Concerning E.M. Forster

Description

CONCERNING E.M FORSTER is a rich, varied and original portrait of a literary great. When Sir Frank Kermode delivered the Clark Lectures at Cambridge University, he chose E.M Forster as his subject; these lectures form the core of this book. Kermode reappraises the influence and meaning of Forster's oeuvre, offering a fascinating interpretation of his most celebrated work, A Passage To India. There follows a series of interweaving discussions that bring to life diverse topics - Empire, class, poverty, the condition of the novel, the role of the artist - but always return to our enigmatic subject. Kermode also reflects on Forster's considerable talent and shortcomings, places him within a wider social context and casts spotlight on his contemporaries, presenting a unique panorama of twentieth-century English literature.

Sir Frank Kermode has been a prominent figure in the world of literary criticism since the 1960s. He has been King Edward VII Professor of English Literature at Cambridge and Professor of Poetry at Harvard. He was knighted in 1991.

Like all good criticism, this volume makes one want to read the books under discussion, and ends on an affectionate note. * SUNDAY TIMES * This is a lovely book on a novelist Kermode lived with and thought about for many decades; it is a fitting tribute. * DAILY TELEGRAPH * Delightful, illuminating study of Forster's art and mind -- Boyd Tonkin * INDEPENDENT *