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Maurice

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Forster hat diesen Roman bereits 1914 vollendet, fürchtete aber wegen des prekären Themas die Veröffentlichung und verfügte, das Werk erst posthum veröffentlichen zu lassen. Die englische Gesellschaft war zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht bereit, Homosexualität als individuelle Lebensweise zu akzeptieren.

Das lässt sie auch die Protagonisten Maurice Hall und Clive Durham fühlen, die sich im Cambridge kennen und lieben lernen. Das Werk stellt aber durchaus nicht nur diese homosexuelle Beziehung in den Mittelpunkt, es zeigt und kritisiert vor allem die intolerante Haltung der Gesellschaft, und wird wohl deswegen nie an Aktualität verlieren. Maurice und Clive werden im Laufe ihres Lebens sehr unterschiedliche Wege gehen, einer der beiden stellt sich seiner "Andersartigkeit", der andere leugnet sie und versteckt sich hinter einem bürgerlichen Leben und Heirat. Von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite ist dieses Buch ein Genuß, die Szenerie ist, dank kreativer Wortwahl, immer präsent, es ist ein Mitfiebern, ein Mitleiden, und schließlich ein Aufatmen...

Eine empfehlenswerte und sensible Adaption ist übrigens auch die Verfilmung mit James Wilby und Hugh Grant.

I have to confess, I watched the movie first (which I watched three times in a span of two days). I enjoyed the movie so much that after the third time, I ran out and bought the book. The book is absolutely beautiful. I remember sitting on the subway reading Maurice and forgetting where I was, ingnoring everyone around me, and letting the book whisk me away to a time and place obviously different, yet unfortunately similar in attitude towards same-sex relationships (I missed my stop). I couldn't believe Maurice was written over 80 years ago. The subject matter seems too contemporary to be written about during that time, and I suppose that's why E.M. Forster's novel is so great. He manages to capture effortlessly the relationship of Maurice and Clive, as well as to paint a picture of what life was like back then for gay folk. Readers can easily transpose many of the events and experiences in the novel to the present day, which makes empathizing with Maurice so much easier. This novel should no doubt be a required read. It shares many of the complexities as Forster's other work, yet perhaps it is glossed over more because of its subject matter--which, if true, is such a shame.

If you are looking for THE homosexual novel, then this is it. Its theme and characters are so well developed that it is strikingly real. It deals with the disappointments in the life of a young, confused, homosexual man. It also scrutinizes British society of earlier this century in such a way that it reveals so much of the hatred and class prejudices that existed then. Amidst all that is a wonderful love story. What more do we want?

I rated this book five stars, and I like it a lot, but I have to admit that it doesn't quite have the depth and breadth that Howards End had. It is, however, much more readable than some of his other works (A Passage to India) and I think it has about the happiest ending out of any of his books. The maturation of the main character and his relationships (Clive is not my favorite character) is definitely well-written, well-plotted, et cetera, and it's the kind of book that you want to sit down and devour at once (less 'classics' display this tendency than popcorn genre works). It is the kind of book where you shouldn't care that the main character prefers men; it matters, that's what the book deals with, but it's not the sum total of the book.

"Maurice" wurde 1914 geschrieben, allerdings traute sich E.M. Forster bis zu seinem Tod (1970) nie, den Roman zu veröffentlichen. So erschien er erst posthum 1971. Forster widmete den Roman "einer glücklicheren Zeit". Und tatsächlich sind Glück (bzw. "happiness") und Hoffnung diejenigen Dinge, die aus diesem Roman herausstrahlen.

Im Vergleich zur schwulen Mainstream-Literatur, die heutzutage im Handel erscheint, ist "Maurice" ein kleines literarisches Meisterstückchen. Mehr als das. Der Stil Forsters überzeugt durch Kreativität, Frische und Einfühlsamkeit, ohne dabei in romantischen Kitsch oder eine 0815-Story abzusinken.

Die Geschichte und die Gedanken, die hier aufgeworfen werden, werden jeden Leser, gleich welchen Alters und in welcher Situation, anregen und ihm Hoffnung und Mut geben.

Ebenso zu empfehlen ist übrigens Manuel Puigs "Der Kuß der Spinnenfrau".

I had actually expected "Maurice" to be a bit dry because I had read bits of Forster's "Heart of Darkness" and "A Passage to India" before I picked up this book, but it was very easy to read in comparison. I was positively surprised about the way Forster handled the topic of homosexuality, considering the time the novel was written. Back then writers usually made their gay characters turn straight, make a suicide pact or die a gruesome death, and I'm very pleased Forster didn't decide the same fate for Maurice but instead gave his novel a maybe slightly unrealistic but nonetheless very satisfactory happy ending, including a little side-swipe towards the pretending-to-be-straight. The book should be compulsory reading for everyone, not just because it's an important piece of literature but also because of its great message. If it was, I'm sure the world would be a bit more tolerant.

This is one of the best books on the thought processes of a young boy/Man on various stages of maturity. I saw the movie before reading the book. So I always visualized Hugh Grant as Clive and James Wilby as Hall. The movie has not deviated much from the book at all. The movie is a must see!

A beautifully written book. The words, imagery and intellectual ideas on Christianity, art, perceptions, greek philosophy, psychology - all superbly written. This book will fine tune your perceptive faculties and intellect.

A just wonderful book. Moving, sexy, with an almost unreal happy ending. I've read that Forster was ashamed about this book and it was only published after his death. He didn't have to be ashamed. It's his best book. I fell in love with it.

i`ve seen the movie first, which was a great help for me to come out. as i saw the movie, i`v made the step to come out NOW!! it was an experience, that made my live changing, and helped me feelin good with my homosexuality, which is a great thing t me now..thank you, e.m. David

One of the best novels that ever exist in the history of mankind