The Gentleman in the Parlour

A Record of a Journey from Rangoon to Haiphong

By: W. Somerset Maugham

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Somerset Maugham set out on an extraordinary trip in September of 1922. He would remain abroad for nine months and end up traveling by canoe, riverboat, rickshaw and mule from Rangoon to Mandalay in Upper Burma, down through Thailand to Bangkok, then to Phnom Penh and across the jungle by river to Angkor Wat. From there he went down river to Saigon, then by ship to Hue and Haiphong. He ends the audiobook with an anecdotal story of his fellow passengers while on shipboard to Haiphong.

It is a beautifully crafted travelogue by one of the century's most sophisticated and arresting personalities. From stranded Europeans to staid local inhabitants, Maugham's gaze takes in a myriad of details which he would later end up using in his short stories and novels. Come along on a journey to Southeast Asia as it was between the wars…and as it would never be again.

©1930 1922 W. Somerset Maugham Royalty Trust (P)2013 Audio Connoisseur

Critic reviews

"Maugham wrote the book, he tells us, for his own diversion, and that diversion the listener shares, feeling as if he had himself made the journey...and with an exceptionally interesting, exceptionally agreeable companion." ( The New York Times)

Unexpectedly Insightful Work

It appears that the author was aware that this was not to be an anthropological or fictional masterpiece. He acknowledges that it was written solely out of obligation and for continuing income. It doesn't surprise me that some listeners would find this tedious or unappealing. However, as someone who has spent most of his life as an expatriate in different Asian countries, I have to confess that Maugham provides great insight in ways and places that were unexpected to me, especially considering that it was written a full century ago.

Some of the book focuses on his processing of impressions gathered from what was really a challenging journey, for which he is to be commended (especially the trek through Burma). Even more valuable is his telling of the various "lost" Western souls he encounters. Their stories, while not necessarily revealing a great deal about the traditions of Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, nonetheless speak volumes about the nature of the lives of the wandering foreigners, their self-perceived need to escape the lands of their upbringing, their proclivities (of many) toward prolonged isolation in the countries of their adoption, and the nature of their interaction with local populaces. These nuances might fly over the heads of some disinterested listeners, but keener listeners can gain valuable and rare insights into a sampling of themes. I enjoyed it.

Excellent introduction to Maugham’s Travel books

This is simply the best “adventure travel” book that I’ve read in quite a long time. The narrator was particularly good. So good, in fact, that I’ll be shopping for more books that he has narrated. Maugham relates his journey throughout the Asian world with stops in a host of countries including several spots in Malaysia, China, VietNam, Cambodia, Singapore and others. Also, interspersed in the book are three short stories that are related to him by the denizens of these places. Wonderful book!

the crummy music

the text is excellent and the reader excellent also. what is terrible is the fact that they have desecrated the reading with crummy music at the beginning of many of the chapters. it reminds me of the desecrations which some government employees wanted for the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright.