Aphra Behn (1640-1689)
‘Here lies a Proof that Wit can never be
Defence enough against Mortality’
Aphra Behn is buried in the East Cloister of Westminster Abbey, London. (See map…ref no. 7)
Aphra Behn is now famous for being the first woman to earn her living from writing. She was a poet, playwright and novelist.
In her early twenties she visited Surinam and on her return she married a merchant scaller Behn who died two year later. She later worked as a spy for Charles II during the Dutch War.
Her most famous poem was a coronation ode to Charles II.
The hero of her best known play, The Rover, was said to have been based on John Wilmot (Earl of Rochester).
Her novel Oroonoko – the story of an enslaved African Prince – was one of the first anti-slavery works in the English Language.
She was also a friend of John Dryden.
She attracted notoriety due to her unconventional opinions and the erotic nature of some of her work.
