Writer Daniel Defoe. Brief biography of Daniel Defoe. Daniel Defoe short biography

Biography and episodes of life Daniel Defoe. When born and died Daniel Defoe, memorable places and dates of important events in his life. Writer quotes, images and videos.

Years of life of Daniel Defoe:

born 1660, died April 24, 1731

Epitaph

Biography

The life of the famous writer and great adventurer Daniel Defoe seems to his contemporaries to be a series of real mysteries. He is called the founder of the modern storytelling genre and the father of economic journalism, and is suspected of international espionage and political intrigue in medieval England. Defoe's moral principles are regarded very ambiguously: he seemed to balance between two extremes, personifying Puritan piety and bourgeois power at the same time. But the unprecedented talent of Daniel Defoe is beyond doubt, because his main brainchild - the story of Robinson Crusoe - has become a cult novel of world significance. And, probably, there is hardly a person in the civilized world who has not heard about the adventures of a lonely sailor.

Daniel Defoe was born in London into a family of English Protestants. From childhood he prepared to become a pastor and received the appropriate spiritual education at one of the most elite academies in the capital. But contrary to the sentiments of his parents, the future writer chose a worldly life, and the most adventurous one at that. Daniel had barely turned twenty when he opened his own business, investing almost all his available money in it. In business, Defoe did not like to waste his time on trifles, preferring only large and truly risky transactions. Moreover, the writer was well versed in economics and politics, which helped him gain trust in high circles. And we are talking not so much about the bourgeoisie, but about the royal family itself. It is known that Defoe contributed in every possible way to the enthronement of King Guillaume of Orange, and during his reign, accordingly, he “played favorites.”

And while Daniel Defoe was having fun in the fields of politics and commerce, looking for himself in literature and journalism, and shining in secular society, his wife Mary Tuffley raised a bunch of children almost alone. When the children grew up, none of them felt a special feeling of love for their father. By that time, Defoe was already old and, fairly tired of his hectic life, began to feel the need for simple family happiness. Probably, it was here that a certain turning point occurred in the life of Daniel Defoe: he seemed to realize that his time was running out, and the main happiness in life was irretrievably lost. At the same time, a new literary Defoe was born - not a daring pamphleteer-provocateur, but a sensitive, infinitely touching psychologist, describing his own tragedy of loneliness. “I clearly felt how much happier my present life, with all its sufferings and hardships, was than the shameful, sin-filled, disgusting life that I led before. Everything in me changed, I now understood grief and joy completely differently, my desires were not the same, my passions lost their sharpness,” the writer admitted through the mouth of Robinson.

The last years of Defoe's life were spent in illness and loneliness. Sometimes the writer had to hide from creditors and deceived publishers, wandering around rented London apartments. When the writer died, even his relatives did not know about the fact of Defoe’s death. It is believed that the cause of Defoe's death was a lethargic attack. Defoe's funeral was organized by the owner of the house where Daniel was staying at that time. To cover burial costs, she had to sell off some of the writer’s personal belongings. Several mocking obituaries were devoted to the death of Daniel Defoe, and Defoe's grave in London's Bunhill Fields cemetery was covered with a simple tombstone, which was soon overgrown with grass and became invisible. And only more than a hundred years later, a granite monument to Defoe’s memory was opened at the writer’s burial site.

Life line

1660 Year of birth of Daniel Defoe.
1673 Admission to a nonconformist academy in London.
1683 Opening your own haberdashery store.
1684 Marriage to Mary Tuffley.
1685 Participation in the rebellion against King James II.
1692 Bankruptcy and temporary suspension of commercial activities.
1701 The publication of Defoe's first satirical poem. The beginning of a literary career.
1703 Prison sentence for impudent criticism of royal power.
1719 The publication of Daniel Defoe's most famous novel, Robinson Crusoe.
April 24, 1731 Date of death of Daniel Defoe.

