In the “The Moon and Sixpence”, Somerset Maugham narrates the story of Charles Strickland, a well off London stock broker who abandons his wife and children in midlife to become a painter. Strickland is convinced that he must paint, despite the fact that he has never done so. Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin, Maugham’s characterization of Strickland reveals that the pursuit of his personal artistic vision is not without considerable sacrifice and the callousness of his character often falls under question. Told in Maugham’s absorbing story telling style, the novel gains depth and complexity in revealing the narrator’s struggle to appreciate Strickland’s genuine artistic expression in view of his often incomprehensible behavior. ©Amazon.com

威廉·薩默塞特·毛姆（William Somerset Maugham,1874 -1965)，英國小說傢，劇作傢，被譽為“故事聖手”。

生於巴黎，十歲前父母雙亡，由叔叔接迴英國撫養，因身材矮小，說話結巴，總被同齡人欺淩，性格孤僻敏感。

18歲在倫敦學醫，後棄醫從文。23歲時發錶首部小說《蘭貝斯的麗莎》，從此走上文學創作的道路。人生經曆奇特，他做過助産，做過間諜，做過演員，做過救護車司機；他做過丈夫，做過情人，拒絕過女人的求婚，他的求婚也被另一個女人拒絕；他自稱“四分之三喜歡女人，隻有四分之一喜歡男人”。

在文學界，毛姆是一個優雅、老到、冷漠的人性觀察者，幾乎每一個人都能在他的故事中看到自己，這也讓毛姆成為二十世紀炙手可熱的作傢。

他的後半生住在一座仙境般的彆墅裏，晚年幾乎獲得瞭整個歐洲文學界的一切殊榮。91歲時，逝於法國。

經典代錶作：《月亮與六便士》《人性的枷鎖》。