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Inspired by the life of well-known artist, Paul Gauguin, The Moon and Sixpence is W. Somerset Maugham's ode to the powerful forces behind the mentality of a genius. Summary of the Book The Moon and Sixpence follows the life of Charles Strickland, a conventional, well-off stockbroker. He is also a man with an unquenchable desire to create art. He abandons his wife and children for Paris and Tahiti to live a destitute but contented life as a painter. Strickland pursues artistic vision and craves for the driving force and inspiration. In this mad quest he continues to make sacrifices that leaves the lives of those closest to him in tatters and has severe implications. About William Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. After losing both his parents at a very early age, he was raised by his paternal uncle. He served with the Red Cross during the First World War, before being recruited in 1916 into the British Secret Intelligence Service. Maugham has written extensively and some of his most famous works include Liza of Lambeth, The Making of a Saint, Orientations, Creatures of Circumstance and Then and Now, among others.