Memorable places

1. Cripplegate area in London, where Daniel Defoe was born.
2. The area of Stoke Newington in London, where Defoe studied at the seminary.
3. Westonsoyland, where the writer took part in the famous Battle of Sedgemoor.
4. Moorfields area in London, where Daniel Defoe died.
5. Bunhill Fields Cemetery in London, where Defoe is buried.
6. Monument to Robinson Crusoe - the main literary character of Defoe - in Tobolsk.
7. Easter Island (Chile), where the monument to Robinson Crusoe is erected.

Episodes of life

The publication of the novel about Robinson Crusoe provided Defoe with authority in the literary world. Thus, Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy himself translated the book into Russian. In the modern world, Daniel Defoe is recognized as one of the founders of the novel as a genre, and his hero, Robinson, is put on a par with Faust and Don Quixote.

For the pamphlet “The Shortest Way to Deal with Sectarians,” Defoe was sentenced to prison and pilloried. In this work, the writer reduced the arguments of the ruling church to virtually absurdity, for which, in fact, he was punished. Note that the “shameful punishment” was extremely offensive, since a person chained to a stake could be mocked in any way he wanted. But in Daniel's case, the opposite happened. The aristocracy, inspired by the hot satire, gathered at the pillar and showered the writer with flowers from head to toe.

Covenant

"It's never too late to wise up."

Film about Daniel Defoe from the Encyclopedia Project series

Condolences

“In the person of Daniel Defoe - a talented publicist, journalist, writer, pioneer of the novel of modern times - enlightenment in England at its early stage found one of its brightest representatives.”
Larisa Sidorchenko, writer

“Defoe gives Robinson his thoughts, putting educational views into his mouth. Robinson expresses ideas of religious tolerance, he is freedom-loving and humane, he hates wars, and condemns the cruelty of the extermination of natives living on lands captured by white colonialists. Finally, he is inspired by his work. Depicting the labor exploits of Robinson, Defoe expresses the unshakable faith in man, which was characteristic of the Enlightenment.
Elena Kornilova, writer

“We cannot do without reading good books: they help our education, develop our minds and ennoble our soul and heart. There is one book that, in my opinion, is the best treatise on education... What kind of wonderful book is this? Ariosto, Pliny or Buffon? No, this is Robinson Crusoe!
Jean Jacques Rousseau, philosopher

Daniel Defoe is an English politician and famous writer. He was born in 1660 or 1661 in London and died there on April 26, 1731. The son of the butcher Fo, he, like his father, was a zealous dissident - Presbyterian.

In his youth, Daniel abandoned the spiritual career to which he was destined and took up trade in London, traveling on business in France and Spain, but due to his passion for politics and literature he suffered bankruptcy (c. 1692). He applied his experience in his “Essay on Projectionism” (published only in 1698). This essay examines the economic and political ills of the time while presenting a detailed plan for improving the social order. There are discussions and projects on financial issues, on pauperism, which began to arise precisely at that time, on the need to multiply elementary schools, on the shortcomings of female education in England - coupled with an energetic appeal in favor of mental emancipation. “This is an essay full of bright thoughts and new and fair views,” wrote Benjamin Franklin, – greatly influenced my mind; my whole system of philosophies and morals changed. The main events of my life and the part I took in the revolution of my country were to a very large extent the results of this reading."

Portrait of Daniel Defoe

Another essay by Defoe: “Alms are not charity, and providing work for the poor is the ruin of a nation” is a political and economic treatise with deep meaning, where the author tries to understand the social causes of poverty. In general, with works of this kind, Defoe in the field of reforms preceded everything that England of the 18th century had brilliant among its reformers. He threw light on many issues of political economy, higher administration, religious, historical, aesthetic.

In 1701 he wrote for the king William III, to which he joined as a volunteer immediately after his landing (see Glorious Revolution), the satirical poem “Pureblood Englishman” (1701), where he reflected attacks on the king as a foreigner, proving that the English themselves were a mixed race and owed many advantages to this circumstance.

