News

Read my latest updates and news. Feel free to get in touch if you would like to interview me or take part in a feature or programme.

Janet joined Melvyn Bragg recently on In Our Time to discuss Aphra Behn

Janet formed part of the panel discussing Aphra Behn on 12 Oct on BBC Radio 4. You can listen to the Podcast here.

Podcast from Talk Radio Europe now available

Janet was recently interviewed at Talk Radio Europe. You can now listen to her podcast.

Read the full article here.

Janet guest post in June’s The HWA – Historia Magazine

Janet Todd is thrilled to be the guest post in June’s issue of The HWA – Historia Magazine talking about her life, Aphra Behn and women writers

Read the full article here.

Janet interviewed on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on Aphra Behn

Jeremy Sallis chatted to Janet at lunchtime on the 23rd June 2017 about the remarkable Aphra Behn.

Read the full article here.

Successful book signing and launch for Aphra Behn: A Secret Life 

A good crowd gathered for the book signing on the 13th June 2017 of Janet Todd’s latest work – Aphra Behn: A Secret Life.

Read the full article here.

Historical Novel Society reviews Aphra Behn: A Secret Life 

“..whether you are in search of a biography of a fascinating woman or one of a hugely influential writer or seek a window onto the political, literary and cultural landscape of Restoration England you will find all three in this page-turning book.”

Read the full review here.

Janet Todd to speak at Bradford Literature Festival

On Sunday July 2nd Janet Todd will be speaking at the Bradford Literature Festival. The panel, made up of historian, Carol Dyhouse, authors, Moni Mohsin and Janet Todd, will examine what it is about the character of Mr Darcy that has set the bar for heroic heartthrobs ever since. Why is it that this particular man has so enthralled audiences since the 1800s? Join us as we explore the origins of Mr Darcy and ask whether Austen created the ideal man because she was unable to find him in real life.

Find out more.

Shiny New Books reviews Aphra Behn: A Secret Life 

“Janet Todd has combed the archives, explored all the possible options, and made connections based on probabilities in such a way that a credible picture emerges of the life and personality of this fascinating, talented woman.”

Read the full review here.

The Bookbag reviews Aphra Behn: A Secret Life

“I found the book a very interesting read. ….as a portrait of the age in which [AphraBehn] lived it succeeds admirably”

Read the full review here.

HWA’s Historia magazine reviews Aphra Behn: A Secret Life and declares it ‘a significant and absorbing work’

“There is no doubt that Aphra Behn: A Secret Life is a significant and absorbing work about an important figure and one that is packed full of enthralling detail. Todd’s rigorous scholarship underpins her lively conjecture and, despite the paucity of established fact, this is a fascinating read that brings the Restoration period in all its bawdy glory and political complexity into vivid life.”

Read the full review here.

Meeting up with Miriam Margolyes after her superb performance

Enjoyed seeing my friend Miriam Margolyes on May 27th 2017 after her great performance as Madame Rubenstein at Park Theatre, London. A wonderful show.

https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/madame-rubinstein

Kirkus book review highlights that ‘Todd gives close, perceptive reading’ into the works and life of Aphra Behn – A Secret Life’

“A brisk, entertaining, and richly detailed portrait of a unique woman and her era.” Kirkus book review of Aphra Behn – A Secret Life has just been published. Read full review.

 

Book signing and launch date announced: ‘Aphra Behn – A Secret Life’ by Janet Todd

At 6.30pm on Tuesday 13th June, join Janet Todd at Heffers, Cambridge, UK as she celebrates the launch of her book, Aphra Behn – A Secret Life; an account of the life, work and history of the seventeenth century dramatist, poet of the erotic and bisexual, novelist, political propagandist and spy.

All women together ought to let flowers fall on the tomb of Aphra Behn…for it was she who earned them the right to speak their minds” – Virginia Woolf.