The Magician

The Magician is a novel by British author W. Somerset Maugham, originally published in 1908. In this tale, the magician Oliver Haddo, a caricature of Aleister Crowley, attempts to create life. It is one of Somerset's most complex and perceptive novels. All throughput it is the theme of evil, deftly woven into a story as memorable for its action as for its astonishingly vivid set of characters. Set in the bohemian cafe society of Paris at the turn of the nineteenth century, Maugham's exploration of hypnotism and the occult was inspired by the sinister black magician Aleister Crowley. At the start of this compulsive gothic horror story, Arthur and his beautiful, innocent fiancee Margaret look forward to an idyllic life together, until they encounter the mesmerizing and repulsive Oliver Haddo. William Somerset Maugham was also renowned for works such as Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, The Painted Veil, Cakes and Ale, and The Razor's Edge.