When, after the death of William, the persecution of dissidents resumed, Defoe wrote an ironic pamphlet on the adherents of the “high church” “The Shortest Way to Deal with Dissenters” (1702), where he mockingly “recommended” that, as the most convenient solution to the issue, they should exterminate dissidents without exception, just as the French king exterminated Protestants. The author of the caustic satire was soon recognized and sentenced to pillory and imprisonment. But the shameful punishment turned into triumph (Dafoe was thrown with flowers), and the conclusion was short.

In prison, Defoe began writing “Review,” which was supposedly compiled from materials from the “scandal club.” The success of this magazine soon gave rise to other weekly publications with a moralistic orientation. Having lost the income with which he supported himself and his large family due to imprisonment, Defoe was forced in his political writings to maneuver between his conscience and the support of the ministry. During the negotiations for union between England and Scotland, the government used the services of Defoe as a mediator, and he resolved his task very skillfully.

The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe. 1972 film

What made Defoe immortal was his essay “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Sailor from York” (1719). This book, which the champion of “natural man” Rousseau praised as a first-class and fascinating work for youth, is a kind of “philosophy of history”, representing a picture of the transition from a primitive rude state to a civilized one. The main significance of this work lies in its main idea, which, however, is quite objectively supported by facts: a person, transferred to a deserted island, must, as if by himself, recreate the entire culture with all stages of its development. As for the purely literary merit of Robinson, here the author with brilliant success applied in practice that “realism of fantasy”, able to make the most incredible believable, which constitutes his distinctive quality as a fiction writer who is an innovator in England on this path.

He describes the strange adventures of his hero like a true artist. “Under his hand, the romantic ceases to be a novel; it becomes an actual, undoubtedly true story, which we follow step by step with full participation. The amazing art with which the author achieved this irresistible probability of the story lies in the subtlety and naturalness of the psychological depiction of the characters and in the extremely animated painting of details.” Although the plot of “Robinson” reproduces the actual story of A. Selkirk on the island of Juan Fernandez, there is also an autobiographical element in its idea: being a secret agent of the government that he had recently attacked, Defoe felt deeply alone and in constant danger. "Robinson" was translated into all European and many non-European languages and even in the 19th century caused many imitations ( Robinsonade).

Daniel Defoe's other novels of horror and adventure, written partly after the incredible success of Robinson (for example, Captain Singleton), are almost completely forgotten. Defoe continued his journalistic activity until 1726 under his own name, perfectly describing the life of the then middle and lower classes. Later he resorted to a pseudonym and fell into a strange fear, apparently into a persecution mania. Defoe spent the last days of his life in a miserable hut at an inn, due to the fact that his son betrayed his trust and completely ruined him and his entire family.

Born into the family of a Presbyterian meat merchant, he trained to become a pastor, but was forced to abandon his church career. After graduating from Newington Academy, where he studied Greek and Latin and classical literature, he became a clerk at a wholesale hosiery merchant. On trade matters he often visited Spain and France, where he became acquainted with the life of Europe and improved his skills in languages.

Subsequently, he himself was at one time the owner of a hosiery production and then first the manager and then the owner of a large brick and tile factory, but he went bankrupt. In general, Defoe was an entrepreneur-businessman with an adventurous streak - a type common in that era. He was also one of the most active politicians of his time. A talented publicist, pamphleteer and publisher, he, without officially holding any government position, at one time exercised great influence on the king and the government.

Journalism

Defoe began his literary career with political pamphlets (anonymous) and newspaper articles. He proved himself to be a talented satirist and publicist. He wrote on various political topics. In one of his works - “Experience of Projects” - he proposes to improve communications, open banks, savings banks for the poor and insurance societies. The significance of his projects was enormous, considering that at that time almost nothing he proposed existed. The functions of banks were performed by moneylenders and jewelers-money changers. The Bank of England, one of the centers of world financial capital at the present time, had just opened at that time.

