Cakes and Ale

First published in 1930, Cakes and Ale, or The Skeleton in the Cupboard is one of W. Somerset Maugham’s most subtle and accomplished novels: a brilliant exploration of art, morality, and the quiet hypocrisies of respectable society. Told through the reflective voice of a successful writer, the novel revisits the life and reputation of Edward Driffield, once a scandalous author who, after his death, is carefully reshaped into a national icon. At the center of this transformation stands Rosie Driffield, his first wife—a free spirit, sensual and utterly indifferent to social conventions—whose true nature threatens the refined image others wish to preserve. With irony, compassion, and extraordinary psychological insight, Maugham contrasts genuine creativity with social ambition, honesty with pretense, and lived experience with moral posturing.

W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) was a major twentieth-century British novelist, playwright, and short-story writer. Renowned for his clear, elegant prose and sharp psychological insight, he explored themes of art, morality, and human nature in works such as Of Human Bondage, The Moon and Sixpence, and Cakes and Ale. His books remain timeless classics of English literature.