Beauty is an ecstasy; it is as simple as hunger. There is really nothing to be said about it. It is like the perfume of a rose: you can smell it and that is all. ---- W. Somerset Maugham, "The Painted Veil" (1925)

#somersetmaugham Three Quick Facts 1. He Was a Doctor Before Becoming a Writer Maugham studied medicine and qualified as a doctor, but he gave up practicing after the success of his first novel, Liza of Lambeth (1897). His medical background influenced his realistic portrayal of characters and their struggles. 2. He Was Orphaned at a Young Age Maugham lost both his parents before the age of 10. His father, a British lawyer in Paris, died of cancer, and his mother passed away shortly after. He was sent to live with his uncle, a vicar, in England. 3. He Was a Secret Agent During World War I Maugham worked for British intelligence during World War I. He was sent to Switzerland and Russia on undercover assignments, and his experiences inspired his novel Ashenden: Or the British Agent (1928), which many consider a precursor to modern spy fiction.

I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible. --- Jane Austen, "Northanger Abbey" (1817)

Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure; seldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little mistaken. ---Jane Austen, "Emma" (1815)

Three Quick Facts 1. She Never Married, Despite a Proposal. She did, however, accept a marriage proposal from a wealthy suitor, Harris Bigg-Wither, but she changed her mind the following morning, likely because she didn't love him. 2. Her Family Burned Many of Her Letters. After Jane Austen’s death, her sister Cassandra destroyed many of her letters and censored others to preserve her privacy. This has left historians with an incomplete picture of her personal life. The letters that remain provide invaluable insights into her wit, personality, and relationships. 3. She Was Nearly Anonymous in Her Lifetime. Jane Austen published her novels anonymously. Her first novel, Sense and Sensibility (1811), was credited to "By a Lady." Even her most famous work, Pride and Prejudice (1813), was attributed only to "the Author of Sense and Sensibility." Her name did not appear on any of her works until after her death.