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Portrait image of W. Somerset Maugham 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...

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Literary figures

David Small

Gender: Male

He is a rabbi in a conservative Jewish congregation in Barnard’s Crossing, a Boston suburb. David Small, created by Harry Kemelman, is a short man with an ordinary appearance and who often wears creased clothes. He is married to Miriam and has two sons, Jonathan and Hepsibah. He is also an original amateur detective who bases his logical reasoning on the religious writings of the Talmud.

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