Maurice

I first encountered Maurice when I was in the Royal Air Force, I was 16, bowled over and enchanted. Forster began writing it in 1931 and over the ensuing years only shared it with close friends including Christopher Isherwood. it wasn’t published until 1971 after he had died, and it was in the possession of Isherwood at Forster’s request.

So why do I like it so much? At the time of writing, it was very daring to write about Gay relationships, and Forster has captured the essence of excitement, love between the classes (which wasn’t acceptable at all then) and the forming love which at the time ‘dare not speak its name’. The love affair that starts with Maurice and Clive whilst at Cambridge and ends in Maurice taking up with Alec Scudder, Clive’s Gamekeeper one rainy night at Penge is a breathtaking range of episodes that evades all time.

I’ve read it many times and am currently reading the Abinger Press version, which has a different ending, with Maurice and Scudder emigrating to Europe to enjoy life together.