Defoe gained especially wide popularity since the appearance of his pamphlet “The True Englishman.” Eighty thousand copies were sold semi-legally on the streets of London within a few days. The appearance of this pamphlet was due to attacks by the aristocracy against King William III, who defended the interests of the bourgeoisie. The aristocrats attacked the king in particular because he was not an Englishman, but a foreigner who did not even speak English well. Defoe spoke in his defense and, not so much defending the king as attacking the aristocracy, argued that the ancient aristocratic families trace their origins to the Norman pirates, and the new ones - from the French footmen, hairdressers and tutors who poured into England during the Stuart restoration. After the publication of this pamphlet, Daniel Defoe became close friends with the king and provided enormous services to the English bourgeoisie in obtaining trade privileges and securing them by acts of parliament. A true son of his turbulent century, Defoe more than once experienced the vicissitudes of fate: he embarked on risky adventures, went bankrupt, got rich, went bankrupt again and made capital again. He tried the professions of a merchant, sailor, journalist, spy, politician, and at the age of 59 he became a writer.

The bourgeoisie fought against the aristocracy on all fronts, in particular in the field of religion. And Defoe came out with a malicious pamphlet entitled “The shortest way to deal with dissidents.” Aristocrats and fanatical clergy took this satire seriously, and the advice to deal with dissidents by gallows was considered a revelation equal to the Bible. But when it turned out that Defoe had brought the arguments of the supporters of the ruling church to the point of absurdity and thereby completely discredited them, the church and the aristocracy considered themselves scandalized, achieved Defoe’s arrest and trial, by which he was sentenced to seven years in prison, a fine and three times pillory.

This medieval method of punishment was especially painful, since it gave the right to street onlookers and voluntary lackeys of the clergy and aristocracy to mock the convicted person. But the bourgeoisie turned out to be so strong that it managed to turn this punishment into a triumph for its ideologist: Defoe was showered with flowers. On the day of standing in the pillory, Defoe, who was in prison, managed to print “Hymn to the Pillory.” In it, he trashes the aristocracy and explains why he was put to shame. The crowd chanted this pamphlet in the streets and squares while Defoe's sentence was carried out.

"Robinson Crusoe"

First edition

Defoe turned to artistic creativity late. In the fifty-eighth year of his life he wrote his Robinson Crusoe. Despite this, the literary legacy left by him is enormous. Along with journalism, there are over 250 works by Defoe. Currently, his numerous works are known only to a narrow circle of specialists, but Robinson Crusoe, read both in major European centers and in the most remote corners of the globe, continues to be reprinted in a huge number of copies. Occasionally, Captain Singleton is also republished in England.

"Robinson Crusoe" is the brightest example of the so-called adventurous sea genre, the first manifestations of which can be found in English literature of the 16th century. The development of this genre, which reached its maturity in the 18th century, was determined by the development of English merchant capitalism.

Some “Travels” were written in the form of a diary, others in the form of a report or memo, others had a narrative form, but were not distinguished by consistency of presentation. The “diary” was interrupted by a narration; a diary was included in the narrations, depending on the requirements for accuracy of transmission. If special accuracy was required in conveying a conversation with a person, the conversation was recorded in the form of a dramatic dialogue; if an accurate transmission of the sequence of a series of events was required, they were recorded in the form of a diary, divided into hours and minutes; if it was necessary to describe something in less detail, they resorted to narration.

But maximum accuracy has always prevailed in this kind of work. However, even before the appearance of Robinson Crusoe, the documentary genre of travel showed a tendency to move into the artistic genre. In Robinson Crusoe this process of changing the genre through the accumulation of elements of fiction was completed. But Defoe uses the style of the Travels. Its features, which had a certain practical significance, become a literary device in Robinson Crusoe: Defoe’s language is also simple, precise, and protocol. Specific techniques of artistic writing, the so-called poetic figures and tropes, are completely alien to him.

