E. M. Forster Books

This book is a page-turner right from the beginning. I loved reading in this time period when men spoke to women like this (from page 23):

"See the two meadow flowers, the yellow and the violet? One is as different from the other as day from night. Yet who will say that one is more beautiful? Oh, a fool might. But only a fool... But do you know what may determine the desirability of one over the other?... The fragrance!"

Be still my heart! If you love that kind of subtle romance, you will love this book.

Anna shows such strength despite the overwhelming tragedies (one after the other) she faces in her young life. And even though she is a Countess, she is very down-to-earth and sensitive to those "under her" although it was a no-no for those of such high society. Her tenderness and innocense makes her so very likable.

The book goes back and forth between family life and what's politically going on in Poland during the late 1700s with the underlying romance throughout. You're always wondering about what will finally happen with Jan Stelnicki. At no point was this book boring!!!

I loved it.

I loved this book. There are so few novels on the market about Poland and Polish history (I don't know of any others!). This is indeed a rare find. The characters are well developed, the descriptions of locations and activities are wonderfully detailed and passionately written. The setting and content about the significant historical moments are woven in expertly. It really is a history lesson embedded in a very fast-moving and dramatic story. Yes, sometimes it may be a bit overly dramatic, but I really enjoy that rich, gossipy style. So cool that it is based on REAL journal entries. These characters come alive and will stay with you well after you are done reading. Great ending, too.

Looking forward to reading Chrimson Sky.

I found this historical fiction text to be absolutely enthralling! It has not only provided me with hours of enjoyable, page-turning reading, but has also given me great insight into my Polish ancestry and heritage. The strength, spirit, and heart of the Polish people--MY people--is wonderfully portrayed within the pages of this book. I'm so looking forward to receiving Mr. Martin's sequel, Against a Crimson Sky. I'm sure I'll not be disappointed!

I found the book very engaging. I loved the characters and can't wait to find out what happens next.

This is the best book I've read in a long time. Martin's vivid descriptions and the depth of his characters made this book an incredibly interesting and fulfilling read. I could not put it down. I love "Push Not the River."

This is yet another one of the books that was required for my Arts & Humanities class "The Horror Story"...I must say that I'm quite glad that I was introduced to this novel.

This book houses some of the greatest horror stories since the genre came into existence. I have a new appreciation for Edgar Allen Poe. Algernon Blackwood is an AMAZING writer, quite possibly my new favorite. There is even a story written by O. Henry!

This book could easily be considered a bible among those who are horror-genre fans. I can't say much else about this book other than IN MY OPINION it is worth the money you will spend on it and the time you will spend reading it.

They quickly notified me when they were shipping it and it showed up fast. The book arrived in excellent shape. I am very pleased with the level of service provided.

This book is, quite simply, the best collection of 19th and early-20th century short fiction of the dark variety in existence. First published in the 1940s, this single (albeit fat) volume is a goldmine of the roots of modern horror, a great way to see where today's horror heavyweights got their inspiration and influence.

Some authors whose stories appear within: Bierce, Blackwood, Dickens, Faulkner, Hawthorne, Hemingway, James (both Henry & M.R.), Kipling, Lovecraft, Machen, Poe, Wells, and many more, a good mixture of horror genre regulars and more conventional or 'literary' authors to whom dark fiction was a departure from the norm. If many of those above names are unfamiliar to you and you consider yourself a fan of dark fiction, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

[Sidenote: The book also contains two of my all-time favorite short stories from two slightly lesser-known authors: Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," and W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw." As far as I know, this is the only single volume that includes both. The latter story is, in my humble opinion, THE most perfect scary story of all time.]

Once again: Wagner & Wise's collection is the best thing of its kind.

If you're looking for a little fear on your pallet, this book will dish it out in buckets. The authors are old world craftsmen who wrote these stories on dark and stormy nights. As you read, the wind will howl, dead children will laugh, and the scurry of rats will make you look around your room. Drink a glass of wine, eat dark chocolate, and curl up to this one in bed. Dead men do write good tales.

