Oroonoko (Penguin Little Black Classics, 105)

Written by spy, traveller and pioneering female writer Aphra Benn, this story of an African prince sold into slavery is considered one of the earliest English novels.

‘We are bought and sold like apes or monkeys, to be the sport of women, fools, and cowards, and the support of rogues . . .’
Spy, traveller and pioneering female writer Aphra Benn’s story of an African prince sold into slavery is considered one of the earliest English novels

About the Author

Little is known of Aphra Behn’s early life. She was probably born around 1640 in Kent and in the early 1660s claims to have visited the British colony of Surinam. She turned to literature for a living, producing numerous short stories, 19 stage plays and political propaganda for the Tories.