In “Travel” one cannot find, for example, “an endless sea”, but only an exact indication of longitude and latitude in degrees and minutes; the sun does not rise in some “apricot fog”, but at 6:37 am; the wind does not “caress” the sails, is not “light-winged”, but blows from the northeast; they are not compared, for example, in whiteness and firmness with the breasts of young women, but are described, as in textbooks of nautical schools. The reader's impression of the complete reality of Robinson's adventures is due to this style of writing. Defoe also interrupts the narrative form with a dramatic dialogue (Crusoe's conversation with Friday and the sailor Atkins), Defoe introduces into the fabric of the novel a diary and an office book entry, where good is recorded in debit, evil in credit, and the remainder is still a solid asset.

In his descriptions, Defoe is always precise to the smallest detail. We learn that Crusoe makes a board for a shelf in 42 days, a boat in 154 days, the reader moves with him step by step in his work and, as it were, overcomes difficulties and suffers failures with him. Crusoe suffers many failures.

The bourgeois did not close his eyes to the fact that in the world of struggle not everything goes smoothly. In the struggle with nature and people, he overcame obstacles, did not complain or grumble about failures. The world is good, but the world is disorganized, there is mismanagement everywhere. No matter where on the globe Crusoe finds himself, everywhere he looks at his surroundings through the eyes of the owner, the organizer. In this work, with the same calmness and tenacity, he tars the ship and pours hot brew on the savages, breeds barley and rice, drowns extra kittens and destroys cannibals who threaten his cause. All this is done as part of normal daily work. Crusoe is not cruel, he is humane and fair in the world of purely bourgeois justice.

The first part of Robinson Crusoe was sold in several editions at once. Defoe captivated readers with the simplicity of his descriptions of real travel and the richness of his fiction. But Robinson Crusoe never enjoyed wide popularity among the aristocracy. The children of the aristocracy were not brought up on this book. But Crusoe, with its idea of the rebirth of man through work, has always been the favorite book of the bourgeoisie, and entire educational systems are built on this Erziehungsroman. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in his “Emile,” also recommends “Robinson Crusoe” as the only work on which youth should be brought up.

Bourgeois writers eagerly imitated Robinson Crusoe. From the vast literature of “Robinsonades,” one can note Kampe’s “New Robinson” (), in which an element of individualism is developed: Robinson found himself on an island without any supplies or tools and had to start everything with his bare hands. “Swiss Robinson” by Wyss is focused on collectivism: Robinson found himself on an island with four sons, different in character and individual inclinations. In the first "Robinson" the problem of the development of productive forces is posed, in the second - the development of social forms, of course from the point of view of the bourgeoisie.

In the rest of the alterations, the center is Robinson's life on the island, viewed from different points of view. “Robinsonade” took on a different character from the so-called successors of Defoe. The most prominent are T. Smollett and F. Marryat. They sharply showed a bias towards maritime romance and the preaching of great-power British imperialism, due to the subsequent stage of development of the English bourgeoisie, its strengthening in the colonies, and the achievement of world power.

The influence of Defoe's novel on European literature is not limited to the Robinsonade it generated. It is both wider and deeper. With his work, Defoe introduced the subsequently extremely popular motif of simplification, the loneliness of man in the lap of nature, the beneficial nature of communication with it for his moral improvement. This motif was developed by Rousseau and varied many times by his followers (Bernardin de Saint Pierre and others).

The technique of the Western European novel also owes a lot to Robinson. Defoe's art of depicting characters, his inventiveness expressed in the use of new situations - all this was a great achievement. With his philosophical and other digressions, skillfully intertwined with the main presentation, Defoe raised the significance of the novel among readers, turning it from a book for entertaining pastime into a source of important ideas, into an engine of spiritual development. This technique was widely used in the 18th century.

It is characteristic that Defoe's contemporary - Swift - became known in Russia from the middle of the 18th century, and the works of Byron and W. Scott were read almost simultaneously in England and Russia. But since the appearance in Russia of not only the aristocratic reader, Robinson has not ceased to be translated and published in different volumes.

