W. Somerset Maugham 
Of Human Bondage 

Of Human Bondage is a 1915 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. The novel is generally agreed to be Maugham’s masterpiece and to be strongly autobiographical in nature. ‘Of Human Bondage’ is the semi-autobiographical tale of Philip Carey, who like Maugham, is orphaned and brought up by his uncle. ‘Of Human Bondage’ is a ‘bildungsroman’ that traces the travels of its main character to Germany, Paris and London while exploring the intellectual, emotional and psychological development of the protagonist and later his destructive relationship with the main female character, Mildred Rogers.

Of Human Bondage is considered among 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

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William Somerset Maugham was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. His first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), a study of life in the slums, attracted attention, but it was as a playwright that he first achieved national celebrity.

Maugham’s novels after Liza of Lambeth include Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor’s Edge (1944). His short stories were published in collections such as The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture as Before (1940).