Behn, Aphra

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Behn, Aphra (1640–89) English playwright, poet, and novelist – the first English professional female writer. A proto-feminist, Behn attracted much contemporary scandal. She produced 15 risqué comic plays, the most well-known being The Rover (1677). She also wrote poetry under an assumed name, but is principally remembered for the first English philosophical novel, Oroonoko (1688), an anti-slavery love story.

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