Eliza Fay, the intrepid traveller and letter writer who visited Calcutta five times and whose “delightfully malicious” style captivated E.M. Forster, died in Calcutta on this day.

After her marriage, she set forth for India from England in 1779 with her husband, but the journey turned out to be an unbelievable adventure. Fay’s letters begin from Paris.

In Egypt, the couple were attacked by bandits. When they landed in Calicut in India, they were imprisoned by officers of Mysore ruler Hyder Ali. Eventually, the couple reached Calcutta in 1780.

Fay’s marriage did not work because of her husband’s waywardness.

She obtained legal separation from him in 1781 and returned to England, but she had found her way into Calcutta society and was soon back, though with less social status.

She worked as a milliner and mantua maker. She would often be insolvent, but that did not deter her from trying out new professions or new places or making sharp observations. She travelled to New York and made three more visits to Calcutta. She died in Calcutta trying to put together her letters for publication.

Several publications of her letters were brought out after her death. Forster’s edition came out from Hogarth Press.