Other editions of book 20th Century Passage To India

The lives of Miss Adela Quested and those around her are forever changed when she befriends a young doctor named Aziz during a trip she and her companion Mrs. Moore make to India. The unlikely friendship between Adela and Aziz eventually culminates in a disastrous expedition to the Marabar caves, during which she offends him, an action which leads to false accusations, arrests, and a litany of miscommunications. Set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s, this classic novel explores the difficulties that arise from class differences and cultural misunderstandings as well as the impact our actions have on others.

A Passage to India (1924) is a novel by English author Edward Morgan ( E. M. ) Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. (The 1984 film of the same name was based on this novel.) It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English literature by the Modern Library and won the 1924 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Time magazine included the novel in its "All Time 100 Novels" list. The novel is based on Forster's experiences in India, deriving the title from Walt Whitman's 1870 poem "Passage to India" in Leaves of Grass. The story revolves around four characters: Dr. Aziz, his British friend Mr. Cyril Fielding, Mrs. Moore, and Miss Adela Quested. During a trip to the fictitious Marabar Caves (modeled on the Barabar Caves of Bihar), Adela thinks she finds herself alone with Dr. Aziz in one of the caves (when in fact he is in an entirely different cave), and subsequently panics and flees; it is assumed that Dr. Aziz has attempted to assault her. Aziz's trial, and its run-up and aftermath, bring to a boil the common racial tensions and prejudices between Indians and the British who rule India.

British visitors Adela Quested and Mrs. Moore are intent on experiencing the India that lies beyond their colonial community. Their curiosity leads them to encounters with English headmaster Cyril Fielding and Indian physician Dr. Aziz. When all four come together, friendships are formed, and a mutual respect emerges that defies prejudices of race, class, and gender.Then, after a day trip to the Marabar Caves, Adela levels a shocking charge against Aziz, leading to a divisive trial. As the fate of the accused hangs in the balance, Aziz rejects all ties across cultural lines, and the city of Chandrapore is torn asunder. In his beloved and most successful novel, E. M. Forster explores the complex, fragile bonds between the colonizers and the colonized during the British Raj in the 1920s.Revised edition: Previously published as A Passage to India, this edition of A Passage to India (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

Dr Aziz is a young Muslim physician in the British Indian town of Chandrapore. One evening he comes across an English woman, Mrs Moore, in the courtyard of a local mosque; she and her younger travelling companion Adela are disappointed by claustrophobic British colonial culture and wish to see something of the 'real' India. But when Aziz kindly offers to take them on a tour of the Marabar caves with his close friend Cyril Fielding, the trip results in a shocking accusation that throws Chandrapore into a fever of racial tension.

A Passage to India, E.M. Forster's exotic and emotive masterpiece, poses a listener serious questions about preconceptions over race, creed, sex, religion and truth. Set in the era of The British Raj in India, the stunning narrative presents a complex and unsettled society through the voices and innermost thoughts of its many magnetic characters.The Story: Adela Quested travels to India with her chaperone Mrs. Moore, on the premise of deciding whether to marry Mrs. Moore's son Ronny Heaslop, the city magistrate. Finding her India very disappointingly English, Adela jumps at the chance to travel to the distant Marabar Caves with Aziz, a charismatic young Indian doctor.When Adela is subjected to an attempted assault in one of the caves, Dr. Aziz is arrested and tried in court. The volatile situation forces British India's cracks to widen into chasms, although bridges of hope are found in some open-minded British characters like the logical college principal Mr. Fielding.Forster's East-meets-West novel, in tackling the prejudices in India at the time of the British Raj, is as relevant today as when first published in 1924.Narrator Meera Syal is a highly-respected British comedienne, playwright, journalist and actress, perhaps best known for her role in Goodness Gracious Me.