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Robin Maugham was an author of short stories, novels, non-fiction,
plays, and screenplays; an officer in World War II; a barrister-at-law; and 2nd
Viscount Maugham of Hartfield. His success was not without struggle. In the
preface to his first autobiography,
Escape from the Shadows, Maugham describes
the three shadows of his life: his uncle William Somerset Maugham, his father
Viscount Frederic Herbert Maugham, and the guilt he experienced due to the
"strict upper-middle class moral convictions" that
declared his homosexual desires to be perverse. |
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The youngest child and only son of Helen Mary and Frederic Herbert
Maugham was born on May 17, 1916, as Robert Cecil Romer Maugham. His three
sisters were Diana Maugham Marr-Johnson, Kate Mary Maugham Bruce, and Honor
Maugham Earl. Maugham describes his childhood as lonely, with the exception of
an imaginary friend, Tommy. Throughout his autobiographical works, Maugham
speaks frankly about the troubles he experienced because of his attraction to
men. |
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He spent most of his youth in boarding schools, beginning with Highfield
School, Eton, and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Both sides of his family practiced
law, and Maugham was urged to follow the family tradition. His interest in law
was less than enthusiastic; he found writing, painting, and music more
pleasurable. He left Cambridge in 1937, signed up for the Inns of Court
Regiment and became a judge's marshal. In April 1939, Maugham became the
private secretary to the Director of the National Service Campaign. As part of
this assignment, Maugham worked with Winston Churchill, creating a relationship
that lasted until just before Churchill's death. When war was declared in
September 1939, Maugham entered as a trooper in the Inns of Court Regiment. |
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Maugham served in World War II from 1939 to 1945, first with the 8th
Army in North Africa and later with the Middle East Intelligence Centre. During
a 1942 battle he was hit in the head with a shell fragment. This caused him to
have blackouts, but the severity was never enough to have the shrapnel removed.
However, due to this injury he was released from duty in 1945 and was unable to
resume his law practice. |
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Maugham's short story,
The 1946 Ms, had been published by the War
Facts Press in 1943 and was his first published work.
Convoy, a journal bridging the gap between
military and civilian life during World War II, was created by and edited by
Maugham for seven issues beginning in 1944. When his father died in 1958,
Maugham became the 2nd Viscount Maugham of Hartfield. In 1960 he gained a seat
in the House of Lords. |
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After his first published work in 1943, Maugham wrote novels, short
stories, plays, travel books, dramatic works, a biography of his family, two
autobiographies, and film scripts. His writing has been compared to that of his
uncle in their use of "exotic locales," though Robin
is much more frank in his writing regarding sexuality and sexual guilt,
particularly in his first autobiography. Writer, editor, and journalist Peter
Burton met Maugham in 1968 and helped with the revision and rewriting of
several works including
Escape from the Shadows, The Last Encounter, The Barrier, The Dividing Line, Lovers in Exile, The Black Tent, as well as several articles
and reviews. Burton worked as a writer and editor for
Gay News from 1972 to 1982. During this
time, he also worked with Maugham on many projects and compiled Maugham's
bibliography. Burton discusses the many aspects of their relationship in
Parallel Lives. |
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By 1981, Maugham's health had deteriorated. Diabetes and his abuse of
alcohol, in addition to other physical problems, ended his life two months shy
of his 65th birthday, on March 13, 1981. |
