In 1718 Daniel Defoe, the great English writer, was nearly sixty years old. He had a full and interesting life. He travelled, tried many professions and wrote many looks and pamphlets.
In 1712 Defoe met a sailor who had been alone on a desert island. Alexander Selkirk was his name. After a quarrel with his officer the sailor had been put ashore on an island off the coast of Chile. For more than four years he had lived alone on that island. At last he was saved by a ship putting in at this island for water. When the sailor returned to London, his adventures became the talk of the town. Several stories about him were printed, read and soon forgotten.
But Defoe didn't forget. Selkirk's unique experience captured his imagination.
And Defoe turned to writing the story of a shipwrecked man. He chose an island in a different part of the world for his story, and created an imaginary character for his hero, Robinson Crusoe. With his skill of a journalist, he was able to make his story seem absolutely true.
The look was a great success. Everybody read it, enjoyed it, almost believed it. The story of Robinson Crusoe, an imaginary character, is known all over the world, while the true story of Selkirk is practically unknown today.