E. M. Forster

'His great book ... masterly in its prescience and its lucidity' ANITA DESAI A compelling portrait of a society in the grip of imperialism, A Passage to India depicts the fate of individuals caught in the great political and cultural conflicts of their age. It begins when Adela and her elderly companion Mrs Moore arrive in the Indian town of Chandrapore, and feel trapped by its insular and prejudiced British community. Determined to explore the 'real India', they seek the guidance of the charming and mercurial Dr Aziz. But a mysterious incident occurs while they are exploring the Marabar caves, and the well-respected doctor soon finds himself at the centre of a scandal. Edited by OLIVER STALLYBRASS with an Introduction by PANKAJ MISHRA

The Penguin English Library Edition of Howards End by E. M. Forster'The poor cannot always reach those whom they want to love, and they can hardly ever escape from those whom they love no longer. We rich can''Only connect.' is the idea at the heart of this book, a heartbreaking and provocative tale of three families at the beginning of the twentieth century: the rich Wilcoxes, the gentle, idealistic Schlegels and the lower-middle class Basts. As the Schlegel sisters try desperately to help the Basts and educate the close-minded Wilcoxes, the families are drawn together in love, lies and death. Frequently cited as E. M. Forster's finest work, Howards End brilliantly explores class warfare, conflict and the English character.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.

'My first intimation of the possibilities of fiction' Zadie SmithMore than a love story, A Room with a View is a penetrating social comedy and a brilliant study of contrasts - in values, social class, and cultural perspectives - and the ingenuity of fate. Its heroine, Lucy Honeychurch, visits Italy with her prim cousin Charlotte as a chaperone, where she meets the unconventional, lower class Mr. Emerson and his son, George. Upon her return to England, Lucy becomes engaged to the supercilious Cecil Vyse, but finds herself increasingly torn between the expectations of the world in which she moves and the passionate yearnings of her heart.With an Introduction by Malcolm Bradbury

A stunning new edition of Forster's classic queer novel, with a new introduction by Colm Tóibín, bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island'A monument to a moment when change seemed possible'COLM TÓIBÍN'It shows the quality of a novelist at the height of his powers'SUNDAY TIMES'His heart leapt alive and shook him to pieces. It cried "You love and are loved."'Maurice Hall grows up in comfort and privilege near London, in a villa surrounded by pines, where all is convenience and ease. He progresses through a traditional English education, projecting an outer confidence that masks troubling questions about his unspoken desires.At Cambridge University, Maurice meets Clive, an assured older student, with whom he enjoys a close and intense relationship. Sneaking around college, climbing through windows and skipping lectures, Maurice begins to grasp a less conventional view of the nature of love. And then, on a trip to Clive's family estate, he meets Alec, the gamekeeper, and his emotional and sexual awakening reaches its height, opening up the possibility of a life that strays from the path he was raised to follow. But can Maurice overcome societal pressures, self-doubt and heartbreak to find happiness?Forster completed Maurice in 1914 but felt that it could not be published in his lifetime. It was not until 1971, the year after Forster's death, that the novel was finally published.

This illustrated young adult edition of a bold novel is one of defiance and bravery. As beautifully crafted as it is heartwrenching, this love story transcends time and generations.People were all around them, but with eyes that had gone intensely blue he whispered, 'I love you.'From curious schoolboy to studious scholar, Maurice Hall grows with all the confidence his privileged status allows. The path to success is measured and assured, as long as he follows the rules dictated by society. But things quickly change as he finds himself increasingly attracted to his own sex. First through Clive, a fellow student he meets at Cambridge, and then through Alec, the gamekeeper on Clive's country estate, Maurice experiences a profound emotional and sexual awakening, one which his contemporaries cannot condone. Maurice is widely considered a founding work of modern gay literature. Although completed in 1914, this groundbreaking novel could not be published in Forster's lifetime. Fittingly, it acts as a piercing critique of the suffocating ideals that permeated British society at the time. Forster himself said: 'I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense, Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood.'

Set in the elegant Edwardian world of Cambridge undergraduate life, this story by a master novelist introduces us to Maurice Hall when he is fourteen. We follow him through public school and Cambridge, and on into his father's firm, Hill and Hall, Stock Brokers. In a highly structured society, Maurice is a conventional young man in almost every way, "stepping into the niche that England had prepared for him": except that his is homosexual. Written during 1913 and 1914, immediately after Howards End, and not published until 1971, Maurice was ahead of its time in its theme and in its affirmation that love between men can be happy. "Happiness," Forster wrote, "is its keynote. In Maurice I tried to create a character who was completely unlike myself or what I supposed myself to be: someone handsome, healthy, bodily attractive, mentally torpid, not a bad businessman and rather a snob. Into this mixture I dropped an ingredient that puzzles him, wakes him up, torments him and finally saves him."

