Aphra Behn (1640?–1689) was an English dramatist, fiction writer, and poet, and the first Englishwoman known to earn her living by writing. Her origins are somewhat mysterious, and to support herself, she began to write. Her first play, The Forc’d Marriage, was produced in 1670, and many light comedies followed. Her fiction draws more interest today, especially her short novel Oroonoko (1688), which explores themes of slavery, race, and gender. Behn also wrote other popular works of fiction and poetry, and her charm and generosity won her a wide circle of friends.

When and where did Aphra Behn live?

Aphra Behn, an English dramatist, fiction writer, and poet, was born in Harbledown, Kent, England, around 1640 and died in London on April 16, 1689. Behn's origin remains somewhat of a mystery, and she may have intentionally obscured details of her early life. One account says that in the 1650s, she traveled to Suriname with a couple named Amis. However, it is more likely that she was the daughter of Bartholomew Johnson, a barber, who may have sailed with her and the rest of her family to Suriname in 1663. She returned to England in 1664 and married a merchant named Behn.

What kinds of books and plays did Aphra Behn write?

Aphra Behn, the first Englishwoman to earn her living by writing, was a versatile author of the late 17th century. Behn wrote various plays, including tragicomedies, light comedies, and farces. Her first play, The Forc’d Marriage , was produced in 1670, and The Amorous Prince followed a year later. One of her most commercially successful comedies was The Rover , which had two parts produced in 1677 and 1681. The Emperor of the Moon , first performed in 1687, foreshadowed the harlequinade. Although Behn wrote many plays, her fiction attracts more interest today. Her short novel Oroonoko is her best-known work. She also wrote other popular works of fiction, poetry, and adapted works by older dramatists.

Why is Aphra Behn considered important in English literature?

Aphra Behn (1640-1689) holds an important place in English literature as the first Englishwoman known to earn her living by writing. Behn was a versatile writer who wrote tragicomedies, poetry, fiction, and witty comedies, such as The Rover , which gained commercial success. Today, her fiction attracts more interest, especially her short novel Oroonoko (1688), which tells the story of an enslaved African prince. Oroonoko 's themes of slavery, race, and gender, and its influence on the development of the English novel, have helped to make it her best-known work. Her suggestion that "primitive" peoples are morally superior to Europeans was taken by many of her contemporaries as an abolitionist stance.

What are some of Aphra Behn's most famous works?

Aphra Behn, the first Englishwoman to earn a living by writing, was a dramatist, fiction writer, and poet. Some of her most famous works include:

Aphra Behn

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Born:: 1640?, Harbledown?, Kent, England

Died:: April 16, 1689, London

Notable Works:: “Oroonoko”; “The Rover”

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Aphra Behn

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Who was Aphra Behn?
Aphra Behn (1640?–1689) was an English dramatist, fiction writer, and poet, and the first Englishwoman known to earn her living by writing. Her origins are somewhat mysterious, and to support herself, she began to write. Her first play, The Forc’d Marriage, was produced in 1670, and many light comedies followed. Her fiction draws more interest today, especially her short novel Oroonoko (1688), which explores themes of slavery, race, and gender. Behn also wrote other popular works of fiction and poetry, and her charm and generosity won her a wide circle of friends.
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When and where did Aphra Behn live?
Aphra Behn, an English dramatist, fiction writer, and poet, was born in Harbledown, Kent, England, around 1640 and died in London on April 16, 1689. Behn's origin remains somewhat of a mystery, and she may have intentionally obscured details of her early life. One account says that in the 1650s, she traveled to Suriname with a couple named Amis. However, it is more likely that she was the daughter of Bartholomew Johnson, a barber, who may have sailed with her and the rest of her family to Suriname in 1663. She returned to England in 1664 and married a merchant named Behn.
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1. Aphra Behn
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What kinds of books and plays did Aphra Behn write?
Aphra Behn, the first Englishwoman to earn her living by writing, was a versatile author of the late 17th century. Behn wrote various plays, including tragicomedies, light comedies, and farces. Her first play, The Forc’d Marriage, was produced in 1670, and The Amorous Prince followed a year later. One of her most commercially successful comedies was The Rover, which had two parts produced in 1677 and 1681. The Emperor of the Moon, first performed in 1687, foreshadowed the harlequinade.

