From http://confessionsofanenglishliteratu...The last time this blog looked at a book from W. Somerset Maugham, it turned this reader into a veritable superfan of the author, determined to one day complete his bibliography. That book was the sublime The Moon and Sixpence, and, by complete coincidence, the next Maugham book I somewhat randomly chose happened to be technically a spin-off. As the author explains himself in his short introduction, the genesis for The Narrow Corner came from his nagging compulsion to fully explore an anecdote told to the prior novel's narrator by a grizzled old sea dog named Captain Nichols; about an incident some years earlier where he'd been hired to sail a murder suspect away from Sydney and around the south Oceanic seas. The idea refused to budge from his mind, and so thirteen years later came the publication of The Narrow Corner- part adventure, part thriller, all of it a compelling character study on the weaknesses of man.The structure of the novel is actually a fairly straightforward series of set-pieces, that by themselves contain a simple plot typically more reminiscent of a novella, or perhaps stage performance. The meat of the novel comes from Maugham's explorations of the themes and moral dilemmas provoked by the characters' experiences, portrayed through either long, thoughtful conversations between the protagonists or through Maugham's omniscient depiction of the thoughts of one character in particular. As the novel begins, Captain Nichols is indeed guiding a suspicious young Australian man through the South Seas, the irritable Fred Blake, who claims to be searching the area for a suitable location to invest in real estate.On the (I believe fictional) island of Takana they encounter the enigmatic Englishman Dr. Saunders, who, against Blake's wishes, convinces the Captain to give him passage off the island, a place he has grown tired of. Saunders completes a trinity of opposing yet reflective personalities that Maugham uses to debate varying philosophies on life, resulting in the aforementioned long conversations spiked with introspective musings. Though the book is written with third person narration, Saunders seems to be very much Maugham's own persona inserted into the equation, and it is his thoughts that are directly explored in the prose, somewhat shaping the reader's impression of Captain Nichols and Fred Blake. Saunders tells little of his past, but seems to be a well-traveled unjudging sage of sorts, with a strong moral compass of his own but also compassion for the tribulations of those perceived as bad. He matches up very well with Nichols, who is himself a definite rogue; a pirate or a smuggler depending on the possibility of profit, but with a sense of good humour and self-justification strong enough to make him an amiable, likable rapscallion- or so it seems.Fred Blake is the odd man out. Aggressive and insecure, he clashes with Nichols constantly, though Saunders as the middleman is able to discern that he's really a scared young man on the run. After the trio sail away from the island, and after Maugham has spent plenty of time establishing their personalities and creating a sense of foreboding, they find themselves stuck on a remote exotic island, where they meet the few Europeans settled there, including the spiritually and morally pure Dutchman Erik, and his beautiful fiance Louise. Erik stands as a shining example of a man who has achieved a form of nirvana, at peace with the world and himself, he exists as a marked contrast to his three cynical visitors.The irresistible figure of Louise is more or less an alternative example of Chekhov's gun, in that her very existence is like a flagpole to the reader that events are about to head south. When they do, Blake also confesses the truth of his situation and how it began, and the direct parallels between his past and present bring further insight into the novel's primary themes regarding the nature of man's morality when put in pressing circumstances. There's a final revelation saved for the very end that I can't spoil but which prospectively turns the readers' final perspective regarding Maugham's themes on its head, depending on one's prior opinion of Captain Nichols.I found the novel to be a quick, compelling read, albeit inferior in aura to other Maugham novels I'd read previously; lacking a magnetic personality like Charles Strickland in Moon and Sixpence or Oliver Haddo in The Magician. It's a much tighter story with a more cohesive resolution than those books, and in the fortnight since I finished it I've found the character motivations and decisions have stuck with me, cropping up in my thoughts with a deeper resonance than first thought. There is no true hero in the novel. Erik holds noble values, he crumbles when faced with the harsh realities of the wider world. Dr. Saunders is too morally ambiguous, though he understands the truth of events more than any other character. Captain Nichols is the most interesting of all, a lovable rogue whose good nature disguises an extremely malleable moral compass. The Narrow Corner is another exemplary novel from Maugham. Short, structured, and easy to read, but with a deeper meaning permeating every detail. He continues to be one of the most rewarding writers of those that I'm following.
