"It's a funny thing about life: If you refuse to accept anything but the very best you will very often get it."

W. Somerset Maugham W(illiam) Somerset Maugham - British novelist, playwright, short-story writer and highest paid author in the world in the 1930s was born in Paris in 1874. He was orphaned at 10 and sent to England to live with his uncle, the vicar of Whitstable. He studied at Canterbury and Heidelberg, qualifying as a surgeon at St Thomas's Hospital. His first novel was a minor success, and he turned to writing full-time. Disguised as a reporter, Maugham worked for British Intelligence in Russia during the Russian Revolution in 1917. He is best known for his short stories, particularly Rain.