Portland Public Library

A great unrecorded history, a new life of E.M. Forster, Wendy Moffat

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-383) and index

individual biography

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

A great unrecorded history

bibliography

428926421

Wendy Moffat

a new life of E.M. Forster

With the posthumous publication of his long-suppressed novel Maurice in 1970, E.M. Forster came out as a homosexual--though that revelation made barely a ripple in his literary reputation. As Wendy Moffat persuasively argues, Forster's homosexuality was the central fact of his life. Between Wilde's imprisonment and the Stonewall riots, Forster led a long, strange, and imaginative life as a gay man. He preserved a vast archive of his private life--a history of gay experience he believed would find its audience in a happier time. Moffat's decade of detective work--including first-time interviews with Forster's friends--has resulted in the first book to integrate Forster's public and private lives. Seeing his life through the lens of his sexuality offers us a radically new view, revealing his astuteness as a social critic, his political bravery, and his prophetic vision of gay intimacy. This book invites us to see Forster--and modern gay history--from a completely new angle.--From publisher description

Prologue : "Start with the fact that he was homosexual" -- pt. 1. Becoming a "grown up man" -- "A queer moment" -- Kings and apostles -- "A minority, not a solitary" -- "The spark, the darkness on the walk" -- "Ordinary affectionate men" -- "Parting with respectability" -- "A great unrecorded history" -- pt. 2. Happiness can come in one's natural growth -- "Do not forget your ever friend" -- "Toms and Dicks" -- "A little like being married" -- "The last Englishman" -- "My dear America" -- "I favor reciprocal dishonesty" -- "The worm that never dies."