First time in Black Classics for Forster's autobiographical novel of homosexual love. Maurice Hall is a young man who grows up confident in his privileged status and well aware of his role in society. Modest and generally conformist, he nevertheless finds himself increasingly attracted to his own sex. Through Clive, whom he encounters at Cambridge, and through Alec, the gamekeeper on Clive's country estate, Maurice gradually experiences a profound emotional and sexual awakening. A tale of passion, bravery and defiance, this intensely personal novel was completed in 1914 but remained unpublished until after Forster's death in 1970. Compellingly honest and beautifully written, it offers a powerful condemnation of the repressive attitudes of British society, and is at once a moving love story and an intimate tale of one man's erotic and political self-discovery.

A Passage to India is about how friendship may be difficult or even impossible when there are racial tensions and prejudices in peoples from different cultures and countries. It was included in its "All Time 100 Novels" list by Time magazine and thanks to this and other works by Forster addressing class and cultural conflicts, the author was nominated 16 times to the Noble Prize.

Dramatisations and readings of EM Forsterâ??s finest works, plus Stephen Wakelamâ??s radio play A Dose of Fame and the documentary feature Forster in India: Sex, Books and Empire One of the greatest English novelists of the 20th century, EM Forster was also an accomplished short story writer.

"No, Mother, Lilia was really keen on going to Italy " said Philip, finding the situation full of whimsical romance. There was something half attractive, half repellent in the thought of this vulgar woman journeying to places he loved and revered. But why should she not be transfigured by her journeys? The same had happened to the Goths When a man or woman is "neither well-bred, nor well-connected, nor handsome, nor clever, nor rich," what chance does he or she have for success, in turn-of-the-century England -- at least in that portion of London society almost ridiculously proper and well-behaved? The Philistines, the vulgar, the ones talented in making absurd impressions when in public . . . could they do well for themselves? Horrid thought

First major theatrical adaptation of EM Forster's classic novel for a contemporary audience Before deciding whether to marry Chandrapore's local magistrate, Adela Quested wants to discover the "real India" for herself. Newly arrived from England, she agrees to see the Marabar Caves with the charming Dr Aziz.Through this one harmless event Forster exposes the absurdity, hysteria and depth of cultural ignorance that existed in British India in the twenties. E.M. Forster's classic novel is here adapted in this highly theatrical, humorous and faithful version for the stage by the author of BENT, Martin Sherman.Published to tie in with a major new production of A PASSAGE TO INDIA produced by Shared Experience Theatre company.

Miss Lucy Honeychurch is on a tour of Italy with her cousin and chaperone Miss Charlotte Bartlett when she encounters the young George Emerson, on a similar tour with his father. George finds himself drawn to the pretty, spirited Lucy, while Lucy is intrigued by George's rejection of "proper" behavior. Despite her attraction to George, Lucy later becomes engaged to Cecil Vyse, a London 'sophisticate' whose upper class status makes him an excellent match; but when she discovers that George Emerson and his father have rented a villa close to her family home, Lucy must choose between convention and genuine emotion. A comedy of manners, A Room with a View is the perfect blend of gentle satire and a predictable, sweet love story—perfect for fans of Jane Austen and Oscar Wilde.

A stunning new edition celebrating 100 years since first publication, with a new introduction by Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction'There's no writer better than Forster at portraying the genuine feelings that are born from the interaction between one human being and another'KAMILA SHAMSIE'Forster's last and greatest novel'DAMON GALGUT, GUARDIAN'His great book . . . masterly in its prescience and its lucidity'ANITA DESAI'The first time I saw you, you were wanting to see India, not Indians, and it occurred to me: Ah, that won't take us far.'The Indian town of Chandrapore seems to change dramatically season by season, day by day, offering different impressions from each angle it is viewed. Vulnerable to flooding, but blessed by glorious sun, it is surrounded by vast, flat expanses, except for hills to the south that house the extraordinary Marabar Caves.When Mrs Moore and her younger travelling companion Adela arrive in town, they are frustrated and disappointed that all they can find is the claustrophobia of British colonial culture. Then a chance meeting with the charming and well-respected Dr Aziz seems to present the perfect opportunity to fulfil their desire to see the 'real India'. But during a guided tour of the Marabar Caves, a strange incident occurs, resulting in a shocking accusation that throws Chandrapore into a fever of racial tension and the doctor straight into the heart of a scandal from which he might never recover.

Both a love song to Italy and a criticism of class and patriarchy in England at the time, this young adult illustrated edition is an exquisite, tumultuous romance.'One doesn't come to Italy for niceness,' was the retort; 'one comes for life. Buon giorno! Buon giorno!'Lucy's rigid, middle-class life is meticulously mapped out for her. Boredom and monotony await, along with a perfectly respectable marriage to her perfectly respectable fiancé, Cecil Vyse. But an indulgent holiday to Florence changes the course of her life forever. Through scenic picnics and jovial dinners, Lucy learns that her life need not be reduced to polite conversation, nor does she need to adhere to the restrictive expectations dictated by outdated notions of propriety. For the first time, Lucy and her painfully conventional cousin Charlotte, are introduced to an eclectic cast of characters. The esteemed novelist Eleanor Lavish is flamboyant and hopelessly romantic. The charming Mr Emerson sees right through the folly of British society and makes sure those around him do too. And then there is his son, George, a handsome man who is poetically passionate and in love with Lucy. Lucy has a difficult decision to make. Will she walk down the chosen path or carve her own way by following her heart?