 US first edition | |
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Winifred E. Lefferts |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Short story collection |
| Publisher | William Heinemann, UK George H. Doran Company, New York |
Publication date | 1926 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 288 pages (US first edition) |
The Casuarina Tree is a collection of short stories by W. Somerset Maugham, set in the Federated Malay States during the 1920s. It was first published by the UK publishing house Heinemann on September 2, 1926. The first American edition was published on September 17, 1926 by George H. Doran. It was re-published by Collins in London under the title The Letter: Stories of Crime.[1] The book was published in French translation as Le Sortilège Malais (1928) and in Spanish as Extremo Oriente (1945).[2]
The stories are loosely based on Maugham's experiences traveling with his companion Gerald Haxton in the region for six months in 1921 and four months in 1925.[3] He published a second set of short stories based on these travels, Ah King, in 1933.
Maugham was considered persona non grata among the expatriate British community in the Federated Malay States following the publication of The Casuarina Tree, as he was felt to have betrayed confidences and to have painted the community in an unflattering light through his focus on scandal.[4]
- ^ Rogal, Samuel (1997). A William Somerset Maugham Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 18.
- ^ Stott, Raymond Toole Stott (1950). Maughamiana. London: Heinemann. p. 15. ISBN 0-313-29916-1.
- ^ Morgan, Ted. Somerset Maugham. London: Jonathan Cape. p. 253. ISBN 0224018132.
- ^ Morgan, Ted. Somerset Maugham. London: Jonathan Cape. p. 251-2. ISBN 0224018132.