There's little to add to what earlier commenters have written. But I do want to note that not only are the stories themselves awesome, but the collection as a whole serves as a broad and useful introduction to spooky stories. Many representative authors of the 'old school' are included, like Sheridan Le Fanu, M.R. James, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, Benson, and the much neglected Oliver Onions. Lovecraft is, of course, there, too. The editor couldn't have chosen better examples to inspire readers to seek out more of the represented authors' works.

Twenty Years A-Growing, or Fiche Bliain ag Fás in its original Irish, is a humorous and well written book about the sometimes hard life at the great western island, An Blascaod Mór, off the cost of Ireland. It tells about the everyday of the islanders in the beginning of the century in a surprisingly modern and lively way. The language of the Island was Irish, and although the Great Blasket is now abandoned, the Irish language still lives on in the mainland parishes in this area. I strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in Ireland, its culture, the Irish language or readerswho just want a fun and good book. I myself have only read the whole of it in its Irish original, but the passes I've read in English shows a well-done translation

I haven't yet read the book but I will submit a review when completed. However the book came highly recommended to me by many people. they found it a delightful memoir and as i just returend from the Dingle Peninsula, i wanted to read it myself.

Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan is one heck of a "coming of age" story. I'd never even heard of it until a friend of mine told me that he was reading it. I'm sure glad he did. This is a great book!

I've actually read several coming of age stories recently. I didn't plan to...it just kind of occurred that way. Some of them were really good (David Copperfield by Dickens being one of them); but none of them, Copperfield included, spoke to my heart like Twenty Years A-Growing.

Twenty Years A-Growing was translated into English from Gaelic. I personally find this astounding. They (whoever "they" might be) say a book always loses something in translation. Yet Twenty Years absolutely sings in English...the translation is so powerful that the original must truly be a thing of beauty.

It is an autobiographical tale of growing up in the Blasket Islands off the coast of Ireland around the time of the first world war. For me at least, it was a thing of wonder to be able to enter into this world which has since moved on. It is a story told in a wonderfully simple yet almost lyrically beautiful way. Each chapter is a story in itself. The story as a whole slowly ingrains itself upon your heart and mind.

I felt an affinity with Maurice and his friend Thomas. The adventures they find themselves in ring true even as they entertain the reader. Likewise, the character of the grandfather in particular now feels like an old friend to me now. I particularly appreciated some of the wisdom he espouses to Maurice.

I dare anyone to read this book and not be charmed by the lives of these wonderful people who lived almost a hundred years ago in a kind of societal setting that seems all at once foreign, yet somehow more sane than today's world of constant "time management" in pursuit of hollow "muchness" and "manyness."

It does not happen often that I do not to want a book to end. I usually approach the end of a book with satisfaction. Rarely am I left wanting more. Yet that was the case with Twenty Years A-Growing. It is a truly special book.

Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan is one heck of a "coming of age" story. I'd never even heard of it until a friend of mine told me that he was reading it. I'm sure glad he did. This is a great book!

I've actually read several coming of age stories recently. I didn't plan to...it just kind of occurred that way. Some of them were really good (David Copperfield by Dickens being one of them); but none of them, Copperfield included, spoke to my heart like Twenty Years A-Growing.

Twenty Years A-Growing was translated into English from Gaelic. I personally find this astounding. They (whoever "they" might be) say a book always loses something in translation. Yet Twenty Years absolutely sings in English...the translation is so powerful that the original must truly be a thing of beauty.

It is an autobiographical tale of growing up in the Blasket Islands off the coast of Ireland around the time of the first world war. For me at least, it was a thing of wonder to be able to enter into this world which has since moved on. It is a story told in a wonderfully simple yet almost lyrically beautiful way. Each chapter is a story in itself. The story as a whole slowly ingrains itself upon your heart and mind.

I felt an affinity with Maurice and his friend Thomas. The adventures they find themselves in ring true even as they entertain the reader. Likewise, the character of the grandfather in particular now feels like an old friend to me. I particularly appreciated some of the wisdom he espouses to Maurice.

