The Magician
Publisher: Standard Ebooks
Published: 2021
Language: eng
Subjects: Paris (France) -- Fiction; Magic -- Fiction
Description: <p>In Paris, surgeon Arthur Burdon and his fiancé are introduced to Oliver Haddo, a wealthy Englishman from an old family who claims to be a magician trained in the occult. At first they are unconvinced and irritated by Haddo’s boasts; however he soon demonstrates his powers in more and more fateful ways.</p>
			<p>The character of Oliver Haddo is an unflattering caricature of the English occultist Alistair Crowley, whom <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/w-somerset-maugham">Maugham</a> had met while living in Paris. Crowley himself wrote a review in <i>Vanity Fair</i> in which he accused Maugham of plagiarizing various other novels, signing off as “Oliver Haddo.” Most critics dismissed these allegations.</p>