About John Cleland
John Cleland
(1709–1789) was an English writer who is best known for his erotic novel Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of
Pleasure. An employee of the British East India Company, Cleland spent
extended periods in Bombay, India, until recalled to England because of his
father’s illness. With no financial support from his family, Cleland amassed
enough debt to land in Fleet Prison, where he is believed to have composed Fanny Hill. His subsequent arrest
following the publication of Fanny Hill
prompted Cleland to withdraw the novel, and while it was not legally published
for over a hundred years, it continued to sell well as a pirated work. Cleland
never achieved professional or financial success with his writing.