I dare anyone to read this book and not be charmed by the lives of these wonderful people who lived almost a hundred years ago in a kind of societal setting that seems all at once foreign, yet somehow more sane than today's world of constant "time management" in pursuit of hollow "muchness" and "manyness."

It does not happen often that I do not to want a book to end. I usually approach the end of a book with satisfaction. Rarely am I left wanting more. Yet that was the case with Twenty Years A-Growing. It is a truly special book.

This is an extraordinary book, described by the well-know author E.M. Forster as "here is the egg of a seabird - lovely, perfect and laid this very morning".

The author, Muiris Ó Súilleabháin, is an Irish-speaking boy growing up on the Great Blasket Island (An Blascaod Mór). He describes his childhood in the twenties on this 100% Irish-speaking island in Co. Kerry. The population of the island never reached 200, and life there was very archaic - resembling the society in Europe thousands of years ago. Nowhere else in Europe did the shear joy of speaking and love of words live on as here, where thousands of pages of folklore has been collected as well. This love of the language is obvious in this vivid book, in which Muiris presents an affectionate, lively and interesting account of a way of life that no longer is.

Despite being published 70 years ago, the book still feels fresh and manages to blend fond memories and humour in an extraordinary way. This is definitely THE book to buy for anyone interested in the Irish way of life.

I'm only 100 pages into it but so far this book is amazing. I have fallen in love with the art of language. E.M. Forster has created a stunning, and though provoking tale. A classic to study and enjoy again and again.

Born in 1879 England, E.M. Forster attended King's College at Cambridge; thereafter his family fortune enabled him to live as please. He traveled extensively; dabbled in the celebrated Bloomsbury Group, which included the celebrated Virginia Woolf; and strove to conceal his homosexuality from the general public until his death in 1970. Although he was widely read during his lifetime, a series of films based on his novels prompted a major re-evaluation of his work during the 1980s and 1990s, and he is now considered among the finest English prose stylists of the early 20th Century.

Written in 1910, HOWARDS END is the fifth of six novels Forster wrote, and like most of his work it focuses on issues of social class. In this instance, the action of the novel centers on the house Howards End and the three families who swirl through it. The house itself is owned by Ruth Wilcox, the wife and mother of a highly conventional, conservative family. Upon her death, she wills the house not to her family, which she feels will not appreciate it, but to friend Margaret Schlegel. Ruth's husband destroys her will and conceals the legacy from Margaret--but in an ironic turn of events falls in love with and marries her.

The story itself revolves around Margaret Schlegel and her sister Helen. Half-German, well educated, and more independent in thought and manner than most Englishwomen of their era, the sisters also become friendly with bank clerk Leonard Bast. In their efforts to assist him, however, they become leading figures in a scandal that threatens the Wilcox family as a whole. Throughout the novel ownership of the house, and the lies and hypocrisy used to retain it, becomes a symbol of class struggle as those who have power and status (the Wilcoxes) seek to retain it and those who do not (the Basts) seek to obtain it.

Forster is indeed a great stylist, and although the novel is indeed famous for its themes and symbolism he never places them above story or characterization. He possesses both the gift of straight-forward narrative and delicate touch, and the result is a perfect balance, a pure pleasure to read from start to finish. Although HOWARDS END is not as widely read as A PASSAGE TO INDIA, it certainly deserves to be. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Still laughing at the negative voter

In this 1910 story of Edwardian England, Forster illustrates the conflicts between the superior attitudes of the aristocracy and a developing feeling of obligation toward the "lower" classes which World War I will soon bring into sharp relief. Margaret and Helen Schlegel are intellectual and sensitive to the arts, with compassionate hearts for those less fortunate.

When Margaret, at age twenty-nine, is affianced to Henry Wilcox, the much older, widowed husband of a friend, this conflict of attitudes is brought to the fore. Henry, insensitive and believing himself actually entitled to his family's privileges, is cold and reserved, though Margaret believes that "Henry must be forgiven and made better by love."

Helen, her sister, a 21-year-old with an enthusiasm for the life of the imagination, has no sympathy for Henry's failure to pay attention to the people "below him" who are dependent upon his whims. Eventually, a casual remark by Henry leads to the loss of a job for Leonard Bast, a penniless young clerk, but Henry refuses to accept any responsibility whatsoever and refuses his wife's entreaties to give the destitute Leonard a job.

