The Moon and Sixpence (Collected Works of Maugham)

"The Moon and Sixpence" is one of the three masterpieces of the British novelist William Somerset Maugham, written in 1919. The novel uses a first-person narrative technique to narrate the entire story. The plot is based on the life of French post-Impressionist painter Gauguin. The middle-aged protagonist, who was originally a securities broker, gave up everything and went to Tahiti in the South Pacific to live with the indigenous people, where he gained inspiration and created many artistic masterpieces. The theme of escapism revealed in the novel became a popular novel in the 20th century.