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Somerset Maugham: The Writer Who Spied

Episode Overview

Episodes 8-9: "Somerset Maugham: The Writer Who Spied" and "The Art of Literary Espionage" explore the dual career of one of the 20th century's most accomplished authors who also served as a British intelligence agent during World War One. These episodes examine how Maugham's experiences as Agent "Somerville" profoundly influenced his literary work and helped establish the foundation for modern espionage fiction.

Key Themes

Literary Intelligence: How writers' observational skills and psychological insight make them effective intelligence operatives Moral Ambiguity: The ethical complexities of espionage work and how they influenced Maugham's fiction Professional Duality: Balancing public literary fame with secret intelligence work Revolutionary Russia: Intelligence gathering during political upheaval and the collapse of governments Genre Innovation: The creation of realistic espionage fiction based on actual experience Psychological Costs: The personal toll of living with secrets and divided loyalties Cultural Influence: How real intelligence work shaped popular perceptions of espionage Art from Experience: The transformation of personal trauma and moral complexity into enduring literature

Historical Context

Maugham's intelligence career unfolded during World War One, when European powers desperately needed information about enemy intentions and neutral nation sympathies. Switzerland became a crucial intelligence hub where representatives from all belligerent nations operated. The Russian Revolution of 1917 created particular urgency for British intelligence, as Russia's potential withdrawal from the war would allow Germany to concentrate all forces on the Western Front. Maugham's mission to Russia represented one of the last attempts to keep Russia in the war through intelligence operations and propaganda.

Extensive Bibliography

Primary Sources

Maugham, W. Somerset. The Summing Up. London: Heinemann, 1938.
Maugham, W. Somerset. Ashenden: Or the British Agent. London: Heinemann, 1928.
Maugham, W. Somerset. A Writer's Notebook. London: Heinemann, 1949.
British Foreign Office Files on Switzerland, 1916-1917. The National Archives, Kew.
Secret Intelligence Service Records, 1916-1918. The National Archives, Kew.
Maugham's correspondence with British intelligence officials, Imperial War Museums.

Academic Sources

Hastings, Selina. The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham. London: John Murray, 2009.
Morgan, Ted. Maugham: A Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1980.
Curtis, Anthony. The Pattern of Maugham: A Critical Portrait. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1974.
Rogal, Samuel J. A Somerset Maugham Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.
Loss, Archie K. W. Somerset Maugham. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1987.
Archer, Stanley. W. Somerset Maugham: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1993.

Intelligence and Military History

Andrew, Christopher. The Secret Service: The Making of the British Intelligence Community. London: Heinemann, 1985.
Judd, Alan. The Quest for C: Sir Mansfield Cumming and the Founding of the Secret Service. London: HarperCollins, 1999.
Occleshaw, Michael. Armour Against Fate: British Military Intelligence in the First World War. London: Columbus Books, 1989.
French, David. The Strategy of the Lloyd George Coalition, 1916-1918. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Figes, Orlando. A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution 1891-1924. London: Jonathan Cape, 1996.

Literary and Cultural Context

Cawelti, John G., and Bruce A. Rosenberg. The Spy Story. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Denning, Michael. Cover Stories: Narrative and Ideology in the British Spy Thriller. London: Routledge, 1987.
Bold, Alan, ed. The Quest for le Carré. London: Vision Press, 1988.
Stafford, David. The Silent Game: The Real World of Imaginary Spies. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1991.
Seed, David. The Fictional Labyrinths of Thomas Pynchon. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1988.

Specialized Studies

Calder, Robert. Willie: The Life of W. Somerset Maugham. London: Heinemann, 1989.
Meyers, Jeffrey. Somerset Maugham: A Life. New York: Knopf, 2004.
Fisher, John. The World of Somerset Maugham. London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1976.
Whitehead, John. Maugham: A Reappraisal. London: Vision Press, 1987.
Holden, Philip. Orienting Masculinity, Orienting Nation. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1996.

Archives and Digital Resources

The Somerset Maugham Collection - Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin Maugham Papers - Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries British Intelligence Files - The National Archives, Kew Imperial War Museums Collections - London The Maugham Society Archives - Online digital collections Project Gutenberg - Free access to Maugham's public domain works HathiTrust Digital Library - Academic access to rare Maugham materials The British Library Manuscripts Collection - Maugham correspondence and papers

Study Questions

How did Maugham's medical training and literary background prepare him for intelligence work, and what advantages did these skills provide in gathering human intelligence?
What does Maugham's transformation of his espionage experiences into the "Ashenden" stories reveal about the relationship between personal trauma and artistic creation?
How did Maugham's portrayal of espionage in "Ashenden" differ from earlier spy fiction, and why was it considered revolutionary for the genre?
What role did Switzerland play as a neutral intelligence hub during World War One, and how did this environment shape Maugham's understanding of international espionage?
How did Maugham's mission to revolutionary Russia demonstrate both the possibilities and limitations of intelligence operations during political upheaval?
What influence did Maugham's intelligence background have on his broader literary output, particularly his exploration of moral ambiguity and human psychology?
How did the British government's concern about "Ashenden" revealing actual intelligence methods reflect the tension between artistic expression and national security?
What does Maugham's career reveal about the psychological costs of maintaining dual public and secret identities over extended periods?

Technical Context

Maugham's intelligence work occurred during a crucial transition period in espionage methodology. World War One marked the beginning of systematic intelligence operations by major powers, moving beyond the ad hoc spy networks of earlier eras. His work in Switzerland demonstrated the importance of neutral territories as intelligence collection points, while his Russian mission showed how rapidly changing political situations could render intelligence operations obsolete. His literary treatment of these experiences helped establish many of the conventions and concerns that would define espionage fiction throughout the 20th century.

Timeline

1874 - Born in Paris to British parents 1892-1897 - Medical studies at St. Thomas' Hospital, London 1897 - First novel published, begins literary career 1915 - Of Human Bondage published, establishing literary reputation 1916 - Recruited by British Secret Intelligence Service 1916-1917 - Intelligence work in Switzerland as Agent "Somerville" 1917 - Mission to revolutionary Russia to assess political situation 1917 - Evacuation from Russia due to illness and Bolshevik takeover 1918 - Propaganda work in United States 1928 - Ashenden: Or the British Agent published 1965 - Death in France, having witnessed transformation of both literature and espionage

The episodes provide multiple levels of engagement—from accessible introductory materials to specialized academic sources—allowing listeners to explore both Maugham's remarkable dual career and the broader intersection of literature and intelligence work that continues to influence our understanding of espionage today.

Mentioned in this episode:

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