Portrait of a Gentleman Author: [UK] Maugham Publisher: Guangxi Normal University Press

Introduction
★In the past few decades, Maugham's work has experienced an extraordinary renaissance... His love of art and his dedication to his craft have made him one of the most popular and prolific writers of all time. Now we can safely say that future generations will be fascinated by him again, and he has established his position: Somerset Maugham, the great storyteller. - Selina Hastings
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★When a writer starts to become popular, it often means that our understanding of him enters a slow pause period. In this sense, Chen Yikan's translation of Maugham's short stories is a new excavation... leading readers into the channel of facing the wit and charm of Maugham's short stories. ——The Second One Way Street Bookstore Literary Award
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★ Fortunately, we have new translators who can understand the subtleties of literary language and comedy. To some extent, Maugham has also been given a new look in Chinese... Every time I see those "boring realism" novels that are either nagging or boasting in journals, I want to throw this new translation of Maugham at them like a brick. ——Zhang Dinghao
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William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) is a famous British novelist, playwright and short story writer.
Márquez listed Maugham as one of his favorite authors, and Orwell called Maugham "the modern writer who has had the greatest influence on me, and whose ability to tell a story without pretense is something I deeply admire."
Short stories occupy an important position in Maugham's works. Burgess once commented that he wrote "the best short stories in English literature". Novels such as "Of Human Bondage" and "The Razor's Edge" made Maugham famous all over the world, while his short stories won more readers with their exquisite story-weaving skills and keen insights into human nature and social life, becoming a global phenomenon.
In 1951, Maugham published a four-volume collection of his short stories, which included 91 stories in total. He personally determined the titles and order of the stories and wrote a preface for each volume. In 1963, Penguin Books launched a new edition based on this, which has since been recognized as the standard edition and has been reprinted many times.
The Utopia Edition of "The Complete Short Stories of Maugham" (all four volumes) is based on the 2002 Penguin Edition of the Complete Works. It is translated by young translator and writer Chen Yikan, and for the first time, it presents the full picture of Maugham's short stories with a wonderful translation. This book is the fourth volume.