The Scandal of the Century

Born in around 1640, her early life isn''t well recorded and facts about her are continually disputed. Her birth name may have been Eaffrey Johnson and she could have been the daughter of a Canterbury barber, although neither fact is certain. And, just after the Restoration she probably briefly lived in the English colony of Surinam in South America, where she was perhaps embroiled in political espionage. Whatever the truth, Behn was in London by 1664 and six years later was writing for the stage.

For a decade, Behn''s work dominated the London stage. Then, suddenly in 1682, she was charged with libel. Her plays could not be produced and by the time of the trial of the century Behn was broke. She decided that writing would be her way out and began to write a novel based on the most notorious adultress of a notoriously adulterous age - Lady Henrietta Berkeley.<>

Product details

• Authors: Lisa Hilton, Hilton Lisa
• Publisher: Penguin Books Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 29.05.2025
• EAN: 9781405953344
• ISBN: 978-1-4059-5334-4
• No. of pages: 352
• Dimensions: 127 mm x 197 mm x 22 mm
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; Non-fiction book > History > Biographies, autobiographies; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary Figures, Biography: literary, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, English, LITERARY CRITICISM / Drama, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / General, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, Literary studies: plays & playwrights, Biography: writers, Biography: historical, political and military, Literary studies: plays and playwrights