Oroonoko: Annotated Edition

Virginia Woolf once said, “All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn…for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds.” Aphra Behn, the first known professional female writer, paved the way for women to share their thoughts and stories.

Published in 1688, Oroonoko tells the heartbreaking love story of an African prince named Oroonoko and his beloved Imoinda. Oroonoko is betrayed, enslaved, and sold to European colonists in Surinam. Behn’s poignant narrative is presented as a first-person account of Oroonoko’s life, love, rebellion, and tragic end.

This edition of Oroonoko by Warbler Classics includes an article by George Jay Smith from 1925 that sheds light on the historical context of the story. Additionally, there is an essay by Janet Todd, author of Aphra Behn: A Secret Life (2017), providing further insight into Behn’s most famous work.

Aphra Behn, born in 1640 and passing away in 1689, was a versatile writer known for her plays, poetry, translations, essays, and fiction. She is considered a pioneer of the modern novel, with her stories pre-dating works like Richardson’s Pamela by eighty years.

George Jay Smith, who lived from 1866 to 1938, was a Harvard University alumnus with a Ph.D. in Philosophy. He shared his knowledge of English language and literature as a professor at Columbia University.

Janet Todd, the former President of Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge, and Emerita Professor of English Literature at the University of Aberdeen, is a renowned scholar in the field. Her biography of Aphra Behn sheds new light on the life and works of this groundbreaking female writer.

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