Immensely sympathetic to the economic position of the poor and women, Forster illustrates their financial dependence on others. Margaret, who secures the reader's total sympathy, is charged with educating a close-minded dolt like Henry to be kinder and more empathetic towards the people he considers below him, but she achieves only limited success.

Filled with incisive observations and great wit, the novel follows the narrative pattern of a melodrama, but Forster's sensitivity to both sides--the practical and conservative values of Henry vs. the emotional and idealistic sides of Margaret and Helen--elevates the novel above the tawdry. Henry is a product of his time and his class, but though times are changing, he is too dense to realize it. The Wilcox home at Howard's End is a microcosm, and its conflicts are those of the nation at that time. Thoughtful and entertaining, Howard's End still draws in readers after almost a hundred years. Mary Whipple

"Howards End" commences with that famous, cryptic epigraph - "Only connect." Although this masterpiece delves into a multitude of themes, including class struggle and suffragism, the idea of "connecting" runs throughout brilliantly. Indeed, the characters in this novel display various levels of success in "connecting," both interpersonally and intrapersonally.

The novel primarily concerns the Schlegel sisters - sociable Helen and the more practical Margaret. The sisters live in comfort in London (circa 1900) along with their passive brother, Tibby. As members of the leisure class (they inherited money from their parents), the Schlegels spend much of their time mulling over "big issues." Margaret and Helen, for example, belong to a women's social club which discuss how to help the poor and other humanitarians themes. In other words, they're forward-thinkers but not much on action.

Their world views are challenged when they become entangled with two quite divergent families - the impoverished Basts and the nouveau riche Wilcoxes. The Schlegels initially are attracted to Leonard Bast, an imaginative clerk who seems worthy of far greater things than his lowly job hints. They debate about how best to help Leonard, but their assistance turns into meddling of the worst sort. In contrast, the sisters are rather repulsed by Henry Wilcox, the head of the family and a distant businessman who seemingly has no internal life. The sisters find their beliefs and loyalties to each other tested severely when they become involved with these families.

"Howards End" is among Forster's best work, along with "A Passage to India" and ahead of "A Room with a View" and "Where Angels Fear to Tread." The characters are largely what make this book such a treat, although "Howards End" is buoyed by an astonishingly intricate plot as well. The main mystery concerns who will ultimately inherit Howards End, the Wilcox's somewhat stodgy country home; however, the house is a thinly veiled substitute for Imperial England herself. Indeed, Forster seems to be imploring, "Who will inherit England?" Forster's denouement answers this question most subtly. As is likely to be true for many readers of this book, I viewed the extraordinary movie version of "Howards End" many years and numerous times before picking up this novel. The novel is, not surprisingly, even deeper and more thought-provoking than the movie. "Howards End" is first-rate, exhilarating literature.

In times when it seems all too easy to give away our rights in exchange for largely virtual safety, the voice of E. M. Forster sounds more loud and clear than ever before. In his essays written before and after the Second World War Forster discusses the dangers that we are facing today. Forster's solution may seem naive to our cynical age but only if we don't try to get to the bottom. This book is a lesson we still have not learned - always worth another look.

The poetic begining of the book was the best part. I especially liked the way Forrestor used the displays to describe human nature. Foresstor has tremendous insight into human nature; maybe only the pessimistic side. I thoughthe was long winded when he got into his own views. But then again that is my own opion.

I couldn't care less about the political essays -- but what he has to say about creativity and criticism is better than anything I've read in modern "how to write" books.

Skip the politics if you want (I did); if you want insight into art, specifically writing, buy this book and his ASPECTS OF THE NOVEL.

E.M. Forster is better known as a writer than as a great thinker.
This volume contains most of his nonfiction writings and thus introduces us to a different side of Forster. Some of the pieces, it is true, are on writing, but most relevant for today is probably his political thought.

