Aphra Behn, writer and spy
Aphra Behn was one of the most productive dramatists of the Restoration Period in England and also has the distinction of being one of the earliest female writers to achieve financial independence by means of their work.
Behn was born on July 10th, 1640 and baptised on December 14th of that same year but aside from this information many of the other details surrounding her early life are shrouded in obscurity. It is thought that she was born in Wye near Canterbury.
Aphra Behn's parents, Bartholomew Johnson and Elizabeth Denham were married in 1638. Bartholomew was a barber by trade while his wife worked as a nurse for the prominent Canterbury family, the Colepepers. While growing up, Aphra or Eaffry as she came to be called, spent a lot of time with the Colepeper children, particularly the young Thomas Colepeper who would later consider her a foster sister.
Behn had the opportunity to travel to Venezuela in 1663, where she spent much of the visit in an English sugar colony on the Suriname River in what is now known as the Suriname district. One of Behn's most celebrated works Oroonoko likely had their roots in her visit to the country after she met an African there who was a slave leader by trade. While some controversy later arose on whether Behn's trip to the Suriname region actually took place, the widely held theory nowadays is that this was in fact an event that actually occurred.
Aphra Behn would return to England in 1664 where she soon married a merchant who was either of Dutch or German origin named Johan Behn. Many people believe that this union was only a matter of convenience for Behn and some even doubted that it actually took place.
The status gained from being a widow would have been far more beneficial for Aphra Behn's career than being unmarried. In any case the marriage only lasted a few years. This theory would also have supported the widespread belief that Behn was actually bisexual. Throughout her literary career she would make numerous references to bisexuality and lesbianism in her work.
Aphra Behn's sexual orientation may have caused some amount of controversy in those days but it has no doubt played some part in the renewed interest in her work and in the details surrounding her life in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Interestingly, Aphra Behn also had an alternate career as a spy. This came about by her association with the court of Charles II by way of Thomas Culpepper and other prominent nobles of the time. It was the monarch in fact who would give Behn her assignment as an English spy in Antwerp.
Given the code name Astrea, she would later publish her literary work under that same name. She managed to have an affair with an influential member of the royal family at Antwerp and therefore gain access to many state secrets that she reported back to England.
Aside from the aforementioned Oroonoko, her other notable works included The Rover and Love-Letters between a Noble-Man and his Sister.
Aphra Behn died on April 16th, 1689 and her remains lie in Westminster Abbey.Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 16/05/2008
