Eliza Haywood, born Elizabeth Fowler, was an English author, actor, and publisher. Haywood's literary works gained popularity and fame beginning in the 1980s. Haywood was described as "prolific even by the standards of a prolific age" and produced and published over 70 works in her lifetime, including fiction, play, translations, poetry, conduct literature, and magazines. Haywood is now predominantly studied as one of the 18th-century inventors of the English novel. Eliza Haywood, born Elizabeth Fowler, was an English author, actor, and publisher. Haywood's literary works gained popularity and fame beginning in the 1980s. Haywood was described as "prolific even by the standards of a prolific age" and produced and published over 70 works in her lifetime, including fiction, play, translations, poetry, conduct literature, and magazines. Haywood is now predominantly studied as one of the 18th-century inventors of the English novel. Scholars of Eliza Haywood all agree on one thing: the exact date of her death. Haywood provided contradicting narratives of her own existence; her roots are unknown, and there are still competing interpretations of her biography.
