W.S.Maugham "In a Strange Land"

William Somerset Maugham (25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. His partially autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage (1915) is generally acknowledged as his masterpiece and is one of the best realistic English novels on the early 20^th century. Among his best works are The Moon and Sixpence (1919), The Painted Veil (1925), Cakes and Ale (1930) and Cataline: A Romance (1948).

The direct meaning of the story seems to me very simple and it means location or sojourn in non-native places where you do not feel your home. The indirect meaning of the story comprises the life stories of people, especially women here, who left their native country to strange places where they would never become a part of.

I found several themes in the story. The first and the most important is a life far from your country, culture which influence people anyway. Then I can mention the theme of misunderstanding and disapproval to a young English lady from her parents (Signora Niccolini’s parents disagree with her choice). As a result of it, marriage to a foreigner is the next theme (She married to an Italian man and, moreover, moved to Turkey).

The main character was an unusual-aimed traveler who made it not to see imposing neither monuments, nor beautiful scenery but to see men. And one woman impressed him greatly when he travelled and lived in Asia Minor. The woman was a house-keeper and the interest was in her nationality, she was an Englishwoman. Signora Niccolini met her future husband in England where he worked and sometimes later in spite of her parents’ disapproval they got married and moved to Turkey. There the couple bought a hotel and after many years she still lived there but without the husband. Signor Niccolini had died and his wife adopted his sons. Her lifestory seemed odd for the traveler who pointed it up from other stories.

The main idea of the story shows us that your culture and your nationality cannot be greatly modified by other country. The heroine is a bright example of it. Signora Niccolini had lived in Turkey for many years however everything showed her English origin (from her cockney accent to her manner which she got in the service of the Lord).

I would like to describe Signora Niccolini; she was an Englishwoman, living in Turkey for many years. She met her Italian husband in England where he worked and then they left London to Turkey. She was a little stout woman, not without dignity, and she wore a black apron trimmed with lace a small black cap. She looked exactly like a house-keeper in a great English house. Signora Niccolini spoke Turkish with ease but it was most incorrectly and with a cockney accent.

As for my impression, I like the story. For me it was interesting to read about Signora Niccolini’s lifestory because nowadays there are a lot of examples when people left their home-countries and started their lives there from the beginning. The heroine decided to get married in spite of her parents’ disapproval and moved to Turkey, the country had no similarity with England. Nevertheless, she did her best to make the life good with the help of the hotel. I think that she is an example of a strong woman who could continue to live there and worked after her husband’s death and even adopted his children.