Aphra Behn

Much of Behn’s life is a mystery. There are no records of her date and place of birth, though she was certainly British, and most of the other details of her life are also unknown. Some believe Behn herself obscured or destroyed records of her life. She may have lived for a time in the European sugar colony of Suriname, South America (perhaps as a spy for King Charles II), and was reportedly married to a Mr. Johan Behn. Upon returning to England, Behn became very poor, and she wrote to earn a living and to stay out of debtor’s prison. She wrote extensively for almost two decades, and her corpus includes several plays, translations, and pieces of prose fiction. She is considered one of the first English novelists, and a notable dramatist of the 1600s. While alive, she was an active part of London’s theatre society, and was friends with other famous playwrights like John Dryden. She died in London, and is buried in Westminster Abbey. She is best known for her short novel Oroonoko.