A thought on how it takes all kinds

“There has been, is, and always will be every conceivable type of person.”
— E.M. Forster

The British novelist’s astute observation was published decades after he wrote it, in the posthumous novel Maurice, arguably his most autobiographical. Like Forster, his protagonist was gay, and unsure how to navigate his world.

Forster started work on the book around 1913, and would tinker with it over the years, but the world did not get to read it until 1971, after its author’s death the year before. “Publishable, but worth it?” was the well-known note attached to the manuscript, reflecting the author’s doubts about what its content might bring on … reasonable, given how the U.K. persecuted based on sexual orientation until at least 1967.

The image of Forster is a painting by Dora Carrington, a fellow member of what’s called the Bloomsbury group. Emma Thompson brought her to life in Christopher Hampton’s 1995 film Carrington.