E.M. Forster

Edward Morgan Forster was born on January 1st, 1879 in Marylebone, Middlesex, England. The son of an architect, Forster's father died when he was only two years old, and after another death in the family, he received an inheritance that gave him enough money to live on while attempting to become a writer.

Forster attended King's College, Cambridge in 1897 and became a member of a discussion society called the Apostles which later became the famous society called the Bloomsbury Group. After graduating, he traveled to Europe with his mother and began writing. In 1905, his first novel, "Where Angels Fear to Tread" was published followed by "The Longest Journey" two years later in 1907 and "A Room With a View" the year after that.

Two years later, Forster produced, "Howard's End." During World War I, Forster was a conscientious objector who volunteered for the International Red Cross. After the war, he spent some time in India as a private secretary to the Maharajah of Dewas which gave him the inspiration necessary to write his most well-known novel, "A Passage to India" which was published in 1924.

After the success of the novel, Forster became a broadcaster on BBC Radio and something of a public figure. He was given a Benson Medal by the Royal Society of Literature in 1937.

A lifelong bachelor, Forster was openly homosexual to his friends, although not to the public at large.

In 1946, Forster was made an honorary fellow at King's College and began living at the college. He turned down a knighthood in 1949 but was made a Companion of Honour in 1953 and a member of the Order of Merit in 1969. On June 7th, 1970, Forster suffered a stroke and died at the age of 91. He published five novels in his lifetime and a fifth novel, "Maurice" was published posthumously.