Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe was born in London in or around 1660. He was a prolific writer, with more than 300 works to his name including books, pamphlets and journals. He is remembered for Robinson Crusoe (1719): the first great novel in English (although probably based on a true story). It’s also the most translated book of all time, apart from the Bible. The story of a castaway struggling to survive on a remote island has been adapted for the screen many times, perhaps most successfully as The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1954).

In addition to Robinson Crusoe, Defoe’s other novels include Moll Flanders (1722) which recounts the fall and eventual redemption of a woman in 17th Century England. It has met with mixed success on screen. The most faithful adaptation is the 1975 British TV movie starring Julia Foster. Defoe died in London in 1731 aged 70 and is buried in Bunhill Fields in London, which is also the resting place of John Bunyan and William Blake. A striking marble obelisk in his memory was erected in the Central Broadwalk in 1870.