Aphra Behn (1640–1689) is today honored as a great literary pioneer. The first woman in England to earn her living as a writer, she became one of the finest dramatists of her day and wrote what is arguably the first English novel. Her life, like her work, was interesting and unusual. As a child, she traveled with her foster family to the West Indies. While living in Suriname, she participated in a slave rebellion. On returning to England, she married, but her husband soon died. To earn money, she became a spy in Antwerp, Belgium, for King Charles II. When she was poorly paid for her spying, she ended up in debtor's prison. To rectify her situation, Behn began writing to earn money. This was an unusual motive for women writers in her day, for most were aristocrats who wrote for pleasure, not for pay. Over the next several years, Behn would write fourteen plays, many of which were favorably received in London. The fortunes of London theaters declined around 1680, and with them Behn's income. Still resourceful, she began writing fiction, and though she died poor, she left behind a rich legacy not just in her writings, but also in the ambitious, adventurous, and inspiring life she had lived.