John Forster: By One of His Friends

In Short

This volume is a affectionate, amusing memoir of John Forster, the formidable nineteenth-century biographer, critic, and trusted confidant of Charles Dickens. Percy Fitzgerald traces Forster’s rise from a struggling writer to an influential arbiter of English literary life. Through lively personal anecdotes, the text captures Forster’s bombastic personality, his furious debates, his intense editorial oversight of major authors, and his underlying generosity. It endures as a vivid, firsthand portrait of Victorian publishing circles, shedding light on the human flaws, eccentricities, and deep devotions that shaped the era’s most famous literary relationships.

The Story

The narrative begins by framing John Forster as a modern incarnation of Dr. Samuel Johnson—possessing the same loud voice, social intolerance, deep learning, and absolute disdain for pretense. Starting from humble beginnings as a jobbing journalist, Forster labors conscientiously on historical entries before finding his true voice in his celebrated biography of Oliver Goldsmith. This work brings him into close alignment with Charles Dickens. The two young men share an immediate bond forged in common memories of early hardship and London loneliness. Forster quickly becomes an indispensable figure in Dickens's life, serving as his literary advisor, legal helper, and primary biographer.

As Forster’s status grows, so does his material prosperity. He moves from modest chambers into grand residences, ultimately building a stone mansion at Palace Gate equipped with an extraordinary library. Fitzgerald illustrates how Forster’s imposing presence and imperious manner dominate every room he enters. Whether he is organizing guests at a noble estate, trying on academic robes in Dublin, or managing a dinner party, Forster acts with an overwhelming sense of authority. Yet behind this blustering exterior, he remains deeply devoted to his friends, offering them fierce advocacy and hospitable shelter. He maintains warm connections with major figures of the day, including Thomas Carlyle, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and various Irish intellectuals, though his aggressive temperament occasionally leads to permanent rifts, such as his fallen-out friendship with Robert Browning.

In his later years, Forster’s life turns into a grueling struggle against severe illness. Suffering from agonizing chest gout and a relentless cough, his physical frame breaks down, yet his social spirit remains stubbornly active. He continues to throw generous dinner parties, attempting to maintain his jovial habits against medical advice. Supported by his long-suffering, gentle wife and his faithful physician, he remains a giant of energy until his final days. The narrative closes on his death and legacy, reflecting on how his fierce independence and sturdy character outshone the smaller, more delicate personalities of the generation that succeeded him.

How It Unfolds

A formidable nature emerges From obscure origins, a young journalist pushes his way into the heart of London’s literary world through sheer force of will and wide reading. He earns early notice with historical work before striking acclaim with a light, warm biography of Oliver Goldsmith.

Brothers in letters A deep intimacy forms between the biographer and Charles Dickens, bound by shared struggles with youthful poverty. Forster becomes the novelist’s primary reader, editor, and lifelong confidant, exercising immense influence over his major works.

The imperial presence Moving into grander homes, the critic assumes the role of an absolute arbiter in social and literary matters. Whether organizing guests at a country estate or demanding honorary treatment at a university, his booming voice and grand manner command every room.

Feuds and fierce loyalties The author balances vast generosity toward young writers with explosive public controversies against rivals and friends alike. While his reverence for thinkers like Thomas Carlyle remains unwavering, his intolerance for opposition causes painful fractures with peers such as Robert Browning.

The final trial Severe gout in the chest transforms his later years into a physical ordeal marked by violent coughing fits. Supported by his gentle wife and devoted friends, he maintains his magnificent dinner parties and literary work until his strength finally gives out.

The People

• John Forster: The central figure; an arrogant, boisterous, yet deeply loyal biographer and critic who craves literary authority and social dominance. He wants absolute intellectual respect and total fidelity from his friends, achieving a position of monumental influence despite a terrifyingly explosive temper.
• Charles Dickens ("Boz"): Forster’s closest friend and literary partner; a brilliant, observational novelist who delights in Forster’s oddities while relying completely on his editorial judgment. He seeks creative validation and sound counsel, ending up bound to Forster in an inseparable historical pairing.
• Percy Fitzgerald: The narrator and author; a budding writer who wins Forster’s lifelong mentorship through a small, thoughtful favor. He seeks entry into London’s literary elite and a successful writing career, maturing into a grateful observer of his patron's complicated nature.
• Mrs. Forster: Forster’s gentle, long-suffering wife; she constantly seeks to maintain peace during her husband’s monstrous rages. She absorbs his tempestuous outbursts while remaining fiercely protective of his memory.

In Its Own Voice

"If anyone desired to know what Dr. Johnson was like, he could have found him in Forster."

Percy Fitzgerald introduces his subject by comparing Forster’s loud voice, deep learning, and fierce intolerance of humbug directly to the legendary eighteenth-century lexicographer.

"To that blunt declaration I owe some forty years of enjoyment and employment--for there is no enjoyment like that of writing--to say nothing of money in abundance."

The author reflects on how Forster aggressively forced an editor to accept Fitzgerald’s early writing, launching his entire career.

"The figures of our day seem to me to be small, thin and cardboard-like in comparison."

Looking back decades after Forster’s death, Fitzgerald muses on how the giant, full-throated personalities of the mid-Victorian era outshone the lesser figures who came after them.

What It's Really About

Beneath its comic anecdotes and literary gossip, the book examines the nature of Victorian artistic mentorship and the aggressive personality required to conquer the era's publishing world. It explores how bluster and deep empathy can exist within the same individual, showing that Forster's social tyranny was often the flip side of his protective devotion to his friends. The text also investigates the hidden labor behind famous works, revealing how much of Dickens’s success depended on an unyielding critic working in the background. Ultimately, it is a meditation on memory, aging, and the loss of a larger-than-life generation of literary giants.

Why Read It Today

This memoir offers an intimate, highly entertaining look behind the scenes of nineteenth-century publishing for anyone fascinated by Charles Dickens and his inner circle. Rather than a dry historical study, reading it feels like sitting in a cozy Victorian drawing room while an observant insider dishes out warm, hilarious stories about the eccentricities of famous writers. The prose moves briskly, driven by vivid staging and sharp theatrical timing.

Modern readers should be prepared for occasional nineteenth-century literary references and period-specific publishing terminology that require light patience. However, these minor difficulties are easily outweighed by the sheer comedy of Forster’s explosive outbursts—such as his terrifying demands for biscuits or his grand parliamentary speeches to university tailors. What stays with you is the striking portrait of a true original: a noisy, difficult, magnificent friend whose genuine devotion helped shape some of the greatest classics in English literature.

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