ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
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ON THE ARTS MAP
LITERATURE ’ S BEST-KEPT SECRET :
CANTERBURY ’ S APHRA BEHN
Explore this exhibition at The Beaney from Saturday 8 June to Sunday 18 August 2024 to discover the dramatic life and work of Aphra Behn , an important and influential writer , and literature ’ s best kept secret .
Born on the edge of Canterbury in Harbledown in 1640 , Aphra Johnson , the daughter of a barber and a woman serving as a wetnurse , was to become Aphra Behn , the first professional female writer in English .
As Aphra Behn , she became a spy and then a fantastically successful playwright , poet , translator and fiction writer , who was buried in Westminster Abbey .
This exhibition celebrates the startling achievements of this daughter of Canterbury , which included two plays so loved by audiences that they were performed on the London stage every season for over 50 years , and a novella , Oroonoko , the first fiction in English to centre on a rebellion of enslaved Africans .
We trace her story , starting in a world where outspoken women might be punished , via her spying trip to Antwerp in 1666 , to her glittering London career in the 1670s and 1680s .
Despite her successes , her journey was full of challenges . As she wryly remarked in the preface to her comedy , Sir Patient Fancy , in 1678 : “ The play had no other misfortune but that of coming out for a woman ’ s ; had it been owned by a man , though the most dull , unthinking , rascally scribbler in town , it had been a most admirable play .”
As Canterbury unveils its publicly funded statue of Aphra , come and find out about the obstacles she faced and celebrate what she achieved despite them .
The exhibition includes loans from The National Archives , The National Portrait Gallery , The National Trust , The Amelia Tunbridge Wells , Kent Libraries , Registration & Archives , and the Dean and Chapter , Canterbury Cathedral .
Family friendly activities inspired by Aphra Behn ’ s work as a playwright and spy will also be running , alongside special Aphra Behn schools ’ workshops . Admission is free , with a £ 3 suggested donation per visitor .
Special Exhibitions Room First Floor , The Beaney Canterbury
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