Bibliography

The True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal, ;
Robinson Crusoe, ;
Captain Singleton, ;
Moll Flanders, ;
Colonel Jack, ;
Journal of the Plague Year, ;
A Tour through Great Britain, - ;
A New Voyage round the World, ;
The Complete English Tradesman (apology for profit), -;
The Political History of the Devil, ;
System of Magic, ;
Essay on the Reality of Apparitions, . Ed. D.: Scott, ; Hazlitt, 1840; Bohn, - - ; Aitken, 16 vv, ;
G. H. Moynadier, 16 vv. ;
Boston, Constable's sumptuous reprints, - ;
"Abbey Classics" series. Translations and publications in Russia: Robinson Crusoe, in two parts, transl. from French, St. Petersburg, ;
Robinson Crusoe, in two volumes. 200 drawings by Granville, engraved on stone and printed in two tones, new translation. from French, M., ;
Robinson Crusoe, trans. P. Konchalovsky, M., ;
translation M. Shishmareva and Z. Zhuravskaya, St. Petersburg, ;
translation L. Murakhina, ed. Sytina, M., ed. 4th and many more etc.
The Joys and Sorrows of the Famous Moll Flanders, trans. P. Konchalovsky, “Russian wealth”, ЇЇ 1-4, dep. ed., M., with art. V. Lesevich, G. Gettner, Ten, P. S. Kogan, V. M. Fritsche;
Universal history of literature, ed. Korsh and Kirpichnikov;
Kamensky A. Daniel Defoe, his life and work, St. Petersburg, (in Pavlenkov’s biographical series);
Zalshupin A., English. publicist of the 17th century, “The Observer”, Ї 6;
Lesevich V., Daniel Defoe as a person, writer and public figure, “Russk. wealth", ЇЇ 5, 7, 8;
His, Regarding “Mall Flanders” by D. Defoe, “Russian. wealth", Ї 1;
Alferov A. et al., “Ten readings on literature”, M., ed. 2nd, M., . Biographies of D. (English): Chambers, ; Lee, ; Morley H., ; Wright, ; Whitten, 1900.
Lamb, Hazlitt, Forster, Leslie Stephen, Minto, Masefield, W. P. Trent (Cambridge History of English Literature). In French language: Dottin, 3 vv., . In German. language: Horten F., Studien über die Sprache Defoe’s, Bonn, ;
Schmidt R., Der Volkswille als realer Faktor des Verfassungslebens und D. Defoe, ;
Dibelius, Der englische Roman. In English language: Secord A. W., Studies in the narrative method of Defoe, . Research in the field of text - Lannert G. L., . About the sources of "Robinson Crusoe": Nicholson W., ; Lucius L. Hubbard, ;
Lloyd's Catalog of edition of Robinson Crusoe and other books by and ref. to Defoe, L., .

About him

The article is based on materials from the Literary Encyclopedia 1929-1939.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

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See what “Dafoe, Daniel” is in other dictionaries:

Defoe Daniel

Defoe Daniel- (Defoe) famous English. writer, b. in 1659. His father, a butcher by profession, was a dissident; He bore the surname Fo, which was later changed by Daniel to D. D. received his education at a dissident educational institution that had a loud name... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Daniel- (Hebrew דָּנִיֵּאל‏‏‎, English Daniel literally from Hebrew “God is my judge” or “God judged me”, and is associated with the mercy and justice of God) originally a biblical male name (now also as a female Daniela). Prophet... ... Wikipedia

Defoe- Defoe's last name. Famous speakers: Defoe, Daniel writer, author of novels about Robinson Crusoe. Dafoe, Willem American actor. Defoe, Jermaine football player. Defoe, Frances Canadian figure skater ... Wikipedia

Defoe- (Daniel Defoe) famous English. writer, b. in 1659, his father, a butcher by profession, was a dissident; He bore the surname Fo, which was later changed by Daniel to D. D. received his education at a dissident educational institution that had a loud name... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

