What novel by W. Somerset Maugham is a fictional reconstruction of the life of Paul Gauguin?

W. Somerset Maugham's masterpiece novel The Moon and Sixpence is about the life of Paul Gauguin. It is one of two novels by Maugham that is based on historical people. The other novel is titled Cakes and Ale which contains unflattering characterizations of the authors Thomas Hardy and Hugh Walpole.

Specifically, in The Moon and Sixpence, it is a story told in episodic form by a first person narrator, in a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character Charles Strickland. Strickland is a middle aged English stockbroker, who abandons his wife and children abruptly to pursue his desire to become an artist.

Thus, this novel is a fictional reconstruction in part based on actual events in the life of French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin.