The hero of this book was the most widely read and one of the most successful English writers of the 20th century. Despite the fact that he led a completely orderly and even measured life, it turned out to be quite bright and eventful, there was a lot of everything in it - many friends and acquaintances, many love stories, a lot of travel, a lot of creativity. They say about people like him - a self-made man - a person who made himself. Before becoming a writer, Maugham worked as a doctor, participated in the First World War, and, having gained fame in the literary field, tried himself as a resident of British intelligence, in which capacity he even had the opportunity to work in Russia in 1917. The books and plays of Somerset Maugham are very popular today. The Appendix to the biography of the talented English writer and playwright presents Maugham's travel essays, which have not yet been published in Russian and translated by the author of the book.