Daniel Defoe- Daniel Defoe Date of Birth: circa 1660 Place of Birth: Cripplegate Date of Death: 26 April 1731 Place of Death: Moorfields Occupation... Wikipedia

Daniel Dafoe- Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe Date of Birth: circa 1660 Place of Birth: Cripplegate Date of Death: 26 April 1731 Place of Death: Moorfields Occupation... Wikipedia

Journalism

"Robinson Crusoe"

First edition

Bibliography

The True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal, ;
Robinson Crusoe, ;
Captain Singleton, ;
Moll Flanders, ;
Colonel Jack, ;
Journal of the Plague Year, ;
A Tour through Great Britain, - ;
A New Voyage round the World, ;
The Complete English Tradesman (apology for profit), -;
The Political History of the Devil, ;
System of Magic, ;
Essay on the Reality of Apparitions, . Ed. D.: Scott, ; Hazlitt, 1840; Bohn, - - ; Aitken, 16 vv, ;
G. H. Moynadier, 16 vv. ;
Boston, Constable's sumptuous reprints, - ;
"Abbey Classics" series. Translations and publications in Russia: Robinson Crusoe, in two parts, transl. from French, St. Petersburg, ;
Robinson Crusoe, in two volumes. 200 drawings by Granville, engraved on stone and printed in two tones, new translation. from French, M., ;
Robinson Crusoe, trans. P. Konchalovsky, M., ;
translation M. Shishmareva and Z. Zhuravskaya, St. Petersburg, ;
translation L. Murakhina, ed. Sytina, M., ed. 4th and many more etc.
The Joys and Sorrows of the Famous Moll Flanders, trans. P. Konchalovsky, “Russian wealth”, ЇЇ 1-4, dep. ed., M., with art. V. Lesevich, G. Gettner, Ten, P. S. Kogan, V. M. Fritsche;
Universal history of literature, ed. Korsh and Kirpichnikov;
Kamensky A. Daniel Defoe, his life and work, St. Petersburg, (in Pavlenkov’s biographical series);
Zalshupin A., English. publicist of the 17th century, “The Observer”, Ї 6;
Lesevich V., Daniel Defoe as a person, writer and public figure, “Russk. wealth", ЇЇ 5, 7, 8;
His, Regarding “Mall Flanders” by D. Defoe, “Russian. wealth", Ї 1;
Alferov A. et al., “Ten readings on literature”, M., ed. 2nd, M., . Biographies of D. (English): Chambers, ; Lee, ; Morley H., ; Wright, ; Whitten, 1900.
Lamb, Hazlitt, Forster, Leslie Stephen, Minto, Masefield, W. P. Trent (Cambridge History of English Literature). In French language: Dottin, 3 vv., . In German. language: Horten F., Studien über die Sprache Defoe’s, Bonn, ;
Schmidt R., Der Volkswille als realer Faktor des Verfassungslebens und D. Defoe, ;
Dibelius, Der englische Roman. In English language: Secord A. W., Studies in the narrative method of Defoe, . Research in the field of text - Lannert G. L., . About the sources of "Robinson Crusoe": Nicholson W., ; Lucius L. Hubbard, ;
Lloyd's Catalog of edition of Robinson Crusoe and other books by and ref. to Defoe, L., .

About him

The article is based on materials from the Literary Encyclopedia 1929-1939.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Daniel Defoe" is in other dictionaries:

- (c. 1660 1731) writer, politician In every situation, you will find something comforting if you look hard enough. In moments of hesitation, boldly follow the suggestion of your inner voice, if you hear it, at least, apart from this voice, there is nothing... ... Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms

Daniel Defoe- see Defoe, Daniel... Marine Biographical Dictionary

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe Birth name: Daniel F ... Wikipedia

Daniel (Daniel Defoe, 1661 1731) English writer, known mainly as the author of Robinson Crusoe. R., in the family of a Presbyterian meat merchant, was preparing to become a pastor, but was forced to abandon his church career. Upon leaving Newington... ... Literary encyclopedia

