In Howards End Forster voiced many of his apprehensions about the future, and the novel has become more relevant than ever as a statement of humane, civilised values, while its subtle characterisation, its blend of irony and lyricism, its humour and its wealth of unobtrusive symbols, make it one of the great English novels.

The story of two sisters - Margaret and Helen Schlegel - and their different paths in life was hailed by the critics as Forster's greatest work when it was first published in 1910. 'The word Forsterian is already demanded' wrote the Saturday Review, and the Daily Telegraph said '... all will feel with us that it is a book quite out of the common by a writer who is one of our assets, and likely to become one of our glories.'