num_pages: 608
description: "It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham," wrote Gore Vidal. "He was always so entirely there."Originally published in 1915, Of Human Bondage is a potent expression of the power of sexual obsession and of modern man's yearning for freedom. This classic bildungsroman tells the story of Philip Carey, a sensitive boy born with a clubfoot who is orphaned and raised by a religious aunt and uncle. Philip yearns for adventure, and at eighteen leaves home, eventually pursuing a career as an artist in Paris. When he returns to London to study medicine, he meets the androgynous but alluring Mildred and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life. There is no more powerful story of sexual infatuation, of human longing for connection and freedom."Here is a novel of the utmost importance," wrote Theodore Dreiser on publication. "It is a beacon of light by which the wanderer may be guided. . . . One feels as though one were sitting before a splendid Shiraz of priceless texture and intricate weave, admiring, feeling, responding sensually to its colors and tones."With an Introduction by Gore VidalCommentary by Theodore Dreiser and Graham Greene
language: English
title: Of Human Bondage
titlecomplete: Of Human Bondage
characters: Dr. Tyrell, Emily Wilkinson, Norah Nesbit, Philip Carey, Louisa Carey, Hayward, Ruth Chalice, Harry Griffiths, Thorpe Athelny, Frederick Lawson, Betty Athelny, Cronshaw, Dr. South, Fanny Price (Of Human Bondage), Mildred Rogers, Sally Athelny
genres: Fiction, 20th Century, Classics, Coming Of Age, British Literature, Classic Literature, Literary Fiction, Romance, Literature, Novels
ratings_count: 55881
places: England, London, England, Brighton and Hove, Sussex, England, Blackstable, Kent, England, Heidelberg, Paris
publisher: Penguin Books Ltd