WRITER

Aphra Behn

1640 - 1689

Photo of Aphra Behn

Icon of person Aphra Behn

Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barriers and served as a literary role model for later generations of women authors. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Aphra Behn has received more than 1,144,514 page views. Her biography is available in 45 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 43 in 2019). Aphra Behn is the 2,130th most popular writer (down from 1,779th in 2019), the 1,602nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 1,399th in 2019) and the 173rd most popular British Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.1M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 55.76

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 45

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.02

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.11

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Novels
Accessible book
The rover
English drama, open_syllabus_project, Restoration
The works of Aphra Behn
English Dramatists
Oroonoko
Classic Literature, Fiction, History
Aphra Behn was one of the first professional English female writers and Oroonoko was one of her earliest works. It is the love story between Oroonoko, the grandson of an African king, and the daughter of that king's general. The king takes the girl into his harem, and when she plans to escape with his grandson, sells her as a slave. When Oroonoko tries to follow her he is caught by an English slave trader and taken to the same West Indian island as his love.
L'intreâque de Philander et Silvia
The city-heiress, or, Sir Timothy Treat-all
L'intreâque de Philander et Silvia
Fiction, general, British and irish fiction (fictional works by one author), Man-woman relationships, fiction
Younger Brother
Oroonoko
Oroonoko
Oroonoko
Oroonoko
Slave trade, Fiction, Princes
<em>Oroonoko</em> (1688)—full title Oroonoko:<em> or, The Royal Slave</em>—is a short work of prose fiction by English poet and writer Aphra Behn. This text is a first-person account of Oroonoko&#8217;s life and his ensuing journey after the African prince is tricked into slavery and sold to European colonists in Surinam.

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Aphra Behn ranks 2,130 out of 7,302Before her are Al-Sharif al-Radi, James Boswell, Pavel Kohout, Savitri Devi, Guðbergur Bergsson, and Daqiqi. After her are Luís Fróis, Almeida Garrett, Kenneth Grahame, William Caxton, Salvador de Madariaga, and Jean Bolland.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1640, Aphra Behn ranks 10Before her are Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan, Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki, Pu Songling, La Voisin, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, and Gaspar Sanz. After her are Antoine Coysevox, Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, Abraham Mignon, Philippe de La Hire, Mariana Alcoforado, and Jacques Ozanam. Among people deceased in 1689, Aphra Behn ranks 9Before her are Marie Louise d’Orléans, Aşub Sultan, Sambhaji, Archduchess Maria Anna Josepha of Austria, Khushal Khattak, and Jean-Baptiste Tavernier. After her are Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, Thomas Sydenham, Pjetër Bogdani, Adolph John I, Count Palatine of Kleeburg, Dorothea of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, and Kazimierz Łyszczyński.

Others Born in 1640

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Others Deceased in 1689

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Aphra Behn ranks 1,602 out of 8,785Before her are Eliza Poe (1787), Harry Kane (1993), David Moyes (1963), George Stubbs (1724), James Boswell (1740), and Thomas Arne (1710). After her are Kenneth Grahame (1859), William Caxton (1422), Sidney Paget (1860), Havelock Ellis (1859), William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738), and Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle (1693).

Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, Aphra Behn ranks 173Before her are George MacDonald (1824), James Hilton (1900), Patrick O'Brian (1914), James Herbert Brennan (1940), Orderic Vitalis (1075), and James Boswell (1740). After her are Kenneth Grahame (1859), William Caxton (1422), Matthew Arnold (1822), Rebecca West (1892), David Ogilvy (1911), and Eric Knight (1897).