Why read The Original Letters From India of Mrs. Eliza Fay?

Book cover of The Original Letters From India of Mrs. Eliza Fay

Book description

Eliza Fay's origins are obscure; she was not beautiful, rich, or outlandishly accomplished. Yet the letters she wrote from her 1779 voyage across the globe captivated E. M. Forster, who arranged for their British publication in 1925. The letters have been delighting readers ever since with their truth-is-stranger-than-fiction twists and…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Original Letters From India of Mrs. Eliza Fay as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Stephen Taylor

Author

Thanks to E.M. Forster, who described Mrs Fay as a work of art and arranged the publication of her letters, this indefatigable character remains as vivid today as when recounting her first journey to India in 1779, across the desert in Egypt and the Indian Ocean.

She was unknown, unconnected, and suffered misfortune upon misfortune, including imprisonment under Hyder Ali, but still made no fewer than four voyages to the East – one was quite enough for most travelers in those days – where she died penniless. No extract can do justice to her sharp eye and sharper pen. Mrs…

From Stephen's list on The best books about women and the British empire.