Of Human Bondage: Introduction by Selina Hastings (Everyman's

Of Human Bondage: Introduction by Selina Hastings (Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics Series)

W. Somerset Maughamâ€™s masterwork is the coming-of-age story of Philip Carey, a sensitive young man consumed by an unrequited and self-destructive love.

Born with a clubfoot, Philip is orphaned as a child and raised by unsympathetic relatives. Sent to a boarding school where he has difficulty fitting in, he grows up with an intense longing for love, art, and experience. After failing to become an artist in Paris, he begins medical studies in London, where he meets Mildred, a cold-hearted waitress with whom he falls into a powerful, tortured, life-altering love affair. This is the most autobiographical of Maughamâ€™s works, with Philipâ€™s malformed foot standing in for Maughamâ€™s stutter, and the characterâ€™s painful romantic struggles inspired by the authorâ€™s own intense love affairs with both men and women. A brilliant and deeply moving portrayal of the price of passion and the universal desire for connection, Of Human Bondage stands as one of the most accomplished novels in English literature.

Of Human Bondage: Introduction by Selina Hastings (Everyman's Library Contemporary Classics Series)