Who Is John Cleland?

John Cleland (1709 – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist best known for his controversial and explicit work, 'Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure.' Born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, and educated at Westminster School, Cleland spent several years in Bombay with the British East India Company before returning to London. His literary career was marked by 'Fanny Hill,' first published in 1748, which led to his brief imprisonment for obscenity. Despite its scandalous reputation, the novel is recognized for its literary merit, humor, and portrayal of female sexuality, albeit through a male lens. Beyond 'Fanny Hill,' Cleland also wrote plays, poetry, and philological works, attempting to establish himself as a more serious man of letters, though he never quite escaped the notoriety of his most famous work. He lived a relatively quiet life in his later years, dying in London.

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