The Painted Veil

Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, The Painted Veil is the story of the beautiful but love-starved Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small but effective society she fought so hard to attain in Hong Kong, she is compelled b...

Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, The Painted Veil is the story of the beautiful but love-starved Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small but effective society she fought so hard to attain in Hong Kong, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life and learn how to love.

The Painted Veil is a beautifully written affirmation of the human capacity to grow, to change, and to forgive.

W.S.毛姆（William Somerset Maugham），1874—1965，英国著名小说家，剧作家，散文家。曾先后就读于坎特伯雷的国王学校和德国海德堡大学，后到伦敦圣托马斯医院学医，并取得外科医师资格。

他的首部长篇小说《兰贝斯的丽莎》于1897年发表。1915年，他的杰作《人性的枷锁》问世，1919年《月亮与六便士》的出版确立了他作为长篇小说家的地位。他的其他著作有长篇小说《刀锋》、《面纱》，旅行札记《在中国屏风上》，及各种散文、短篇小说集等。1903—1933年期间，他创作了近30部剧本，深受观众欢迎。

毛姆被公认为20世纪在全世界范围内流行最广、最受欢迎的英国作家之一，被誉为“最会讲故事的作家”。他的小说机智、幽默，常在讥讽中潜藏对人性的怜悯与同情。1952年，牛津大学授予他名誉博士学位。1954年，英王授予他“荣誉侍从”的称号。