Description
A CLASSIC OF LITERARY SATIRE • W. Somerset Maugham’s witty and daring novel, long considered one of his finest achievements.
When the respected novelist Edward Driffield dies, his reputation as a great writer seems secure. But beneath the polished biographies and reverent tributes lies another story—of bohemian nights, scandalous affairs, and a first wife who defied convention. Narrated by William Ashenden, a writer who knew Driffield in his youth, the novel peels back the layers of literary fame to reveal the contradictions between art, morality, and truth. At its heart stands Rosie Driffield, warm, sensual, and unapologetically alive, a woman who challenges the hypocrisy of her age.
First published in 1930, W. Somerset Maugham’s Cakes and Ale is both a biting satire of literary pretension and a deeply human story about memory, desire, and freedom. Its sharp portraits of the literary world scandalised Maugham’s contemporaries, yet its honesty and wit have ensured its lasting place in twentieth-century literature. Few lines capture its spirit better than Rosie’s declaration: “The great tragedy of life is not that men perish, but that they cease to love.”
This Feel Classics edition makes Maugham’s provocative novel accessible for today’s readers. With a thoughtful introduction, explanatory notes, glossary, and a detailed chronology of his life and works, it is ideal for students, first-time readers, and literature enthusiasts alike.
A daring, unforgettable classic that still speaks to anyone who has ever questioned reputation, morality, and the price of love.
