Daniel Defoe

English, 1660–1731

Daniel Defoe (1660–1731) was an English writer, trader, and journalist widely considered one of the founders of the English novel. His most famous work, Robinson Crusoe, tells the story of a castaway surviving on a remote island and is often cited as the first English novel. Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer who produced over 300 works on topics ranging from politics and economics to crime and the supernatural.