Robinson Crusoe

Daniel Dafoe's classic tale of Robinson Crusoe as retold by Jane Carruth. By Award Publications of London. Robinson Crusoe's author was born in London in 1660; as soon as he was old enough to earn a living he embarked on a career, first as a soldier - he took part in Monmouth's rebellion in 1685 - and later as a merchant adventurer and spy. On one of his journeys abroad he was, like his famous hero, actually captured by pirates! In later life he became a journalist and wrote many books, some of them of a political nature, though today he is mainly remembered for his vivid tale of the castaway. When he died in 1731, Defoe was already widely recognized as a successful novelist and an important influence in the history of English journalism.