Although Behn wrote many plays, her fiction attracts more interest today. Her short novel Oroonoko is her best-known work. She also wrote other popular works of fiction, poetry, and adapted works by older dramatists.
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1. Aphra Behn
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Why is Aphra Behn considered important in English literature?
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) holds an important place in English literature as the first Englishwoman known to earn her living by writing. Behn was a versatile writer who wrote tragicomedies, poetry, fiction, and witty comedies, such as The Rover, which gained commercial success. Today, her fiction attracts more interest, especially her short novel Oroonoko (1688), which tells the story of an enslaved African prince. Oroonoko's themes of slavery, race, and gender, and its influence on the development of the English novel, have helped to make it her best-known work. Her suggestion that "primitive" peoples are morally superior to Europeans was taken by many of her contemporaries as an abolitionist stance.
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2. Aphra Behn
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What are some of Aphra Behn's most famous works?
Aphra Behn, the first Englishwoman to earn a living by writing, was a dramatist, fiction writer, and poet. Some of her most famous works include:
- The Rover A commercially successful comedy depicting the adventures of English Cavaliers in Madrid and Naples.
- Oroonoko A short novel about an enslaved African prince, exploring themes of slavery, race, and gender. It is her best-known work and an early example of the philosophical novel in English.
- Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister A multipart epistolary novel.
- The Emperor of the Moon A comedy that foreshadowed the harlequinade.
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2. Aphra Behn
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Aphra Behn (born 1640?, Harbledown?, Kent, England—died April 16, 1689, London) was an English dramatist, fiction writer, and poet who was the first Englishwoman known to earn her living by writing.

Her origin remains a mystery, in part because Behn may have deliberately obscured her early life. One tradition identifies Behn as the child known only as Ayfara or Aphra who traveled in the 1650s with a couple named Amis to Suriname, which was then an English possession. She was more likely the daughter of a barber, Bartholomew Johnson, who may or may not have sailed with her and the rest of her family to Suriname in 1663. She returned to England in 1664 and married a merchant named Behn; he died (or the couple separated) soon after. Her wit and talent having brought her into high esteem, she was employed by King Charles II in secret service in the Netherlands in 1666. Unrewarded and briefly imprisoned for debt, she began to write to support herself.

Behn’s early works were tragicomedies in verse. In 1670 her first play, The Forc’d Marriage, was produced, and The Amorous Prince followed a year later. Her sole tragedy, Abdelazer, was staged in 1676. However, she turned increasingly to light comedy and farce over the course of the 1670s. Many of these witty and vivacious comedies, notably The Rover (two parts, produced 1677 and 1681), were commercially successful. The Rover depicts the adventures of a small group of English Cavaliers in Madrid and Naples during the exile of the future Charles II. The Emperor of the Moon, first performed in 1687, presaged the harlequinade, a form of comic theatre that evolved into the English pantomime.

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Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry

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Though Behn wrote many plays, her fiction today draws more interest. Her short novel Oroonoko (1688) tells the story of an enslaved African prince whom Behn claimed to have known in South America. Its engagement with the themes of slavery, race, and gender, as well as its influence on the development of the English novel, helped to make it, by the turn of the 21st century, her best-known work. Behn’s other fiction included the multipart epistolary novel Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister (1684–87) and The Fair Jilt (1688).

Behn’s versatility, like her output, was immense; she wrote other popular works of fiction, and she often adapted works by older dramatists. She also wrote poetry, the bulk of which was collected in Poems upon Several Occasions, with A Voyage to the Island of Love (1684) and Lycidus; or, The Lover in Fashion (1688). Behn’s charm and generosity won her a wide circle of friends, and her relative freedom as a professional writer, as well as the subject matter of her works, made her the object of some scandal.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.

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