■Li Qian

Hermann Hesse once said, "No book in the world can bring you good luck, but they can make you quietly who you are." "People often choose their favorite books to read, and read them for some purpose, either because of work, or because of life, or because of spiritual pleasure. If we want to understand a person's thoughts, we can refer to his book list, and reading "Maugham's Book List" is a good way to understand Maugham's thoughts.

Flipping through "Maugham's Book List", the first half is Maugham's insights and summaries on reading, life and philosophy. "I think it's best to make a reading plan based on your preferences, and I don't recommend that you have to finish one book before reading another." Maugham believed that reading should be a pleasure, and insisted on reading a boring book for some purpose, no matter how much scholars praised the book, if you were not interested in it at all, you could ignore it.

In the second half of the book, Maugham introduces some of the lists of books that he thinks he had to read. He profoundly interpreted 45 literary giants and 0 classics, and introduced many representative works of European and American literary writers that we are familiar with, such as Dickens's "David Copperfield", Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", Balzac's "The Tall Old Man", Herman Melville's "Moby Dick", Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", etc. Maugham, who has a humorous personality, uses witty language to describe the life anecdotes of various literary masters, even including the author's appearance and love history, which are included by him, satisfying the reader's curiosity about the private lives of literary giants, thus enhancing the readability of the book. As Maugham said, "What kind of people write what kind of books." ”

Most of the author's life experience can be reflected in his literary works. Leo Tolstoy was opposed by his wife and children because he sympathized with the peasant class and squandered his money for charity. From the aristocratic to the commoner, the desire to pursue a quiet life, the critique of reality, and the deep insight into the complexity of human nature are all portrayed in the various characters of War and Peace...... It is these interesting stories that make the literary giants seem alive and add a lot of fun to reading. Of course, when recommending the book list, the humorous Maugham reminds readers that these book lists are limited to "personal opinions", telling readers to follow their heart's reading needs.

Maugham also mentions the question of philosophy in the book, and he advises everyone to build their own philosophical system. Whenever Maugham began to write a novel, he read Voltaire's "The Candid Man" again. Regarding the influence and value of philosophy on the individual, Maugham said: "When you are at a loss in the dark and mysterious world, with unanswered questions in your mind, then philosophy will make you accept your own ignorance." It will teach you to retreat and give you the courage to move forward. ”

Maugham's book list is rich and varied, and as a novelist, he reads an astonishing amount of books, and his comments are profound, timeless, and personal. These lists are the inspiration and source of his creation, and the torch of literary thought. Create your own book list of what you want to be. The book list is not only a reflection of personal interests and hobbies, but also a blueprint for self-shaping and growth.