At once an exploration of the life and times of one of Britain's finest novelists, his struggle to find a way of living and being, and a stunningly vivid evocation of the mysterious alchemy of the creative process, Arctic Summer is a literary masterpiece, by one of the finest writers of his generation.

During these years, Morgan will come to a profound understanding of himself as a man, and of the infinite subtleties and complexity of human nature, bringing these great insights to bear in his remarkable novel.

Two of Galgut’s previous novels, The Good Doctor and In A Strange Room, have been Man Booker Prize finalists. It will be another twelve years, and a second time spent in India, before A Passage to India, EM Forster's great work of literature, is published. from another Forster fan I met South African writer Damon Galgut at the 2014 International Festival of Authors (IFOA) in Toronto where he was on several panels reading from and discussing his new novel Arctic Spring. Arctic Summer, by Damon Galgut, Atlantic, RRP£17.99, 368 pages It is sometimes tempting to speculate about a future in which literary fiction becomes an entirely secondary activity: it will. The seeds of a story start to gather at the corner of his mind: a sense of impending menace, lust in close confines, under a hot, empty sky. Arctic Summer is an account of Forsters life from age 27 (1913) to 66 (1945), with much of the story focused on his travels to India and the WWII years spent. As Morgan stands on deck, the promise of a strange new future begins to take shape before his eyes. On board is Morgan Forster, novelist and man of letters, who is embarking on a journey of discovery. In 1912, the SS Birmingham approaches India. In this literary tour de force, twice Booker shortlisted novelist Damon Galgut evokes the life and work of EM Forster, his travels to India, and the freedom and inspiration he found there.

Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut