E.M. Forster: A Great Novelist

E.M. Forster as a Novelist

Edward Morgan Forster is popularly known as E.M. Forster. He is a British novelist, essayist and critic of modern period. His popularity rests on his novels. His best known novels are A Room with a View, Howards End, and A Passage to India.

E.M. Forster was a writer of great sensitivity and insight. His compositions explored the golden threads of kinship. His greatest success is A Passage to India which was written in 1924. The relationship between East and West has been taken as its major subject.

E.M. Forster was born on January 1, 1879 in London, England. He was the member of a very cultured family. His father was an architect who died when the author was a baby. As a boy he attended Tonbridge School. After completing school education at Tonbridge, he went on to King’s College, Cambridge, in 1897. He is ranked among the most cosmopolitan men of his day.

As a modern novelist he received fantastic popularity for his five novels - Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908), Howards End (1910) and A Passage to India (1924). Where Angels Fear to Tread is known for its well-drawn characters, its comedy, and the typical concern with the conflict between two different cultures. The Longest Journey is a less attractive work. A Room with a View is an excellent comedy. Howards End deals with the misunderstandings between individuals and between races. A Passage to India is unrivalled in English fiction in its presentation. In this novel the author presents the live picture of Indian society under the British rule. Though his output was small, the quality of his work was such as to place him among the foremost writers of the period.

As a modern novelist E.M. Forster appears as a moralist. He raises his voice against barbarity and provincialism. He is an advocate of culture, tolerance, and civilization. He studies the complexities of character with a subtlety of insight. He creates live characters. He possesses a great art of storytelling. He pays no attention to conventional plot making. He frequently introduces surprising incidents.

Forster's craftsmanship is of the highest order. His irony is appreciable. His style of writing is appreciated. He is appreciated for his good dialogue and noticeable descriptive powers. He is known for lightness of touch and precision. The conciseness of presentation is also a significant merit of his writing style.