Collected Short Stories: Volume 2

Somerset Maugham’s irony and cool detachment made him an acknowledged master of the short story. The stories collected here are typical of Maugham’s wry perception of human weakness and his unique talent for evoking a sense of time and place. They are set in familiar Maugham territory – the South Seas, Europe and America – but they are all concise and compelling dramas played out by unforgettable characters. The collection includes some of Maugham’s most famous stories: “The Alien Corn,” “Flotsam and Jetsam” and particularly “The Vessel of Wrath,” a surprising tale of burgeoning love between a repressed mission lady and a drunken reprobate.