Robinson Crusoe, a novel by Daniel Defoe, was first published
in 1719. Everybody knows that the book tells about the exciting
adventures of the sailor on an uninhabited island, but very few people know
that this novel was based on truthful events. Defoe"s initial inspiration
for Crusoe is usually thought to be a Scottsh saillor Alexander Selkirk< who
lived four years on the Pacific island called Mas a Nierra, Chile. The talent
of the novelist created an extremel y successful story and
Robinson Crusoe became a legendary character. By the end of the 19th
century, no book in the history of the Western literature had had more edition
and translations than Robinson Crusoe!