Hartly House, Calcutta

Written anonymously and first published in 1789, this records the observations and impressions of a young English woman in Calcutta in the late 18th century. She writes about her experiences of life and society in India, including her love affair with a Bengali Brahman. It challenges many of the stereotypes of life in the Imperial Raj in India. The positive identity of the author has never been established, but it is believed to have been a young woman who wrote the book on her return to England.