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Forster, E M

Forster’s reputation as one of Britain’s most respected and loved novelists stems from his fiercely moral attitudes towards the issues facing British society in the first half of the twentieth century.

While Forster found a great deal to like about his native country, he was, from a young age, dissatisfied with what he felt to be the closeted and narrow-minded nature of many of his fellow countrymen. This inspired his decision, taken while at university in Cambridge, to travel as extensively as possible and find out about other cultures. He felt particularly at home in Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Italy, whose relaxed rhythms of life he preferred to the strict and rigid culture of Edwardian England. Forster’s first novel, Where Angels Fear to Tread, centres on this conflict between the norms of northern and southern Europe, featuring a relationship between a young British woman and an Italian man which is frowned upon by the woman’s family and friends.

Howard’s End, Forster’s first major work, was published five years later. Shifting his focus to England, Forster wrote a book about three families, the upper-class Wilcoxes, the working-class Basts and the intellectual Schlegels. Forster set out to illustrate the vast chasm that existed between the rich and the poor in Edwardian England, and put forward the idea that civilised British society could only survive by pulling together instead of drifting apart. This is exemplified by his now-famous epigraph for the novel, ‘Only connect’, which serves as a summary not just of the novel’s message but also of Forster’s artistic output as a whole.

Forster also exhibited his keen sense of morality by refusing to fight during the First World War. Instead, he chose to serve as an aid worker with the International Red Cross in Egypt, a place he had visited on his travels as a young man. This dislike of conflict was also apparent when Forster made two separate trips to India and found himself horrified by... [Read More]
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1879

Born in Marylebone, London

Forster was born on 1st January 1879 into a family of Anglo-Irish and Welsh descent. His father, Edward Morgan Llewelyn Forster, was an architect.
1880

Father died

Forster's father, Edward, died of tuberculosis, leaving Forster to be brought up by his mother and aunts.
1883

Family moved to Rooksnest

Alice, Forster's mother, moved the family to Rooksnest House in Hertfordshire. Forster was to spend many happy years of his childhood here.
1887

Inherited a fortune

After the death of a great-aunt, Forster inherited the modern-day equivalent of £800,000, a sum which would, in time, support his life as a writer.
1897–1901

Attended the University of Cambridge

Forster spent four years at King's College, Cambridge, during which time he also travelled around Europe and developed an appreciation of Mediterranean culture.
1905

Published his first novel

Where Angels Fear to Tread, Forster's first novel, was published when he was just 26 and is based on his travels in Italy.
1910

Published Howard’s End

One of Forster's most famous works, Howard's End explores class inequality in Edwardian England.

Read a review of Howard's End

1913

Travelled the world

Forster made a journey to Egypt and visited India for the first time.
1915–1917

Served in the First World War

As a conscientious objector, Forster was not enlisted to fight but instead served with the International Red Cross in northern Africa.

Find out more about Forster's time with the Red Cross

1921

Visited India for the second time

Forster's return visit to India coincided with his starting what would become his most celebrated work, A Passage to India.
1924

Published A Passage to India

The novel won the prestigious James Tait Black Prize and attracted wide acclaim. It represents a scathing critique of Britain's colonial domination of the Indian subcontinent.
1945

Mother died

Forster's mother, Alice, died aged 90.
1946

Awarded honorary fellowship

Forster was made an honorary fellow of King's College, Cambridge.
1947

Declined a knighthood

He was awarded a knighthood, but respectfully declined it.
1969

Was admitted into the Order of Merit

In light of his services to literature and the arts, Forster was made a member of the Order of Merit on his ninetieth birthday.
1970

Died

Forster died of a stroke at his home in Warwickshire on 7th June 1970, aged 91.
1971

Maurice posthumously published

As the novel explores homosexual love as well as Forster's own homosexual orientation, Forster did not want Maurice published during his lifetime as he was never openly gay.

Read more about Forster's homosexuality