Recommendation:
1. This book provides a fascinating account of a remarkable woman who defied gender norms and societal conventions of her time. It is a must-read for those who appreciate historical and biographical works, as well as fans of literature and feminist studies. The author's expertise and attention to detail in revealing Behn's life as a playwright, novelist, bisexual and spy, truly makes this book a unique and insightful read.

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The life, work and history of Aphra Behn: seventeenth ­century dramatist, poet, novelist, political propagandist, bisexual writer, and spy.Praise for the first hardback edition:“Fascinating scholarship. Todd conveys Behn's vivacious character and the mores of the time.” —the New York Times“Ground-breaking—it reads quickly and lightly. Even Todd’s throwaway lines are steeped in learning and observation.” —Ruth Perry, MIT, Women’s Review of Books“A major biography; of interest to everyone who cares about women as writers.” —Times Higher Education Supplement“Fascinating, a page-turner and a delight, an astonishingly thorough book.” —Emma Donoghue“All women together ought to let flowers fall on the tomb of Aphra Behn. . . . For it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” —Virginia WoolfAphra Behn, a spy in the Netherlands and the Americas, was the first professional woman writer. The most prolific dramatist of her age, innovative novelist, translator, lyrical and erotic poet, she expresses a frank sexuality addressing impotence, orgasm and bisexuality, whilst serving as political propagandist for the monarch.This revised biography of the extraordinary, ground-breaking writer, who is emblematic of the Restoration period, a time of masks and self-fashioning, is set in conflict-ridden England, Europe, and in the mismanaged slave colonies, following the Puritan republic in 1660.Janet Todd, novelist and internationally renowned scholar, was President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge, and a Professor at Rutgers, NJ. An expert on women’s writing and feminism, she has published on many writers, including Jane Austen, the Shelley Circle, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Aphra Behn.

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