John Forster

Percy Fitzgerald remembers John Forster through the force of his conversation, his literary friendships and his habit of taking charge. This personal biographical sketch follows a critic and biographer who rose from newspaper work to an influential place among London's writers and artists. Fitzgerald describes Forster's homes full of books, his studies of Oliver Goldsmith and his close connection with Charles Dickens, mixing accounts of professional achievement with memories of difficult encounters.

The anecdotes combine generosity with overbearing certainty. Forster lends letters, supports friends and urges Fitzgerald to write a comedy, yet also turns a mistaken observation about a roof into an occasion for asserting his authority. Read today, the sketch offers a friend's view of how literary reputation was sustained through conversation, hospitality, advice and access to private papers. Its affectionate tone leaves room for amusement at the formidable personality it records.