by Aashisha Chakraborty | Jul 29, 2025 | Essays
Trying to uncover how Maugham wove himself into his fiction, be it through The Razor’s Edge, Of Human Bondage or The Moon and Sixpence “The writer is more concerned to know than to judge.” — W. Somerset Maugham The primary reason I admire Somerset Maugham is because I...
by Aashisha Chakraborty | Jul 22, 2025 | Reviews
So many years have passed since I read The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham and yet his words seem more relevant today than ever. “He had a feeling that he was on the threshold of a discovery which he must make for himself.” – W. Somerset Maugham, The Razor’s...
by Aashisha Chakraborty | Jun 24, 2025 | Essays
A response to Jonathan Bennett’s back (book?) pain Jonathan, I’m glad you’re moving house, truly. Because I know what it means to move house. And city. And country. Trust me, it’s not a logistical decision, it’s an existential calling. While you’ve built what you call...
by Aashisha Chakraborty | May 27, 2025 | Essays
Call them creatorpreneurs. Call it the new Renaissance. Either way, the frame has changed but the hustle hasn’t. In 1482, Leonardo da Vinci sent the Duke of Milan a letter. It was 11 bullet points long and boasted of his ability to build bridges, design weapons,...
by Aashisha Chakraborty | May 6, 2025 | Essays
In 1729, Jonathan Swift wrote what might be history’s most horrifying dinner suggestion. He wasn’t hungry, just tired of moral hypocrisy. I discovered Jonathan Swift in school through his masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels. I was fascinated with the places Gulliver...