The Moon and Sixpence (selected Translations of Famous Works)

About This Novel

The plot of "The Moon and Sixpence" is based on the life of the French post-impressionist painter Gauguin. The protagonist was originally a securities broker. After reaching middle age, he suddenly responded to the call of his heart and abandoned everything to live with the indigenous people on the island of Tahiti in the South Pacific. He gained inspiration and created many artistic masterpieces. Maugham deeply explores the contradictions and interactions between life and art in his novels. The plot of "The Moon and Sixpence" is not complicated. It tells the story of a broker on the British Stock Exchange. He already had a solid career and status, and a happy family, but he became obsessed with painting and felt like he was "possessed by the devil." He suddenly abandoned his home and went to Paris to pursue his ideal of painting. No one could understand his behavior. In a foreign country, he not only suffered physically from poverty and hunger, but also endured mental pain in search of expression techniques. After some bizarre encounters, the protagonist finally leaves the civilized world and escapes to the isolated island of Tahiti. He finally found peace of soul and an atmosphere suitable for his artistic temperament. He lived with an indigenous woman and created one masterpiece after another that shocked later generations. Before he contracted leprosy and became blind, he painted a great work depicting the Garden of Eden on the fourth wall of his house. But before his death, he ordered the indigenous woman to burn the painting after his death. Through such a geek who devoted himself to the pursuit of art and had no understanding of human nature, Maugham explored the origin and essence of art, the relationship between personality and genius, the contradiction between artists and society, and other thought-provoking issues.

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