Brief Lives: E. M. Forster

A century after his novels first came out, E.M. Forster remains one of the most widely read and best-loved authors of the twentieth century. He made his name with novels such as 'A Room with a View' and 'Howards End', which, with their detailed analyses of English snobbery and racism, established him as an uncompromising critic of hypocrisy. Forced to conceal his sexuality from his readership, Forster also wrote, but never published, a novel of gay love, 'Maurice'. With characteristic flair, Richard Canning juxtaposes Forster's public persona as a member of the English literary establishment with the joys and torments of his private life.