L2L E. M. Forster

“The Celestial Omnibus” and “The Machine Stops”

E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster was known for his brilliant twentieth-century novels such as Room With a View, Howard’s End, and Jewel in the Crown. He is less known for his short stories, which include some works that might be called science fiction or fantasy — but which often align with his deep humanist orientation that he described in his 1938 essay “What I Believe.” This week, Leigh, P. T., and Dr. C examine a few of Forster’s stories, including the terrifying “The Machine Stops” … which might have been written yesterday rather than in 1909.