Сюжетът е съвсем елементарен – трима напълно непознати и съвсем различни мъже предприемат кратко пътуване заедно из островите между Австралия и Азия. Срещат се случайно и после се разделят – всеки да продължи живота си както намери за добре. Но въпреки това характерите им са много добре представени, мотивите им са перфектно описани и анализирани. Това може би изглежда досадно, ако Моъм проповядваше някакъв негов морал, ако делеше нещата на „черно” и „бяло” и настояваше, че това деление е единственото възможно. Но той използва описанието и анализа си, за да покаже сложната човешката природа, липсата на "черно" и "бяло” там, където става дума за човешки отношения. Не взема страната на никой от засегнатите, разказва съвсем безпристрастно, макар и през погледа на доктор Сондърз. В момента, в който реших, че Луиз е „лошата”, Моъм обърна гледната точка и й даде възможност да се обясни. Макар че тя няма нужда от оправдание за действията си – постъпила е така, както й диктува нейната природа. До колко това е морално – остава на нейната съвест да прецени.Краят на Ерик беше предвидим – подобни неща често се случат с хора, които не виждат действителността, а обитават собствените си въображаеми светове. Нараняват ги или с цел, или съвсем случайно. По-мъчно ми стана за Фред, който остана да се справя с последиците, да живее със себе си и със съзнанието какво е причинил. Но и той не понесе товара на мислите си, макар че авторът оставя отворена историята за неговия край. Капитан Никълз също е интересен образ – твори пакости и злини не с някаква цел или с мисъл за облаги. Би било добре всяко зло в света да си има обяснение, но май не е така и Никълз е идеалният пример за това.И накрая доктор Сондърз. Харесвам неговото отношение към живота, макар че Моъм май не споделя моето мнение. На места се промъква лека критика, но веднага след това пак се връща към неутралния описателен тон.
What do You think about The Narrow Corner (1993)?
There's something in Maugham and his writing. In spite of all these years since I first read him, Maugham is one of those rare authors with that power of narration one seldom comes across. In a 'Narrow Corner', we have a doctor, a crooked captain of a steamer and a enigmatic Australian on the run from some dark kept secret travelling together on a steamer in the Pacific. Their eventual halt at a plantation in one of the Dutch islands and the resulting tragedy that arises out of the indiscretion of the Aussie forms the plot. While the story is nothing to gush about, Maugham's razor sharp insights into the human life is what kept my attention.
—Manish
PAROLA DEL MESE: ACQUAE così colgo l'occasione per leggere finalmente qeusto libro.Maugham è come sempre ineguagliabile. Come riesce a farti entrare nelle persone, nei momenti e nei luoghi nessuno ne è capace. Anche in questo libro la sua bravura si conferma. Purtroppo però la trama personalmente l'ho trovata noiosia fino a metà più o meno del libro, per questo le tre stelle. L'ho addirittutra spospeo per alcuni giorni.Questo dottore che gira per le isole incontrando persone e filosofeggiando..mi ha un pò spiazzato. Non capivo dove volesse arrivare.. ma dopo è un crescendo di emozioni. Quando finisco un suo libro mi lascia sempre in subbuglio. Vi scrivo con il cuore in pezzi e frastornata, Sto cercando di fare ordine. Non riesco a fare uan recensione come si deve. Struggente e vero. Bisogna leggerlo per capire.Peccato che la prima mi abbia annoiato. Continuava a girarci intorno, ma quando c'è arrivato mi ha trafitto il cuore solo come lui sa fare.
—Yukino
What a curious, unassuming little tale. I'd not heard of it before, and having now read it, I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. It's a meandering tale that you've never quite sure where it's going to take you. I did like the ending as well; although ultimately it didn't really have very many positive things to say about love and marriage!Set in the islands of the Pacific - all over the place, Malay islands, Singapore, Indonesia.... Dr Saunders, a British ex pat, is persuaded to leave his home on one of the islands to go and attend to a Chinese businessman. Whilst stuck on another little island, waiting for a passage home, he meets the slightly dodgy Captain Nichols, and young Australian man Fred, who are randomly sailing around the islands for no obvious reason they're willing to share. Captain Nichols suffers with some kind of indigestion, and pursuades Fred to give Dr Saunders a lift, so he can get some medical attention on the way. There's a lot about their sailing, and then they get to the island of Kanda, where they meet Danish Erik and a Scandinavian/British family of plantation owners, and things get a bit complicated, but in a kind of natural, non-sensationalist kind of way.
—Ape
