author
Eliza Fowler Haywood
d. 1756
A bold, versatile voice of the early 18th century, this English writer built a remarkable career across fiction, drama, journalism, and publishing. Her work was lively, prolific, and often closely tuned to the scandals and social pressures of her time.
4 Audiobooks
Love in Excess; or, the Fatal Enquiry A Novel in Three Parts
by Eliza Fowler Haywood
The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless
by Eliza Fowler Haywood
Life's Progress Through the Passions; Or, The Adventures of Natura
by Eliza Fowler Haywood
About the author
Born Elizabeth Fowler around 1693, Eliza Haywood became one of the most productive writers of her age. She is generally remembered as an English novelist, but her career was much broader: she also worked as an actress, playwright, journalist, translator, and publisher.
Haywood wrote more than 70 works across her lifetime, including popular fiction, plays, poetry, and periodicals. She is especially associated with fast-moving amatory fiction and with The Female Spectator, a pioneering magazine written for women. Her writing helped shape the early English novel and gave women readers a strong, visible place in the literary world.
Much about her personal life remains uncertain, but sources agree that she died in London on February 25, 1756. Modern readers and scholars have returned to her work with fresh interest, seeing her as a central figure in 18th-century literature rather than a side note to it.