The Moon and Sixpence (1919) is a book by William Somerset Maugham based on the life of the painter Paul Gauguin. In this book, the central character is Charles Strickland, a middle aged English stock broker who abandons his wife and children abruptly in order to pursue painting. He first goes to Paris and lives a destitute life there, lodging in run-down hotels and falling prey to both illness and hunger. Strickland finds support from a successful Dutch painter, who after helping Strickland recover from a life-threatening condition, is repaid by having his muse and wife abandon him for Strickland. After working in Paris for a while he goes to Tahiti. Here he takes up with a native woman and starts painting profusely. We learn that Strickland settled for a short while in the port of Marsaille before travelling East. He finally dies of leprosy, leaving behind a fantastic legacy of vivid pictures on the walls of his hut. In his last days he paints with blind eyes to the dismay of his loyal wife who had stayed with him till his last moment even though leprosy is believed to be very contagious among the natives. However, this great artistic achievement is burnt by his wife under his order. Paul Gauguin is considered to be the founder of primitivism in art. The main differences between Gauguin and Strickland are that Gauguin was French rather than English, and whilst Maugham describes the character of Strickland as being ignorant of his contemporaries in Modern art, Gauguin himself was well aquainted with Van Gogh. See also: 1918 in literature, other events of 1919, 1920 in literature, list of years in literature. ... W. Somerset Maugham as photographed in 1934 by Carl Van Vechten. ... Paul Gauguin (June 7, 1848 - May 9, 1903) was a leading Post-Impressionist painter. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, at 17°40′ S 149°30′ W. The island had a population of 169,674 inhabitants at the 2002 census. ... Father Damien was a Roman Catholic missionary who helped lepers on Hawaii and also died of the disease. ... Father Damien was a Roman Catholic missionary who helped lepers on Hawaii and also died of the disease. ... Paul Gauguin (June 7, 1848 - May 9, 1903) was a leading Post-Impressionist painter. ... Primitivism is the condition of quality of being primitive. ... Self-portrait (1886) Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 - July 29, 1890) was a Dutch painter, generally considered one of the greatest painters in European art history. ...

The book was filmed by Albert Lewin in 1943. Albert Levin (1894-1968) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. ... 1943 is a common year starting on Friday. ...

External link

• Free eBook of Moon and Sixpence at Project Gutenberg