W. Somerset Maugham 
Far Eastern Tales 

Far Eastern Tales is a collection of short stories born of Maugham »s experiences in Malaya, Singapore and other outposts of the former British Empire. Whether portraying a ship-borne flight from a lover »s curse, murder in the jungle, or a marriage shattered by a past indiscretion, they all reveal Maugham at his best – sometimes caustic, sometimes gently comic, but always the shrewd and human judge of character and soul.