on your kindle in under a minute. 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. 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. Born in the british embassy in paris, where his father worked, maugham was an orphan by the age of ten. It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by his experiences in world war i, who sets off in. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highestpaid author during the 1930s. Tyrone power, gene tierney, john payne and anne baxter star in this acclaimed film based on the 1944 novel from w. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are elliott templeton, larry darrell. The novel is concerned in large part with the search for the meaning of life and with the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 314 pages and is available in paperback format. There was a remake 1984 that was surprisingly good. Dust jacket is chipped along periphery and front foreedge, rubbed. It is a complete story it has a beginning, a middle and definitely an end. Maugham is a french author known to be very curious.
Not everyone, sadly, will feel its magic the same way i do. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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