Aphra Behn (1640-1689) 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 womenauthors. Rising from obscurity, she came to the notice of Charles II, who employed her as a spy in Antwerp. Upon her return to London, she began writing for the stage. Her best-known works are Oroonoko or, The Royal Slave, sometimes described as an early novel, and the play The Rover.