Mr. Know-All

by W. Somerset Maugham

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Audiobook, Read For School, British Literature, 20th Century

28 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1924

About the author

William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style.

His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.

Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.

During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.

At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.

Reviews

[Greta G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Splendid little story about an annoying, obtrusive man.

You can read it online here.

[Stephy Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lit reading podcast did a great job of letting me know about this amazing short story.
There are times when I harbour hatred towards a person without even knowing who or what he is.
The narrator of this story is someone like me. He dislikes Mr Kelada just because his name is Kelada. With any outgoing character and incline to prove others wrong, Kelada gave enough reasons for others to hate him.
Through this interesting, short, and engaging story W.S. Maugham points out how prejudices clouds our judgement.

[AB · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good story and really short!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising short story, interesting characters. Wonderful read. It's my first story by this writer, i would be interested to read more.

To be found here: http://drnissani.net/mnissani/world/Mr Know-All.htm

[(L)eigh]

This was like assigned reading but adding it anyway because I’m in a slump ❤️ it was great honestly I’ll fight any bitch in my English class who slanders this story

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I marvel at a short story that is a complete story. How is it that in so few words I fully understand these characters?

This is delightful. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o1-izGf...

[Aby · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية قصيرة ذات حكمة عميقة رغم بساطتها.

رجل ثقيل الظل، ثرثار، متطفل، لا تستطيع التحرر من إلتصاقه بك، أتفق الجميع على كراهيته... هذا الرجل يهتم جدا بمظهره الاجتماعي، كثير الجدال و المراء، لدرجة أنه يجبرك على الاستسلام و أنت محق فقط كي تنهي ذلك الجدال العقيم اللانهائي معه... رغم كل هذا، حين وجد نفسه في موقف اختيار بين كبريائه و مصير شخص اخر، ماذا اختار؟ ماذا تعتقد سيكون اختياره؟ هل تعتقد أنه سيتبع شخصيته و طباعه التي لن يلومه أحد على إتباعها؟ أم أنه سيظهر مبادئ سامية تجبره على ابتلاع كرامته؟ مبادئ قد لا تظهرها أنت بذاتك إن وجدت نفسك في موقف مماثل؟

الحكمة: وقت الشدة يظهر المعدن الحقيقي للإنسان، فكم من ظاهرٍ ملائكي أُسْدِل على جوهر شيطاني آثِم، و كم من ظاهرٍ منفر -كما في حالة صاحبنا- أخفى بين ثناياه جوهر ثمين نادر الوجود.

سومرست موم... أتذكر يوم إتخذتك من أول الكتّاب المفضلين لدي، و مازلت تتصدر القائمة أيها الكاتب المبدع.

6 يونيو 2025

[ნინო კერესელიძე · Rating 4 out of 5]

კელადა და პუარო შესანიშნავი მეგობრები იქნებოდნენ.

[Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prejudice . Never a good place to start an acquaintance.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Know- All by Somerset Maugham - another look at the same story is at https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/04/...

10 out of 10

Somerset Maugham is one of two writers that I admire most, the other is Marcel Proust https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/04/... who gave readers the sublime A La Recherche Du Temps Perdu, the best chef d’ oeuvre that I know of, and placed at number one by luminaries

Mr. Colada or Kelada – for some reason, I also attribute Ma to him – is the one who Knows All, and he is to stay in the same cabin with the narrator, on the voyage between San Francisco and Yokohama, and the story teller is not happy about it – it could be some hint of racism, maybe outright discrimination, but we shall see
Mr. Know All has drinks with him, in spite of the prohibition on board, and asks the narrator what would he like, Martini, or Whisky, and he indicates the pockets in which he has the alcoholic drinks – he says that all passengers should know, because he has ilimited resources, and he will prove rather boisterous and somewhat difficult

That is to begin with, for he could be the one to prove The Thin Slicing Theory, The Harding Effect wrong in this instance – they are both detailed in the psychology classic Blink, The Power of Thinking Without Thinking https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/05/... by Malcolm Gladwell...
Mr. Colada says that he has looked at the tables, and he has chosen seats for both cabin mates, at the same table, which prompts the narrator to say (or write) ‘I did not like Mr. Colada’, and he says it twice, repetition meant to make readers understand the intensity of the feeling, and be surprised later, when things change

Let us put in a spoiler alert, to be safe and roam on alien pastures, ramble, put in the ending – after all, this is part of Far Eastern Tales https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/10/... - it is short, and exhilarating, but I cannot write just about the first page, or I could, but then the note has finished
Passengers are somewhat annoyed by the exuberance – let us say again that it surely had something to do with the fact that this character had a different skin color, and though he insisted that he is a British citizen, the narrator is maybe bemused, skeptic anyway, and wants to keep the distance, until he will see the truth

