Oriental and Occidental World in the Short Stories of Somerset Maugham

Somerset Maugham was a globe trotter who loved seeing different parts of the world, different people and their culture. He visited different countries, both occidental and oriental, in search of raw material as his most of the stories grew from his travels and fascinated with the South Sea Islands. On all his travels to distant lands, he was not only a pleasure seeker who enjoyed comfort and luxury and who felt free from obligations, what he actually looking for were ‘the characters’ of his stories. He says, “what excited me was to meet one person after another who was new to me”. (The Summing Up 193).