Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love by Sheila Rowbotham http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/books/rss/~3/yr5fo4pgu_0/edward-carpenter-sheila-rowbotham
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/oct/18/edward-carpenter-sheila-rowbotham
Edward Carpenter was many things: a prolific writer and campaigner on numerous issues, an open homosexual and a student of eastern philosophy. He was also the epitome of the sandal-wearing, vegetarian socialist so pilloried by George Orwell. Deemed naive by some, and now somewhat forgotten, he was a progressive thinker, interested in connections between people and in finding a fairer way of living. Rowbotham's masterful and detail-rich biography shows how influential he was in his day. He had an opinion on most things, wrote numerous essays and tracts and met and corresponded with many significant figures including Walt Whitman, Roger Fry and EM Forster. Rowbotham's fascination with Carpenter is evident, but she's not blind to his many contradictions.