[...] a Devil on't the Woman damns the Poet.
-- Aphra Behn, Preface to The Lucky Chance
Aphra Behn (1640-1689) was not the first woman writer; neither was she the only
woman writer of her day. But Aphra Behn holds the singular distinction of being the
first professional woman writer in the English language. That's right, ladies -- Aphra
Behn was the first woman writer who did it for money.
It was a natural choice for this young woman, a recent spy for the crown and a widow
at the age of 26, to turn to selling herself (in a manner of speaking) in order to
survive.Many other women of the period did so; but instead of novels and plays, they
sold something much more fundamental and far more common. Single women,
whether spinsters or widows, often allowed themselves to be kept by rich men of the
commons and nobility alike. Mrs. Behn chose not to sell herself but her wits and
words, and was branded a whore for her efforts.
Not much is known of her origins. Most biographers seem to agree she was born Aphra Johnson in or around
1640, and that she acquired her education and her connections at court through a noble childhood friend for
whom her mother acted as a wet-nurse. She very likely traveled with her family to Surinam in her early 20s; at the
age of 26, after having been briefly married to a Mr. Behn (of which nothing is known), she went to Antwerp as a
spy for the crown. The mission was singularly unsuccessful, and she returned to England a debtor (very likely
serving a short term in prison).
When she got out, she began to write, at first "for bread," but soon she made it clear that she was writing not only
for money but for fame -- and also to fulfill what she called "my masculine part, the poet in me" -- clearly asserting
her rights as an artist despite her gender. She ...