The characters in the fiction and drama of W. Somerset Maugham accurately reflect English society from the end of the Victorian age through the early years of World War II. Maugham based his characters on real people whom he observed and analyzed, and his characters transcend the themes and settings of his fictional worlds. This volume lists and descibes each and every character mentioned in Maugham's fiction and drama, including living, dead, human, animal, imaginary, historical, named, and unnamed inhabitants of his works.

Through his voluminous writings, W. Somerset Maugham recreated the age in which he lived. The characters in his fiction and drama accurately reflect English society from the end of the Victorian era through the early years of World War II. There exists little doubt that the strength of Maugham's works stems from his rich characterizations. When he peopled his imaginary worlds, he based his characters on real persons whom he observed and analyzed, both from a respectable distance and a not always respectable intimacy; then he recast them upon the page and the stage.

This reference sets down in alphabetical order each character included in Maugham's stories, novels, and plays. Included are imaginary, historical, human, animal, named, unnamed, living, and dead characters from all of his works. Each entry indicates the work in which the character appears and provides a description of the character in relation to the work as a whole. As far as possible, the descriptions capture the substance and tone of Maugham's own words. An introductory essay discusses the importance of Maugham's characters to his literary art, while a bibliography lists editions consulted and secondary sources of additional information.