W. Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was a prominent English writer known for his plays, novels, and short stories. Born in Paris, Maugham spent his first ten years there before being schooled in England. He attended a German university and later became a medical student in London, qualifying as a physician in 1897. However, he never practiced medicine, opting instead to become a full-time writer.

Maugham’s literary career began with his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897), which drew attention for its depiction of slum life. By 1908, he gained national fame as a playwright, with four plays running concurrently in London's West End. Despite his success in theatre, he wrote his final play in 1933 and then focused on novels and short stories.

Maugham's notable novels 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, collected in volumes like The Casuarina Tree (1926) and The Mixture as Before (1940), have been adapted for radio, cinema, and television.

During World War I, Maugham served in the British Secret Service, an experience he later drew upon in his stories. Although primarily homosexual, Maugham tried to conform to societal norms of his time, maintaining a marriage with Syrie Wellcome which produced a daughter, Liza. However, his primary companion was Gerald Haxton, with whom he traveled extensively, gathering material for his fiction.

After Haxton’s death in 1944, Alan Searle became Maugham’s secretary-companion. Maugham spent his later years on the French Riviera, living lavishly. He ceased writing novels shortly after World War II and died at the age of 91.