Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe was an English writer, journalist, and pamphleteer who is best known for his novel Robinson Crusoe. He was born in London in 1660 and grew up in a family of dissenters, which meant that they were not members of the Church of England. Defoe's father was a butcher and his mother was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Defoe was educated at a dissenting academy and then went on to study at the University of Oxford, but he did not complete his degree. He became a merchant and traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Americas, which gave him a wealth of material for his writing. Defoe began his career as a writer in his late thirties, and he quickly became known for his political pamphlets. He was a supporter of the Whig party and wrote many pamphlets in support of their policies. He also wrote about social issues, such as poverty and crime, and was a strong advocate for prison reform. In 1719, Defoe published his most famous work, Robinson Crusoe. The novel tells the story of a man who is shipw