The Monday Book Club kicked off 2006 with a discussion of Hermann Hesse’s novel “Siddhartha” on Jan. 27.

The larger-than-average group began with a discussion of how Hesse’s novel parallels the legend and teachings of Gautama Buddha. The topic quickly turned to the central theme of the book, the search for enlightenment, and the group kept returning to a debate on the definition of the term.

The Book Club will continue its survey of “Real Lives in Fiction” with a discussion of “The Moon and Sixpence” by Somerset Maugham at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 at Taylor Books.

Maugham

Maugham’s 1919 novel is based on the life of French painter Paul Gauguin. Like Gauguin, Maugham’s main character, Charles Strickland, abandons his family and career to concentrate on his art. Maugham, who visited the home in Tahiti where Gauguin spent many of his later years, also sends his protagonist to the island to concentrate on his craft.

Discussion leader Carol Campbell plans to have some background information on Gauguin to share with the group and discuss the various ways Maugham’s book corresponds to Gauguin’s life and career. Campbell is also interested in exploring the way Gauguin/Strickland pursued art at the cost of living a normal life.

Genius is also an important theme in Maugham’s novel, and Campbell predicts this will be an interesting topic for discussion in light of the focus on enlightenment at the last Book Talk.

(Note: If you can't find a copy of this book, it may be read online or downloaded for free at Project Gutenberg.)

For March, the Book Club will be reading West Virginia native Denise Giardina’s 1999 novel “Saints and Villains,” a fictionalized account of the life of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and executed in a Nazi concentration camp for protesting Hitler’s regime and helping Jews escape persecution.

Unfortunately, Giardina will not be able to attend the discussion of her book, but she has agreed to an interview. If you’ve read the novel and plan to attend the meeting and have a question for Giardina, send it to rdavis@wvgazette.com or 1001 Virginia St. E., Charleston, WV 25301 by Feb. 17.

To contact Regina C. Davis, use e-mail or call 348-7936.