"Published posthumously in 1971, this novel remains one of the great queer romances to this day. A beautiful and brilliant gay classic."
Published posthumously in 1971, this novel remains one of the great queer romances to this day.
Forster understood that his homage to same-sex love, if published when he completed it in 1914, would probably end his career. Thus, Maurice languished in a drawer for fifty-seven years, the author requesting it be published only after his death.
Set in early 1910s England, the Maurice tells the story of Maurice Hall and his best friend Clive, and the life they attempt to build together in London, which is ultimately destroyed by societal conventions.
As Maurice makes his way through a traditional English education, he projects an outer confidence that masks troubling questions about his own identity. Frustrated and unfulfilled, a product of the bourgeoisie he will grow to despise, he has difficulty acknowledging his nascent attraction to men.
At Cambridge he meets Clive, who opens his eyes to a less conventional view of the nature of love. Yet when Maurice is confronted by the societal pressures of life beyond university, self-doubt and heartbreak threaten his quest for happiness.
A brilliant and beautiful gay classic.
Included in our '35 LGBTQ Books to Read this Pride Month and Every Month' collection.
| Primary Genre | Classic fiction: general and literary |
| Other Genres: |
A stunning new edition of Forster's classic queer novel, with a new introduction by Colm Tóibìn, bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island
'A monument to a moment when change seemed possible'
COLM TÓIBÍN
'It shows the quality of a novelist at the height of his powers'
SUNDAY TIMES
'His heart leapt alive and shook him to pieces. It cried "You love and are loved."'
Maurice Hall grows up in comfort and privilege near London, in a villa surrounded by pines, where all is convenience and ease. He progresses through a traditional English education, projecting an outer confidence that masks troubling questions about his unspoken desires.
At Cambridge University, Maurice meets Clive, an assured older student, with whom he enjoys a close and intense relationship. Sneaking around college, climbing through windows and skipping lectures, Maurice begins to grasp a less conventional view of the nature of love. And then, on a trip to Clive's family estate, he meets Alec, the gamekeeper, and his emotional and sexual awakening reaches its height, opening up the possibility of a life that strays from the path he was raised to follow. But can Maurice overcome societal pressures, self-doubt and heartbreak to find happiness?
Forster completed Maurice in 1914 but felt that it could not be published in his lifetime. It was not until 1971, the year after Forster's death, that the novel was finally published.
Maurice features in the following genres: Classic fiction: general and literary, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Sharing Diverse Voices, General Fiction, Fiction, LGBTQ+ Fiction
Maurice is available in Hardback, Ebook, Paperback
Maurice was written by E. M. Forster and published by Sceptre an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton
Maurice has 320 pages
£18.00
