A Room with a View

About the Author

Edward Morgan Forster

Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and librettist whose work explored the themes of class differences, social codes, and personal connections in early 20th-century Britain. Born in London to an upper-middle-class family, Forster was educated at Tonbridge School and later at King's College, Cambridge, where he became a member of the intellectual circle known as the Bloomsbury Group. His literary career began with the publication of 'Where Angels Fear to Tread' (1905), followed by 'The Longest Journey' (1907), 'A Room with a View' (1908), and 'Howards End' (1910). After visiting India, he wrote his masterpiece 'A Passage to India' (1924), which explored the relationship between East and West under British colonial rule. Forster's work is characterized by a humanistic outlook captured in his famous epigraph 'Only connect...' from 'Howards End,' emphasizing the importance of genuine human connection across social divides. His novel 'Maurice,' written in 1913-14 but published posthumously in 1971 due to its homosexual theme, reflected Forster's own struggles with his sexual identity in a society where homosexuality was criminalized. Beyond his novels, Forster was an influential literary critic, wrote numerous short stories including the science fiction work 'The Machine Stops' (1909), and collaborated with Eric Crozier on the libretto for Benjamin Britten's opera 'Billy Budd' (1951). He was appointed a Companion of Honour in 1953 and in 1969 was made a member of the Order of Merit.