Before the Party

Name: Before the Party
ISBN: 9787550294554

W. Somerset Maugham / 罗长利Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. · ChinaSep 2017

4.3

Word count: 101K words
Chapters: 14
ISBN: 9787550294554

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Summary

Maugham was not a man of many words; he preferred to sit quietly and observe. He could look into a person's eyes and into their heart, seeing through your unease, your pretension, your pettiness, your greed. What is astonishing is that as you read these stories that seem to be about others, you find yourself shaken again and again... In "The Vessel of Wrath," is the moon over the island thirty years later still as bright as it was thirty years before? In "Before the Party," a daughter returns from Borneo, hiding behind her the secret of her husband's downfall, drunkenness, and suicide. In "The Luncheon," a poor writer lunches with an admiring fan, staging a small inner drama of a slender purse. In "The Fall of Edward Barnard," I now love life, full and meaningful—is this a kind of fall? If almost all the water in heaven were poured out, would faith grow stronger, or run dry?

Editor's review

As a collection of Maugham's short stories and novellas, Before the Party continues the author's characteristic cool, incisive observation and profound dissection of human nature. The more than ten pieces collected here display Maugham's narrative craft as "the best storyteller" and the distinctive perspective of a former British intelligence officer—his skill at catching, beneath the glittering surface of social occasions, the undercurrents and hidden motives within his characters. The title story, "Before the Party," is a typical example: through a conversation among family members before a dinner party, it peels back layer by layer the cruel truth behind a seemingly respectable family, revealing how respectable social norms repress and distort human nature.

Maugham's prose has the precision and coolness of a scalpel. He never indulges in sentimentality and rarely judges directly; instead, through carefully constructed plot and dialogue, he lets readers glimpse for themselves the complexity and contradictions of human nature. The stories here range across the colonial societies of Southeast Asia, Britain itself, and the islands of the South Pacific, showing Maugham's broad geographical vision and cultural insight. Whether depicting the hypocrisy of colonial high society ("Rain") or portraying ordinary people's moral choices in extreme circumstances ("The Fall of Edward Barnard"), Maugham weaves in his pessimistic yet not ungenerous understanding of human nature.

The value of reading Maugham, especially this collection of short stories and novellas, lies in experiencing a kind of lucid, even slightly chilly wisdom. He teaches readers to distrust appearances, to examine motives, and to understand that human weakness is not always detestable—sometimes it is simply part of the human condition. For modern readers, in an age of information overload and proliferating surfaces, Maugham's cold, clear-eyed vision, which cuts through pretension to the essence, has a distinctive clarifying value.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in exploring the complexity of human nature and the truth behind social appearances
Literature lovers who appreciate concise, cool narrative rich in irony and insight
Writers hoping to draw inspiration for craft and structure from classic short stories
Thinkers perplexed by social and interpersonal relationships who seek the clarity of an observer's perspective

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a light, pleasant, warm and comforting reading experience
Readers who prefer intense emotional expression and a romantic style

Reading tips

It is recommended to begin with the title story, "Before the Party," an excellent entry point for understanding Maugham's narrative style and themes
While reading, note how Maugham advances plot and reveals character through dialogue and detail rather than relying on direct authorial statement
After finishing each story, pause for a moment to consider the characters' choices and the motives and social pressures behind them

About the publisher

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. China · Founded in 1993

Beijing United Publishing Co., Ltd. is a publisher known for its literature and history titles, with 2,065 books in the collection. Its publishing covers foreign literature, contemporary Chinese prose and essays, history, folk literature, and cultural books. Its list ranges from Sima Qian's complete edition of the Records of the Grand Historian to foreign classics such as The Book of Disquiet, All Quiet on the Western Front, Snow Country, The Stranger, and Jean-Christophe, as well as modern Chinese works including Teahouse and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk. Its authors and translators include Yasunari Kawabata, Fernando Pessoa, Erich Maria Remarque, Jin Xinyi, Zhou Miao, and Chen Chao. Public information is limited, but its catalogue reflects a balance between Chinese and foreign literary classics and historical and cultural works.

版权信息
前言
万事通先生
教堂司事
患难之交
午餐
红毛
逃脱
珍珠项链
诺言
爱德华·巴纳德的堕落
格拉斯哥的来客
赴宴之前
吞食魔果的人

FAQ

How does this book differ from Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence or The Razor's Edge?

This is a collection of short stories and novellas. Compared with his major novels, it focuses more on the explosive presentation of a single situation or conflict, with tighter structure and often more concentrated, incisive irony—a model for experiencing Maugham's art of short-form narrative.

Maugham's stories are often set overseas. Does reading them require much historical knowledge?

No. Although Maugham uses settings such as colonies, his core is always timeless human themes—desire, hypocrisy, loneliness, compromise. The settings mainly provide a special yet credible stage for characters' actions and choices.

Why is Maugham called a "cool" or even "cutting" writer?

Maugham's "coolness" comes from his objective, almost clinical narrative stance, which rarely reveals personal emotion; his "cutting" quality lies in his relentless exposure of characters' vanity, selfishness, and hypocrisy. But this is not malicious—it rests on his profound understanding and honest presentation of human weakness.

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About the author

W. Somerset Maugham Author · British · 1874–1965

W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was a British novelist, playwright and short-story writer, born in Paris. He trained in medicine and turned to writing after publishing his first novel, Liza of Lambeth, in 1897. His representative works include Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, Cakes and Ale and The Razor's Edge, as well as a substantial body of short stories. His plain, direct style and his insight into human nature and society place his works among foreign literature and classics. Maugham excelled in both the novel and the short story; his restrained narration and penetrating observation have earned him a wide readership in Chinese, and this site holds 176 of his works.

罗长利 Author

Luo Changli is an author for whom limited public information is available. Three works are currently known under this name: A Room of One's Own, Reading Is a Portable Sanctuary: Somerset Maugham's Reading Essays, and Before the Banquet. Judging from these titles and the common categories they fall into, Luo's work centers on foreign literature and miscellaneous prose, involving the translation, editing, or essayistic writing related to English-language literary works. Both A Room of One's Own and Maugham's reading essays belong to the realm of classic foreign literature and reading essays, suggesting that the author favors texts of lasting reading value and seeks to present writers' reflections on reading, writing, and life. Since biographical details remain incomplete, the style of Luo's writing and editing can only be inferred indirectly from the existing works: the approach appears plain and accessible, with attention to the reading experience and literary interest, suited to readers who enjoy English prose and literary essays.