In fact, we could see this short story as anti-racist, proving how the prejudiced – I would put in here members of the cult of Orange Jesus and the like – are dead wrong, because when you have a large enough group of humans, you will get the good, the bad, the ugly, monstrous, no matter where they are from

At the table, one couple is important for the plot, Mrs. Ramsay is a beautiful lady, who has joined her husband, after the two had been apart for one year, and she has a string of pearls at her neck, just as Mr. Know All talks about the trade, saying that this is his expertise, he travels between Yokohama and America…
There are culture pearls now, presumably, fake ones, artificial, but he can tell the difference, always, for instance, he tells Mrs. Ramsay that she can be assured that her string will never lose value, it is one of the best he had seen, and it must be fifteen thousand dollars from a retailer, or double that in New York, in a shop…

Her husband is amused, arrogant, mocking, showing contempt for the all-knowing expert, and says that he is wrong, his wife had bought these pearls for thirty dollars, and the two are going to bet on it next, one hundred dollars, only Mrs. Ramsay protests, saying the spouse could not possibly gamble on a sure thing…
Oh, yes, he will, if somebody is so anxious to give him the money, and then they give Mr. Colada the artificial pearls, he looks at them, has a big smile, looks so sure of himself, we see that it is clear for him, only just as he is about to show off, he looks at Mrs. Ramsay, who is terrified, her face is anxiety and anxiety and…

Mr. Know All admits to being mistaken, he takes out one hundred dollars and gives it to the triumphant husband, and then all the passengers refer to the incident, tease the expert, make jokes, and the self-assured British citizen has to take all this heat, mockery, and Contempt https://realini.blogspot.com/2017/02/...
However, after the dust settles, one night – maybe the same evening, but it is not as if this is terribly important – an envelope is pushed under the door, and it is addressed to Mr. Colada, who takes it, opens it, and inside there is no paper, letter, or anything, but a bill of one hundred dollars, which is the key to the secret

Perhaps you have guessed it – that is, if you are still here, which would be inexplicable on two counts, the spoiler alert, and then the other factors, this is not relevant, exquisite – the money came from Mrs. Ramsay, and Mr. Know All says ‘if I had a wife like that, I would not leave her alone, in New York, for one year’
Well, words to that effect, but I would say that it was also the character of the husband, it was good that he did not have the shadow of a doubt, thought that the pearls were just thirty dollars, artificial, but then, on the other hand, he was so damn wrong, for they were real, extremely expensive, and the wife had been cheating on him, if that is the word…

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”

[Anatoly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this story with a great pleasure and told it in my family checking in which point of this intriguing story the ending became clear. The plot of the story "Mr. Know-All" by William Somerset Maugham is how the narrator had to share the cabin on the ship with Mr. Kelada, who was described as a very annoying person, and what happened next.

For the purpose of keeping intrigue, I'm not going to tell the plot. This analysis is dedicated to the themes which Maugham used.

Prejudice:
The narrator said in the beginning of the story "I was prepared to dislike Max Kelada even before I knew him." Let's compare this with one of the final phrases of the story "At that moment I did not entirely dislike Mr. Kelada". What happened it the story is a riddle (I encourage readers of my blog to read the story).

Jealousy:
What the narrator thought about belongings of Mr. Kelada:
"He had unpacked his toilet things, and I observed that he was a patron of the excellent Monsieur Coty" probably it is a very expensive perfume.
About his knowledge and abilities:
"He ran everything. He managed the sweeps, conducted the auctions, collected money for prizes at the sports, got up quoit and golf matches, organized the concert and arranged the fancy-dress ball. He was everywhere and always. He was certainly the best hated man in the ship. We called him Mr. Know-All, even to his face."
Snobbery:
It is a cliche for British to look down upon others. This is a quote from the narrator:
“He spoke with a fluency in which there was nothing English and his gestures were exuberant. I felt pretty sure that a closer inspection of that British passport would have betrayed the fact that Mr. Kelada was born under a bluer sky than is generally seen in England."
But all negative emotions was covered by the action which Mr. Kelada did. Welcome for reading.
I would recommend you to watch an old movie based on this work. The link to youtube is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfO-6...

