
Of Human Bondage - by W. Somerset Maugham
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A fragile infant is born into a world of hardship, his mother’s frail health and the looming threat of loss casting a somber shadow over his first moments. The opening scenes linger on the tender, desperate attempts of a mother and a nurse to protect the child, while a doctor confronts the stark realities of illness and mortality that will shape the family’s future.
Soon after, the child, now a curious boy named Philip, retreats into an imaginative realm of makeshift forts and imagined wild frontiers, seeking refuge from the grief that surrounds him. As he navigates the expectations of caretakers and the unsettling knowledge that his mother will never return, Philip’s yearning for purpose and identity begins to surface, setting the stage for a lifelong quest for meaning.
Language
en
Duration
~24 hours (1403K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
Oct 1, 1995
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1874–1965
Best known for clear, elegant storytelling and a sharp eye for human weakness, this English writer created classics like Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, and The Razor’s Edge. His fiction often moves through cosmopolitan settings and moral crossroads, with a style that feels direct and modern even now.
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by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham

by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham