Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731), an English writer, journalist, merchant, and political commentator, was born around 1660 in London, where he died on April 24, 1731. He is considered one of the founders of the English realistic novel and a significant figure in early 18th-century literature. His work is characterized by adventure, individualism, social criticism, and an interest in human resourcefulness.
He was born Daniel Foe into the family of a Presbyterian merchant. He engaged in trade, travel, and political writing, frequently running into trouble due to financial difficulties and conflicts with the authorities. His satirical pamphlet The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters (1702) resulted in a prison sentence. In 1704, he launched the periodical The Review, which played a key role in the development of English journalism.
He achieved worldwide fame with the novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), the story of a castaway living for years on a desert island. Through the protagonist's struggle for survival, Defoe explores themes of labor, perseverance, faith, self-reliance, and the relationship between man and nature. The novel became a classic of adventure literature and inspired numerous literary and film adaptations.
Around the same time, he published Captain Singleton (1720), a novel about maritime adventures and piracy. In the work Moll Flanders (1722), he depicts the life of a woman who, faced with poverty and social constraints, employs various means to survive.
The novel A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) offers a compelling account of the Great Plague epidemic in London in 1665, combining historical facts, a documentary approach, and literary fiction. Other notable works include Colonel Jack (1722), Roxana (1724), and the travelogue A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain (1724–1727).
Defoe’s style is characterized by simple storytelling, a wealth of detail, realism, and a convincing portrayal of everyday life. His characters often grapple with moral dilemmas, social inequalities, and the struggle for survival.
Through his novels, Defoe contributed to the development of modern narrative realism, and Robinson Crusoe has remained one of the most famous and widely translated works of world literature.
Titles in our offer
Mol Flanders
Daniel Defoe's *Moll Flanders* is a novel about a woman who struggles against poverty and social constraints in 17th-century England. Her life is marked by romantic liaisons, acts of deception, crimes, and a quest for security.
Moll Flanders
Daniel Defoe's *Moll Flanders* is a novel about a woman who struggles against poverty and social constraints in 17th-century England. Her life is marked by romantic liaisons, acts of deception, crimes, and a quest for security.
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, follows the life and twenty-eight-year survival of an English castaway on a desert island, celebrating human resourcefulness and spirit.
Robinson Crusoe
"Robinson Crusoe" is an adventure novel by Daniel Defoe published in 1719. The story follows the young man Robinson Crusoe, who, despite his father's desire to lead a peaceful life, decides to become a sailor.
Robinson Crusoe
Second edition. Created in the most fruitful period of the author's life, the novel Robinson Crusoe has become one of the most famous novels in world literature. Published in an abbreviated version adapted for elementary school students.
Robinson Kruso
“Robinson Crusoe” is the first and most famous novel about a castaway who had to learn to survive on his own on a deserted island. It was written by Daniel Defoe, making it one of the most famous names in children's and young adult literature.
