The text under interpretation is “The Happy Man” by William Somerset Maugham

First some information about the author. W. S. Maugham was a well-known English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was the son of a British diplomat. He was educated at King's school in Canterbury, studied painting in Paris, went to Heidelberg University in Germany and studied to be a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital in England. So, he put his hand in different activities and that's why he is a versatile and experienced person. S. Maugham was critical of the morals, the narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy of bourgeois society. Such novels as â€Å"Of Human Bondage†, â€Å"The Moon and Sixpence†, â€Å"The Theatre† and others came under his pen. He was also the master of the short story. Among them are: â€Å"Colonel's Lady†, â€Å"Friend in Need†, â€Å"Lion's Skin†, etc. S. Maugham was among the most popular writers of his era, and reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s. I like this author. S. Maugham's style of writing is clear and precise. He doesn't impose his views on the reader. He puts a question and leaves it to the reader to answer. 1 also like his reveling the weak sides and vices of human nature skillfully. Well, this text is about a successful man, who had a good job, a family, a nice flat in London, but he wasn't satisfied with his life and made up his mind to give up everything for uncertainty. But, why is this man unhappy? He seems to have everything to be happy. But he doesn't consider himself happy. He is unpleased with his life. And the question arises: What is happiness then? I believe that each person has his own values in life. Everyone has his own ideas about happiness. And this text is dedicated to the man who is trying to find his happiness. 1 liked this text. It made me think about the values in life and about what happiness is. So, the main problem of this text is that everyone is an architect of his own fortune. f'he main characters of this text are: the narrator and doctor Stephens. The structure is a bit unusual because of a philosophical digression which makes the reader think about the attitude to life, relations with people and values in hfe. The general slant of the text is matter-of-fact. f rom the very beginning of the text we learn about the author's reflections