The Longest Journey

Studying at Cambridge as an undergraduate, the sensitive and lonely Rickie Elliot quickly becomes immersed in philosophy and literature and overwhelmed by a passionate desire to write. But as the years pass and his stories are not successful, he resigns himself to conformity - resolving to marry the beautiful but shallow Agnes, abandon his writing and become a schoolmaster at a second-rate public school. Soon, the memory of his idyllic university life falls to nothing as the young man finds himself trapped in a world of petty conformity, bitter disappointment and agonizing self-doubt. A blend of harsh realism and powerful symbolism, The Longest Journey was Forster's favourite of his novels. Insightful, intimate and profound, it is also his most autobiographical - a deeply moving portrayal of a man kept from fulfilling his personal desires by a desperate need to do what he feels to be morally right.
The introduction, by Gilbert Adair, considers the subtleties and symbolism of The Longest Journey. This edition reproduces the Abinger text and notes, and also includes Forster's own introduction to the work, two of his essays, further reading and a chronology.