Moon and Sixpence

<b>One of the novels that galvanized W. Somerset Maugham's reputation as a literary master <p/>The Moon and Sixpence</b> follows the life of one Charles Strickland a bourgeois city gent whose dull exterior conceals the soul of a genius. Compulsive and impassioned he abandons his home wife and children to devote himself slavishly to painting. In a tiny studio in Paris he fills canvas after canvas refusing to sell or even exhibit his work. Beset by poverty sickness and his own intransigent unscrupulous nature he drifts to Tahiti where even after being blinded by leprosy he produces some of his most extraordinary works of art. Inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin <b>The Moon and Sixpence</b> is an unforgettable study of a man possessed by the need to create--regardless of the cost to himself and to others. <p/>For more than seventy years Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1700 titles Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.