Forster provides us with a window into the world of the nineteen thirties where democracy was perceived as a fragile and precious object in danger of being blown away by the forces of fascism and communism. Still, in "What I believe" and "Three Anti-Nazi broadcasts" Forster reaffirms his belief in this form of government.

Democracy is important, he argues, because it allows criticism. He argues that "parliament is often sneered at because it is a Talking Shop. I believe in it because it is a talking shop. I believe in the Private Member who makes himself a nuisance. He gets snubbed and is told that he is cranky or ill- informed, but he does expose abuses which would otherwise never have been mentioned".

Forster argues forcefully against hero worship and against the cult of "great men". Although rooted in a bygone era, much of his thinking retains some relevance today.

Thirty years after its first publication this biography of E. M. Forster still hasn't been surpassed and chances are fairly slim that it ever will be. Furbank was apparently the perfect biographer for E.M.F. - he handles his life with an appropriate balance of inquisitiveness and discretion just as the writer lived his life. This attitude maybe now seem close to timidity which it is not, it is us who have been spoiled by the last quarter of a century.
This book is a perfect addition to any E.M.F.'s scholar and fan library but it may be a perfect introduction for someone for whom the name does not ring a bell yet. This is simply a great biography of a great men of letters - and the two greats add to make a great read.

The must-have biography that almost every researcher of E.M. Forster uses among her/his basic material. Furbank was appointed by E.M. Forster himself as his biographer. The book contains photographs and it covers a lot of detail. Although the extensive detail sometimes gives an impression of digression it in fact enhances the 'scientific' value of the book, since it provides information about E.M. Forster for research from many angles (ranging from Bloomsbury Group to liberalism &c &c). Moreover, the detailed descriptions at times almost read like a novel (for instance the section on E.M. Forster's travels to Italy). Many letters are included - some by E.M. Forster, some to E.M. Forster, some about E.M. Forster - and make for an enchanting account. Very informative.

Without a doubt, Furbank's work is a great resource for any student of Forster. While working on my thesis , his book was always close at hand. Forster readers will appreciate the attention to detail that helps enliven any reading of one of Forster's novels.

"Maurice" by E.M. Forster is one of my favourite novels. It is so simply and beautifully written and tells a story that all readers will able to relate to in one way or another. A tragic reflection of Forster's own life of closeted homosexuality - the novel itself was written in 1914 when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain and remained unpublished until 1970 - the novel tells the story of Maurice Hall, a young man trying to come to terms with his homosexuality in traditional Edwardian England where his "sort" are arrested for such "crimes". However, when he meets Clive, a fellow student at Cambridge, he realises that he is not alone in his predicament after all. As the events of the story unfold, things become deely sad as Maurice suffers more and more because of a secret that he feels he cannot tell any of his family and friends. The heartwarming ending - which Forster must have hoped for himself as well - is ultimately uplifting and allows the reader to envisage what the future will be like for Maurice themselves.

Like Howards End and The Longest Journey, Maurice belongs to the Novels of England, works which mourned the country's vanishing landscape and celebrated its unique people. Although undoubtedly not one of Forster's greatest novels, Maurice nonethelesss exudes a brilliance of style in every sentence whilst a biting intelligence permeates throughout, far outshining most contemporary works. Written swiftly and without a hitch during one of Forster's most intensely creative periods, the novel affords crucial insight into a writer at the height of his powers.

Written in 1913-1914 E. M. Forster's MAURICE, at his direction, was not published until after his death in 1970 although in the "terminal note" at the end of the novel he says that he changed little of the story over the years. Unless you were a gay man living in 1971 and had been bombarded all your life with how awful homosexuality was, a crime, a sin and a mental illness, you cannot imagine the joy that reading this novel brought since the only person who dies in this novel is Maurice's grandfather. Of course Maurice is beset with self-loathing, fears, depression and loneliness as Edwardian society expected young men who went to Cambridge to marry and repopulate the earth. For instance, when Maurice attempts to discuss his inspeakable problem "of the Oscar Wilde sort," with a family friend Dr. Barry, the physician responded: "'Rubbish, rubbish!'" He further said that the worst thing he could do for Maurice was "discuss it." Maurice is able to rise above or work his way around this non-diagnosis, as well as a trip to a hypnotist to be cured, and have a life with another man.

