The Magician (1908)
Title
The Magician (1908)
Creator
Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965
Publisher
William Heinemann
Date
1908-11
Description
This must be the first book with which Maugham got himself into trouble. Aleister Crowley, the model of the infamous Oliver Haddo, was upset when he found himself portrayed so realistically in the novel. Though initially Maugham denied it, in a later revised edition he admitted his "sin." Crowley, however, charged him with something more serious, plagiarism in a review when the book first came out. The scandal didn't seem to arouse too much wave. Many years later, Maugham defended creative writers' use of others' material and he advised that if one's work was being taken advantage of by others, one should be unperturbed, and pleased instead.
Summary:
Set in Paris; Arthur Burdon arrives to visit his fiancée Margaret Dauncey, who has gone there to study art, chaperoned by Susie Boyd, a typical Maugham character, cold and detached observing people and life in general with a heart of gold. However, she is also slightly different, because she gets emotionally involved towards her friend's fiancé Arthur. They meet Oliver Haddo, a repulsive obese big mouth who can talk well nevertheless, and somehow he seems to follow them around.
The subject is magic and necromancy, with a minor character Dr. Porhoët, researcher also in necromancy, to counter the black arts of Haddo. After a very well-described humiliating scene in which Arthur thrashes Haddo like a dog, the latter (Haddo, not the dog) takes his revenge by mesmerizing Margaret to yearn for him uncontrollably and thus stealing Arthur's love of his life. Then the narrative plunges into the mysterious.
Characters:
Arthur Burdon Dr. Porhoët
Margaret Dauncey
Susie Boyd
Oliver Haddo
Warren - painter
Jagson - painter
Marie - waitress at Chien Noir
Mr. O'Brien - painter
Rouge - illustrator
Madame Rouge - Rouge's mistress
Madame Rouge's mother
Madame Meyer - mistress to a landscape painter
Raggles - painter
Clayson - American sculptor
Collation:
p. [i] half-title, p. [ii] advertisements, "New 6s. Novels" [14 titles], p. [iii] title, p. [iv] copyright, p. [1] fly-title, pp. [3]-310 main text, pp. [311-313] "NOVELS BY WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM"
Format
19 x 12 cm, hardcover
Subject
Magic -- Fiction.
Paris (France) -- Fiction.
Identifier
Stott A11a
MMC_N_M1908WH
Type
Text
Rights
Public domain
Language
en
Image
Edition
First edition
Publisher's Location
London
Format
Print book
Genre
Novel
Cover
#526166 (Shuttle Gre)
Dust Jacket
No
Original Cost
6s. in 1908, 3,000 copies
Collection
Citation
Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset), 1874-1965, “The Magician (1908),” My Maugham Collection, accessed April 28, 2024, https://mymaughamcollection.omeka.net/items/show/14.