Aphra Behn Statue in Canterbury, England

Per Atlas Obscura, a new statue on Canterbury's High Street honors Aphra Behn, who became the first woman in England to achieve financial independence through her writing. Born in Canterbury in sixteen forty, Behn worked as a playwright, poet, novelist, and—surprisingly—a spy during the Anglo-Dutch wars. Her most celebrated work, 'Oroonoko,' critically explored slavery and colonialism, shaping how generations of writers and activists approached these themes. The statue depicts her as a teenager departing for London, designed to reveal the complexity of her life: she holds a book in one hand, with a theatre mask hidden behind her back. Ink and quill hang from her waist, and a concealed scroll alludes to her espionage. Virginia Woolf's words at the base capture Behn's enduring influence—a legacy built by someone who refused to be confined by the constraints of her time.

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