Maurice

By: E. M. Forster

Narrated by: Peter Firth

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

'Ah for darkness...not the darkness of a house which coops up a man among furniture, but the darkness where he can be free!'

Maurice Hall knows he must choose between living life in the shadows or denying himself a chance at love and fulfilment. Aware of his attraction to the same sex, in a time where it was considered unlawful and immoral to have homosexual desires, Maurice must decide whether to battle or submit to a prejudiced 20th-century English society.

A passionate and poignant tale, E.M. Forster's Maurice was a masterpiece ahead of its time. Incapable of believing that his contemporaries would accept its content, Forster refused to publish it, fearing that it would expose his sexuality along with his hero's.

Having witnessed, at 16, the very public trial and chastisement of Oscar Wilde, Forster grew up with an acute awareness of the kind of society he inhabited. This affected him immensely and, as such, he refused to publish any further fiction during the last 37 years of his life. Despite being one of the most celebrated authors of British history, Forster's talents were as constrained as his love life. Realising that he could never publically talk or write about the issues he held close to his heart, Forster made A Passage to India his last work.

He wasn't mistaken about his society, and when Maurice was published, posthumously, many were scandalised by the controversial content.

Unfortunately, Forster never experienced the freedom which his protagonist seeks, but Maurice has far outlived an age of bigotry and is now widely celebrated and critically acclaimed.

Narrator Biography

Having started his career as a leading child actor, Peter Firth received a Tony Award nomination for his performance in Peter Shaffer's play Equus (1973) at only 21. He later starred with Richard Burton in its film adaption, earning him a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. His other film work has included roles in Pearl Harbor (2001) and The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005).

He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC show Spooks (2002-2011), appearing in every episode of the show's 10 series. Recent roles have included Jacob Marley in the BBC's Dickensian series (2015) and Ernest Augustus in ITV's drama series Victoria (2016).

He has narrated several audiobooks such as Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Birdsong and Witness. In 2015, Peter starred in Audible's multicast drama Amok.

©2010 E.M. Forster (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Finally!!! It's past time!

I had an old recording of Maurice on cassette many years ago and adored it. Finally, this intelligent and moving novel is available again at Audible, and I couldn't be more satisfied with this new recording.

Maurice is a very literate and thoroughly enjoyable novel concerning same-sex love among an intolerant and hypocritical society. The rather poetic descriptions of Maurice's inner life as he stumbles about in self-discovery are just as accurate and appropriate today as ever.

The scathing humor in Forster's more famous novels is properly not as apparent in Maurice, as its subject matter was obviously a more personal one for the author. The fact that the book wasn't published until after Forster's death lends a definite eloquence to the story. During his lifetime, the novel was shared only among his closest friends.

Peter Firth, a great actor, gives a measured performance that is perfectly suited to Forster's style. The romantic aspect of the story is that much more powerful because the narration is restrained. Forster is so honest and matter-of-fact, purposely dry because his subject is so very affecting.

Stunning

This book brought me to tears several times. It is a stunning love story. There are surprises, triumphs and tragedies and an ending so entirely satisfactory that I don't feel the usual hunger for a sequel. This book is a magnificent and far too little known gem.
(Four stars for performance because at times it was difficult to understand who was speaking as some of the voices sounded the same. Absolutely still worth it!)

Hidden masterpiece?

I freely admit I’ve lived under a literary rock for many years, but I’m rather upset that this amazing book has been hidden from me. Not the love story I thought at the beginning, ‘Maurice’ goes right to the anguished soul of a man at war with himself and then the perilous freedom of a man at war with the world. A fantastic work.

well read

could feel the emotions in the narrator's voice!
awesome listen! heart wrenching and soothing at the same time.

Forster writes beautifully as ever

Peter Firth gives this narrative a lot of weight & makes you want to keep going for long stretches.

my favorite classic

I adore this book and the person reading did very well. The movie is also amazing so I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it! Reading a follow up that was written recently called "Alec" right now :)

A Great Audio of a Gay Fiction Classic

Peter Firth does a really good job with this as narrator.

EM Forster finished this novel in 1914 but it was published posthumously in the 1970s because love between men at the time this was written was not at all accepted and was illegal in England. I also think that the Oscar Wilde scandal was still relatively fresh in people's memories as well.

Lest anyone think that the titular character is some great guy or some fellow with sensibility to the "finer" things (a stereotype) think again. He's very conscious of of his class and status, perhaps unlikable and with the exception of his sexual orientation, completely unremarkable.

I think it is Forster's genius to create an "invert" character that is completely average or even mediocre, but to show his journey as a "gay" man of a bygone era.

This book deserves its place as a great gay fiction classic.

Gem

Heartbreaking. Thrillingly honest. I wish this was taught alongside Howard's End and Passage to India. It would have helped me feel less alone growing up, I think. "They must live outside class, without relations or money; they must work and stick to each other till death. But England belonged to them. That, besides companionship, was their reward. Her air and sky were theirs, not the timorous millions' who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls."

great

The book is really beautiful, and the reading compliments Forester's work very well. The very personal nature of the the protagonist's existential contemplations become fully sensible in this medium

Maurice - A must for lovers of classic fiction

Maurice is the intimate story of one man's coming to terms with his sexuality and his desires contrasted by his struggles of living in a suppressive culture and the binding social expectations set by class standards. Bold by the standards of the time that it was written, I found Maurice to be both sad and beautiful. Sad because of the frustration of defeat and the ensuing heartbreak Maurice endures. But beautiful because of the hope and determination that rises from the courage Maurice finds to live his life fulfilled as his heart commands. Peter Firth's narration is really very good; his voice is cultured and rich and he has the emotional power to carry the story to the end. I know that I will listen to Maurice again and again, it's that good.