A Writer's Notebook (Vintage International) - Softcover

"Maugham is a great artist.... A genius." --Theodore Dreiser "An expert craftsman . . . His style is sharp, quick, subdued, casual." --New York Times "[Maugham] has given infinite pleasure and left us a splendor of writing which will remain for as long as the written English word is permitted to exist." --Daily Telegraph "The modern writer who has influenced me most is Somerset Maugham"--George Orwell"Maugham remains the consummate craftsman . . . [Hid prose is] so compact, so economical, so closely motivated, so skillfully written that it rivets from first to last." --Saturday Review of Literature "It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham. . . . He was always so entirely there." --Gore Vidal

Filled with keen observations, autobiographical notes, and the seeds of many of Maugham's greatest works,A Writer's Notebook is a unique and exhilarating look into a great writer's mind at work. From nearly five decades, Somerset Maugham recorded an intimate journal. In it we see the budding of his incomparable vision and his remarkable career as a writer. Covering the years from his time as a youthful medical student in London to a seasoned world traveler around the world, it is playful, sharp witted, and always revealing. Undoubtedly one of his most significant works,A Writer's Notebook is a must for Maugham fans and anyone interested in the creative process.