- (Defoe) (about 1660 1731), writer, politician. The founder of the English realistic novel. The adventure novel “Robinson Crusoe” (1719), which glorified work and the will to live, gave rise to numerous literary imitations... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Defoe, Daniel) DANIEL DEFOE (18th century engraving) (1660 1731), English writer. Born in London in 1600 in the family of tallow candle merchant and dissenter James Faw. Around 1703 Daniel changed his surname to Defoe. Studied at J. Fisher's school in Dorking,... ... Collier's Encyclopedia

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe Date of birth: about 1660 Place of birth: Cripplegate Date of death: 26 April 1731 Place of death: Moorfields Occupation ... Wikipedia

Daniel Defoe; London, Kingdom of England; 1660 – 04/24/1731

Daniel Defoe is called one of the founders of the English novel. Over the years, he published more than 500 books, brochures and magazines on a variety of topics. But the novel about Robinson Crusoe, which was filmed more than 20 times in different countries of the world, brought him the greatest fame and memory for centuries. And the very idea of “Robinsonade” has become widespread and has been reflected in literature for several centuries.

Biography of Daniel Defoe

There is still controversy about the true date of birth of Daniel Defoe. Historians call the period from 1659 to 1662. But the most likely date is still considered to be 1660. The boy's birth name was Daniel Foe. His father was a fairly successful meat merchant in the suburbs of London. When Daniel was five years old, a plague broke out in London, which his family successfully survived. And the very next year, a fire in London destroyed almost all the houses in the surrounding area. Only Foe's house and another one nearby remained. At the age of ten, Daniel lost his mother. He received his education from the Rev. James Fisher.

Although initially Daniel was preparing to become a pastor, persecution from the Presbyterian schismatics forced him to go into business. Here he first worked as an assistant, and then began to engage in the hosiery business himself. And he did it quite successfully. In 1684, Daniel Defoe married. This was done out of calculation and for the sake of a dowry, which amounted to 3,700 pounds. Huge money in those days. Nevertheless, the marriage lasted more than 50 years, resulting in eight children.

In 1685, Daniel took part in the Duke of Monmouth's rebellion, which was brutally suppressed. Nevertheless, Daniel managed not only to receive a pardon, but also to get closer to the court. He even became the head of the British secret service. But this spoiled his trade relations with France and he was soon caught up in debt. After his release, he traveled a lot around Europe, after which he began to demand to be called Daniel Defoe. He returned to England only in 1696 and soon became the owner of a brick factory.

In 1697, it became possible to read Daniel Defoe's books on political and religious topics. But as a result of a political coup, King William III was replaced by Queen Anne and Daniel Defoe fell out of favor. He was sentenced to three days in the pillory, a fine and imprisonment. Only thanks to political games did he manage to avoid punishment and even write off part of his debts. But this did not destroy his love for literature. How he tries his hand at creativity again and again. In 1703, he was arrested again and sentenced to the pillory because of his new pamphlet.

In 1706, Daniel Defoe is appointed as a secret agent in Scotland. His goal is to work for Scotland to accept the Union Treaty. For this reason, he publishes many of his books, and also often gives opposing arguments. This later led to attacks on him by the Scots. Since 1714, Daniel Defoe's books have increasingly moved away from political themes, and some of his novels are even used as teaching aids. In 1719, Daniel Defoe's book Robinson Crusoe was published. The novel is based on the events of the life of the Scot Alexander Selkirk, but the novel cannot be called autobiographical. Daniel Defoe died in April 1731, as always on the run from creditors. Buried in London.

Books by Daniel Defoe on the Top books website

Daniel Defoe made it into our rating thanks to his book “Robinson Crusoe”. Thanks to its presence in the school curriculum, interest in it is episodic. So during a surge, it gets into our rating. Usually it occupies low places in our rankings. And most likely this trend will continue in the future.