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A Great Unrecorded History: A New Life Of E. M. Forster (2010)

by Wendy Moffat(Favorite Author)

4.16 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0374166781 (ISBN13: 9780374166786)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

review 1: Biographies are always a bit of a challenge. Even remarkable people can have pretty dull everyday lives. E.M.Forster did associate with a very colorful bunch of writers, artists, and academics, and until I read this book, I knew absolutely nothing about him except his wonderful novels. Unfortunately, elements of his private life led him to give up novel writing early on, and he wrote mostly essays and reviews in his later years. I couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him-he had many friends,but I don't think he was very happy. However, Howards End and A Passage to India are a wonderful legacy to have left behind.
review 2: I thought this book was really good. Granted, it combined two of my favorite topics: literary biography and gay culture. I think Moffat did... more an excellent job of showing Forster's tenderness, empathy, intelligence and sincere search for true happiness. Also, I did not expect to be as inspired and touched by his personal story as I was. In the face of a society that was at best dismissive of his struggles and sexuality, Forster wrote movingly about having effectively no sexual experience until almost the age of 40, no real friends until at least his 20s, no parental and family support or understanding - and still keeping up the work of trying to understand people and find meaningful relationships. It really brought home his central message of "Only connect," at least for me. Moffat had the perfect mix of capturing somewhat salacious details of Forster's gay life and presenting a thorough, academic portrait of his entire life. less

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