John Cleland

John Cleland (1709–1789) was an English novelist who gained notoriety primarily through the publication of Fanny Hill, a classic of erotic literature. After working with the British East India Company as a young man, Cleland was thrown into debtor’s prison in 1748, and it was from a jail cell that he penned Fanny Hill. He and his publisher were soon arrested again for the publication of the book on grounds of obscenity. Later in life, Cleland continued to write novels and plays, though never achieving the fame earned from his debut novel.