《月亮和六便士》是英国著名作家、"故事圣手"毛姆最重要的长篇小说代表作之一。小说中的英国画家是以法国后期印象派大师保罗·高更为原型塑造的人物形象，主人公原本是位成功的证券经纪人，人届中年后却迷恋上绘画，像"被魔鬼附了体"，突然弃家出走，到巴黎去追求绘画的理想，并最终选择弃绝文明世界，远遁到南太平洋与世隔绝的塔希提岛，在那里终于找到灵魂的宁静和适合自己艺术气质的氛围，创作出一幅又一幅令后世震惊的艺术杰作。通过这样一个一心追求艺术、不通人情世故的怪才的人生际遇，毛姆深入探讨了艺术的产生与本质、个性与天才的关系以及艺术家与社会、艺术与生活之间的矛盾和相互作用等等引人深思的问题。(The Moon and Sixpence is one of the most important master works of full-length novels of British famous writer, "story divine physician" Maugham. The British artist in the novel was the figure formed in the shape of French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin, the main character was a successful securities broker, but was be stuck on painting in his middle age, like "possessed by devil", suddenly abandoned his family and went away to Paris to pursue the ideal of painting and finally chose to reject the civilized world, went far to the isolated Tahiti in south pacific ocean and finally found the peace of soul and atmosphere suitable for his artistic temperament there, he created many masterpieces shocked by later generations. Though the life of such a maverick genius who pursued art and didn't understand the way of the world, Maugham discussed the thoughtful questions deeply such as produce and essence of the art, relation between personality and talent, contradiction and interaction between artist and society, contradiction and interaction between art and life, etc.)