British novelist, essayist, and social and literary critic Edward Morgan (E.M.) Forster died on 7 June 1970, which seems incredibly recent given that he was born in the Victorian era, in 1879.
BBC Hulton Picture Library
In 1909, Edith Nesbit read A Room with a View, Forster’s third novel, which had been published the year before. She loved it so much that she invited him to lunch at her flat to discuss his work. While he was there, Forster, who was two decades her junior and a shy and awkward man, knocked over a towering pile of plates while closing a window at her request. Nesbit responded kindly, assuring him that she had purchased these plates for practically nothing from a bric-a-brac stall at the Caledonian Market in Islington.
E. Nesbit’s home at Well Hall
They became friends and Forster visited Nesbit at her home at Well Hall in Eltham. On one occasion, in 1911, she played the pianola for him and they strolled through her lovely orchard, discussing their shared passion for books. At sunset, Forster joined family and fellow guests in the garden to watch Nesbit burn a cardboard model depicting rows of factories and terraced housing. She detested the creeping urbanisation that was encroaching on her once-secluded home.
For more on Nesbit and her circle, look out for my new biography, which will be published by Duckworth/Prelude in October 2019.
Beside Every Man 
I’m really looking forward to reading this, especially as I already planned to read a collection of her supernatural tales later this year.
Wonderful thanks! Her supernatural tales are excellent – enjoy!
Very excited to read this, Eleanor. I’ve been having a look at some of Nesbit’s stories lately – those she wrote for L. T. Meade and published in Atalanta – fascinating stuff. Can’t wait to learn more about her.