Photo: 1929 Bassano/Camera Press / TT
Sample of authors
Maugham, W. Somerset
William Somerset Maugham was a British author born in Paris. His father was a lawyer at the British Embassy there. When Maugham was eight years old, his mother died of tuberculosis, two years later his father died of cancer and the boy was sent to live with his uncle, the Vicar of Whitstable in Kent. Maugham suffered from a serious stammer, he was shy and avoided speaking in public; unlike his...
Literary figures
Burke
Gender: Male
He is a violent and tough ‘private’ crime-fighter (without a licence) in New York. Like his creator, lawyer Andrew Vachss, he combats sex criminals, predominantly paedophiles, Burke – his first name is never mentioned – has himself had a tragic childhood during which he was sexually abused, and has also been in prison. He surrounds himself with an odd ‘family’ consisting of other former prison inm...