Some critics say that MAURICE is significant only in a historical context. Let them tell that to the gay teenager who finds this novel in his high school library and reads the beautiful ending, much more possible now than when Forster wrote it. This novel has universal appeal in that Clive, Maurice's first love, takes the easy way out by marrying and having a respectable career (we all know a couple of Clive's), and Maurice, for all his snobbery, grows to understand that love between men can cross class lines. (Forster's biographers note that he had a lover in 1919 who was an Egyptian tram conducter and fell in love with a London policeman in 1930.)

In his fine memoir MISSISSIPPI SISSY Kevin Sessums recalls a conversation with the writer Eudora Welty who made him promise to read Forster's PASSAGE TO INDIA: "'MAURICE is not first-rate Forster, even though I understand the reasons why it would be the only work of his you've read.'" Being in the same boat with Sessums, I cannot disagree or agree with Ms. Welty. I can only say that this is a fine novel indeed. Forster, himself, said in ASPECTS OF THE NOVEL: "The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of friends and of anything else which we cannot define."

By Forster's own definition, he has written a great novel.

Called the best guidebook ever written, Forster's homage to Alexandria is at once informative, evocative, and nostalgic. The first half of the book is a series of vignettes on various moments and characters in the city's history. Forster immersed himself in the literature of ancient Alexandria and Greece, and it is this intimate acquaintance with the thought of the old city that gives the historical section its depth. Using a style that, though terse, always has time for a story or interesting quote, he covers the ancient library and mouseion, the Alexandrian contributions to science, the Christian and Arab periods. In the celebrated section "The Spiritual City," he outlines the religious heritage of Alexandria, demonstrating how Christianity as we know it today was largely formed in this city. Durrell drew heavily on this section for the gnostic theme that runs through the Quartet. The historical section concludes with a translation of Cavafy's "The God Abandons Antony," the first Cavafy poem to appear in print in English, and Forster considered the primary achievement of his guidebook to be the introduction of Cavafy to the English-speaking world.
Each historical section is linked to sections in the guide, and Forster claimed that "the 'sights' of Alexandria are in themselves not interesting, but they fascinate when we approach them through the past." Forster spent much time on trams in Alexandria, and the great love of his life, Mohammed el Adl, was a tram conductor on the Bacos route. It is fitting, then, that the tramlines should provide the web holding the guidebook together. Forster takes us through the city by tram, pointing out interesting buildings and sites to left and right. The guide also contains maps of the ancient and modern city, and plans of the Greco-Roman Museum and the Wadi Natrun monasteries.
The book had a difficult birth: Forster's Alexandrian publisher suffered a fire in which they thought the books had been burned. After recouping insurance compensation, they discovered that they had in fact survived. They then decided to burn the books deliberately. In 1935, members of the Royal Archaeological Society of Alexandria decided to reprint the book. Forster put some work into revisions, but this second edition did not sell well, and it was only after the book was published in the US that it achieved moderate sales.
More than any other guidebook, Forster's comes across as a labor of love. Lawrence Durrell wrote of the guidebook that Forster "must have been deeply happy, perhaps deeply in love . . . Paradoxically, if that is the word, the book is also saturated with the feeling of loneliness, that of a cultivated man talking to himself, walking by himself."

Recently read and used this book while in Alexandria. There is essential information, beautifully organized, presented and written that should be available. Introduction by Lawrence Durrell is wonderful too.

Marvelously written, carefully researched, this is an outstanding book for anyone interested in Foster or Alexandria. And just about anyone can learn much: an interesting example is what Foster says about Hypatia [the women philospher brutally killed by monks]: she was not young and probably not much of a philosopher; yes, Foster offers new perspectives on various currents in Alexandria.

If you've ever read and loved any of the novels of E. M. Forster, be sure to read this one too. Forster chose not to finish it, but it works brilliantly as a self-contained novella, telling the story of two men who represent different ideals and whose paths cross in surprising ways. Swift, intense, insightful, classic.