Collected Stories - Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics Author:W. Somerset Maugham Though W. Somerset Maugham was also famous for his novels and plays, it has been argued that in thethe short story he reached the pinnacle of his artwas his true metier. — The stories include The Fall of Edward Barnard, The Pool, Mackintosh, The Vessel of Wrath, The Back of Beyond, The Outstation and Red. With their addictive plot twists and vivi... more »dly drawn characters, these expertly told tales are both galvanizing as literature and wonderfully entertaining. In the adventures of his alter ego Ashenden, a writer who (like Maugham himself) turned secret agent in World War I, as well as in stories set in such far-flung locales as South Pacific islands and colonial outposts in Southeast Asia, Maugham brings his characters vividly to life, and their humanity is more convincing for the author's merciless exposure of their flaws and failures. Whether the chasms of misunderstanding he plumbs are those between colonizers and natives, between a missionary and a prostitute, or between a poetry-writing woman and her uncomprehending husband, Maugham brilliantly displays his irony, his wit, and his genius in the art of storytelling.« less