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Maugham's enchanting tale of secrets and fatal attraction The Magician is one of Somerset Maugham's most complex and perceptive novels. Running through it is the theme of evil, deftly woven into a story as memorable for its action as for its astonishingly vivid characters. In... Read Full Overview

In this tale, the magician Oliver Haddo, a caricature of Aleister Crowley, attempts to create life.

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare's... Read Full Overview

The Magician is a novel by British author W. Somerset Maugham, originally published in 1908. In this tale, the magician Oliver Haddo, a caricature of Aleister Crowley, attempts to create life. Crowley wrote a critique of this book under the pen name Oliver Haddo, where he accused... Read Full Overview

In Paris around 1900, Arthur and Margaret are engaged to be married. Everyone approves and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Until Oliver Haddo appears. Sinister and repulsive, Haddo fascinates Margaret's spinster friend, Susie Boyd. Yet it is not Susie who ultimately... Read Full Overview

The Magician (1909) is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Controversial for its portrayal of infidelity and occult ritual, The Magician was instrumental in establishing Maugham's reputation as a leading author of the late Victorian era. Inspired by stories of Aleister... Read Full Overview

玛格丽特-道西 与苏西-博伊德 在蒙帕纳斯大道附近共享一个公寓。那天下午亚瑟安排去见她是要去喝茶。年轻妇女在演播室等他。水壶在炉子上沸腾；杯子和小蛋糕在模型摊位上准备就绪。苏西满怀兴趣地期待着这次会议。她听了很多年轻人的话，并且知道他和玛格丽特之间的联系并不缺乏浪漫。多年以来，苏西一直在女校的女主人的单调生活中度过，并在余生中辞职，因为来自远亲的遗产给了她足够的收入，使她有足够的收入过上适度的生活。不久之后，玛格丽特... Read Full Overview

"Though Aleister Crowley served, as I have said, as the model for Oliver Haddo, it is by no means a portrait of him. I made my character more striking in appearance, more sinister and more ruthless than Crowley ever was. I gave him magical powers that Crowley,... Read Full Overview

In Paris around 1900, Arthur and Margaret are engaged to be married. Everyone approves and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Until Oliver Haddo appears. Sinister and repulsive, Haddo fascinates Margaret's spinster friend, Susie Boyd. Yet it is not Susie who ultimately... Read Full Overview

Arthur Burdon and Dr Porhot walked in silence. They had lunched at a restaurant in the Boulevard Saint Michel, and were sauntering now in the gardens of the Luxembourg. Dr Porhot walked with stooping shoulders, his hands behind him. He beheld the scene with the eyes of the many... Read Full Overview