Publisher's Synopsis
Written early in Maugham's career, and capitalizing on the popular resurgence of Gothic Horror at the turn of the 20th century, The Magician is Maugham's deepest dive into supernatural fiction. He based his Svengali-like title character on Aleister Crowley-the great sinner, adventurer, and decadent poet of his day. Maugham came to know Crowley while living in Paris, receiving a close-up view of the iconic bad-boy at the height of his flamboyant forays into the dark arts and paganism. Joined here with The Magician for the first time are nearly all the strange stories that Maugham produced during his distinguished career. As fine an example of weird fiction as The Magician is, Maugham truly shines in his short stories, and they demonstrate why he is considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. In the stories, which range from the short-short form to the novella length, Maugham explores the tattered frays of human emotion with humor, irony and jarring scandal. Spend a few hours with a master story teller and enjoy the journey into darkness. Story contents include: The Magician (novel, ) The Dream, Rain, P. & O., Honolulu, The Taipan, Lord Mountdrago, A Man from Glasgow, Mirage, The Unconquered, The Vessel of Wrath, The Man with the Scar.
