Details
FORSTER, E.M. A 2pp. a.l.s., dated West Hackhurst, Abinger Hammer, Dorking, 27-5-46, to John Arlott, apologising for having "been rather tiresome", and stating (para. 2): "I have about 30 books from India here. Shall some of these be the subject of my first talk? Another possibility -- though I hope it may not mature -- is Thomas Mann, said to be dying. I have read his Joseph epic lately." He suggests doing "the talk 'live' where possible" (para. 3), and concludes in the fourth paragraph: "I would like to make the talks for India, with India alone in my mind. If other services wish to relay them, I would stipulate that they preface this with some such remark as: 'This talk was originally given on the Indian service' ... I believe there is a precedent for it in T.S. Eliot"; and a one page letter, without address, dated only "Thursday", finalising arrangements for another radio talk. He will come "prepared with an aftermath on Crabbe in case the script is too short." (2)
When John Arlott took over from George Orwell as literary producer in the Eastern Sevices, directly after the Second World War, he "inherited a weekly half-hour poetry programme, a weekly quarter hour on English prose-writing, and a monthly book book review by E.M. Forster. Forster was," in Arlott's own words, "the one contributor the programme had to have if it was to command respect in India. He accepted the fact and became its only regular contributor throughout the war and for some three years afterwards .... He did not do these broadcasts for the usual reasons .... He was as eager as A Passage to India would suggest to establish understanding, trust, and affection between Indians and people like himself. At a slightly lower level, he was anxious to show Indians that people like himself did exist in Britain. He was aware also that the broadcasting, to India, of good English speech was in itself valuable" (cf. John Arlott, "Forster and Broadcasting" in Aspects of E.M. Forster, 1968, pp. 87-92). Forster had begun broadcasting as early as 1928.
(2)
When John Arlott took over from George Orwell as literary producer in the Eastern Sevices, directly after the Second World War, he "inherited a weekly half-hour poetry programme, a weekly quarter hour on English prose-writing, and a monthly book book review by E.M. Forster. Forster was," in Arlott's own words, "the one contributor the programme had to have if it was to command respect in India. He accepted the fact and became its only regular contributor throughout the war and for some three years afterwards .... He did not do these broadcasts for the usual reasons .... He was as eager as A Passage to India would suggest to establish understanding, trust, and affection between Indians and people like himself. At a slightly lower level, he was anxious to show Indians that people like himself did exist in Britain. He was aware also that the broadcasting, to India, of good English speech was in itself valuable" (cf. John Arlott, "Forster and Broadcasting" in Aspects of E.M. Forster, 1968, pp. 87-92). Forster had begun broadcasting as early as 1928.
(2)