[Polina Ponomareva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I have read a short story «Mr. Know-All» written by Somerset Maugham who was the master of the short, concise novel. So, this story is no exception and I’m going to write a few words about it to convince you that it is worth reading.
At first glance, the plot of the story isn’t very complicated. A rich British merchant of Oriental origin, called Mr. Kelada, meets a group of Westerners on a ship sailing across the Pacific Ocean. His cabin-mate is a nameless narrator that is a collective image of a typical Englishman has some prejudices about Mr. Kelada. He really dislikes Mr. Kelada’s luggage, appearance and even name. Mr. Kelada seems to be extremely communicative, and sometimes even annoying, so nobody appreciates him very much. «He was certainly the best hated man in the ship». One day he bets with Mr. Ramsey about the authenticity of pearls in the chain of Mrs. Ramsey. Mr. Kelada is absolutely sure of his rightness but he sacrifices his own pride and reputation to save an American lady’s marriage. Due to this fact, he deserves the respect of the narrator.
This story teaches us that appearances are deceptive. Mr. Kelada was described as a hearty, jovial, loquacious and argumentative person. Passengers called him Mr. Know-All, even to his face, and this is a serious insult. Although, in an inconvenient situation he shows himself as a sympathetic and understanding person who was not afraid to tarnish his reputation for the sake of preserving the reputation of another person.
The story is told in the first person, but during the narrative his role in the story is changing. At the beginning of the story he is rather active and involved, but at the end his role is very small. He just describes what he sees. What is more, there is no description of the narrator, even his name is not mentioned. This is because the narrator is a typical and unremarkable Englishman, in the place of which everyone can appear. Moreover, the whole ship is an allusion to the real world; it is the collective image of our society. The writer brilliantly uses this metaphor to identify the shortcomings of people’s nature.
The moral of this story is rather simple and understandable. Real pearls and cultured pearls look very similar. But only a closer inspection can reveal what is real and what is imitation. The same goes for people. We all may be guilty of judging people by stereotypes rather than examining the true character of people and getting to know them as individuals. So, it is better not to don't judge a book by its cover.
To sum it all, I would like to say that this story makes you think. It reflects the realities of our world, and you can recognize yourself in the characters of this story. I would recommend it to everyone because it is worth reading and discussing.

[Orange · Rating 1 out of 5]

The review of the short story “Mr.Know-All” by W.S.Maugham
In this review I am going to talk about is one of the best novels I have ever read. The story is written by a well-known writer of the twentieth century William Somerset Maugham.
“Mr Know-All” is a narrative written in the first person. A very important part of reading a story like this is trying to understand the narrator’s position in relation to the story being told as quickly as is possible. In «Mr Know-All», the whole meaning will be lost if the reader fails to see the narrator’s prejudice about Mr Kelada’s ethnic origins from the very first paragraph of the story.
The story takes place on a passenger ship sailing from San Francisco to Yokohama, shorty after the end of the First World War. The importance of the ship is that it is a closed environment. On land the narrator could have easily avoided Mr Kelada. On a ship, this would be impossible.
The major theme of the story is prejudice. From the very first paragraph, the narrator expresses his negative feelings about the man with whom he must share a cabin on the ship. Later, we learn that he dislikes Mr Kelada’s name, his belongings, his appearance, his manners and even his pride in being British
Mr Kelada and Mr Ramsay have a heated argument about cultured pearls. At last something that Ramsay said stung him ,for he thumped the table and shouted.
Mr Kelada examined Mrs Ramsay’s pearls and declared that they were not real. She was staring at him with wide and terrified eyes. They held a desperate appeal; it was so clear that I wondered why her husband did not see it.Mr Kelada stopped with his mouth open. He flushed deeply. We could almost see the effort he was making over himself. “I was mistaken,” he said. Other passengers make fun of Mr Kelada.When the truth came out the narrator changed his opinion of Mr Kelada.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I like such stories.Yeah, it is not a big detective or breathtaking novel but in the stories of such kind depict other’s people experience of life,their mistakes,their ups and downs and we can learn from their mistakes.I think,it is a good opportunity to avoid the same problems,situations and just enjoy the life.On the whole the book is good. It is worth reading.
By Sokolyan Valeria

[Vladlena Bubnova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to write a few words about a short-story I have recently read. It is «Mr. Know All» by William Somerset Maugham. The plot of the story us rather simple but I personally think that this work has a deeper meaning. I would like to show you why I think so.
This story is about Mr. Kelada who travels on the ship in the same cabin with the narrator. The narrator dislikes him before they have a chance to meet each other. Mr. Kelada is a good mixer; he gets to know everyone on board. He is self-assured and persistent. Everybody is annoyed with him, but he doesn’t even notice. And one day he bets Mr. Ramsay, who is on the ship with his wife. Mr. Ramsay was in the American Consular Service and was stationed at Kobe; he hadn’t seen his wife for a year. This bet is about pearls and Mr. Kelada is an expert in them, but he lets Mr. Ramsay win and makes a fool of himself. You will figure out, why he does it, when you read the story yourself.
As for the characters of the work, they seem like mediocre people. They have their own flaws and prejudice. I don't particularly like any of them, but I respect Mr. Kelada's deed. It is obvious, that narrator likes Mrs. Ramsay at first, so it is true to say that appearances are deceptive.
In conclusion, I want to say that this story is certainly worth reading. It is written in clear and simple language, but it isn’t boring. It is quite small and seems ordinary from the first sight. But as for me, I could not stop thinking about what Mr. Kelada did for Mrs. Ramsay, whether it was right or not. I suppose it will be good for you to dwell upon it as well.

[Cynthia Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

The unnamed narrator, travelling on an ocean liner from San Francisco to Yokohama, is unhappy aout the fact that the co-passenger who will be sharing his berth on the 14-day voyage is not a Mr Smith or a Mr Brown but a certain Max Kelada. The narrator, unabashedly snobbish, is surprised to note that Mr Kelada is British.

Soon his dislike of Mr Kelada becomes even more pronounced when he learns that Mr Kelada has an opinion on virtually everything and that he is the type that won't rest until he has persuaded everyone else to come around to his point of view. Mr Kelada is called Mr Know-all behind his back.

And yet something happens that makes the narrator see the unbearable Mr Kelada in a new light. Something that involves a bet of $100 and a necklace of pearls. By the end of it, even the narrator begins to see Mr Know-all in a different light. He says, "At that moment, I did not entirely dislike Mr Kelada."

The unnamed narrator is more than a little snobbish. He has fixed views, many of which we recognise today as racist, and which, even in those times, the author gives us the impression that he does not condone.

A very short short story, but extremely worth your while. I hope I can persuade you to read it. On my part, I can't believe I've spent so many decades not reading Maugham's books.

[Vaishali · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, what a wonderful story… beautifully done.
Second, exactly how many pearl necklace takes has Maugham written? :) (I’ve counted 3 )

Anywho, my on-again, off-again romance with Somerset Maugham continues with this superbly crafted short. Well-structured highs and lows, and his signature 3rd party narrator is a character unto itself. It’s quite good fun when all the characters involved are of a rather dubious nature, and Maugham’s brutal honesty never lets them off the hook. Heart-warming ending too.

[Vaishnavi Jayakumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a Mr. Know-All from the perspective of the narrator.
The story begins as the narrator starts a journey in a ship and finds out who his partner for the next 14 days is gonna be, a Mr. Know-All. It carries on to an argument between Mr. Know-All and another man about a particular thing, where they both disagree eachothers views🖋
A nice story with valuable morals💓
The writing is really thick & highly packed. Loved it. Kinda had to re-read certain parts🌺

[Versha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favourite short story by one of my favourite author. The beauty of the story is the 'changing perspective' of the narrator about the main protagonist "Mr. Kelada". This short story shows, how in general people (including me) are so judgemental about each other without even knowing the other person inside out and that has been conveyed by Maugham really well.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖍️ Straight and to the point, this tightly-written short story subtly packs a walloping message of unfounded prejudice – it is a noteworthy statement on personalities.

📙Originally published in ?

◻️Read it here on-line @ DRNISSANI.NET
＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apart of a 3-book run of excellent extremely short but ironic stories in Maughams collected short stories volume 1.

Amazing how Maugham in so short of a plottwist manages to turn an annoying little fellow into a very respectabele gentleman.

4.5/5

[Cydney ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a moral lesson!
At first I saw almost nothing but the jealousy of the narrator. It was not until the end of the story that the lesson is revealed. I encourage everyone to read this.

[aleksandra ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, i got to say. I have to read 5 short stories and analize them for my final at college and this one kind of left me meeeeh. I don't know how i really feel. It was enjoyable but not my cup of tea

[Sameer Mishra]

T

[Kim Ánh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silence is gold.

[Yifei Qin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, ironic and interesting

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting story! I fell in love with Mr. Kelada personality from the first pages. It's incredible. There should be more stories like this which can make you think of your actions.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever, very funny, very short.

Sometimes you need a brief opportunity to laugh. This is one of those short stories. It can be found, free, on the internet.

[Sanjay Chandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful story. We form pre-conceived ideas about persons even before we have met them and known them, only to realise how wrong we were about them.

[Eithan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the dry wit with which Maugham describes how our hero dislikes Mr. Know-All in all it's details, splendid story with a very nice touch in the end

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rare story of an annoying man managing his ego