Robinson Crusoe

by Daniel Defoe

“I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed, rather than what I wanted.”

Robinson Crusoe was Daniel Defoe’s first long work of fiction. First published in 1719, and written in the epistolary style popular at that time, it is confessional and didactic in tone, presented as an autobiography of the title character. In this classic work, Defoe created two of the most-enduring characters in English Literature: Crusoe and Friday.

After surviving a devastating shipwreck, Crusoe discovers he is the only human on a remote island, far from any shipping routes or chance of rescue. An absorbing tale of adventure, survival and the strength of the human spirit, with continued appeal for modern day readers.

262 pages, Paperback

Published May 9, 2022

About the author

Daniel Defoe was an English novelist, journalist, merchant, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translations. He has been seen as one of the earliest proponents of the English novel, and helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson. Defoe wrote many political tracts, was often in trouble with the authorities, and spent a period in prison. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted him.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of business journalism and economic journalism.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. The plot is interesting too.

[Adam Hardy Begtrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Har altid elsket Robinson Crusoe, og det var en fornøjelse at genlæse den.
Selve romanen er jo dejlig, finurlig og spændende. Der er et klart handlingsforløb, spændende og logiske detaljer og fint psykologi bagved, såsom at Robinson hele tiden på øen siger “hvis bare jeg lige havde dette, så kunne jeg bo her resten af mit liv”, hvorefter han opnår det (eller noget tilsvarende), for at derefter ændre sit behov og repetere samme tur.

Jeg husker den som værende bedre, men det var stadig en dejlig bog. Selve oversættelsen var lettere mangelfuld, men udover det var det en god oplevelse.
Kan anbefales.

[Joel Robb · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a coconut shell: Part 1: Young man leaves Yorkshire home, pisses off dad ("but Dad, I don't want to be a lawyer"), joins a sailing vessel, gets enslaved by Moors, escapes with the help of a moorish boy, eventually sells said boy to another sailing captain who brings him to Brazil. Part 2: Start a plantation in South America, shipwreck [30 sep 1659] on an island (lone survivor) [whilst on a slaving expedition], build a fort/plantation/stockyard/boat, rescue another human being from cannibals, enslave him so you teach him about God and be your beckon companion, and make an onerous journal of every pea you planted; Part 3: kill some more cannibals, rescue a captain from a mutineered ship, re-take the vessel from the mutineers, sail home, make sure everybody pays you the righteous money from your massive plantation that you started 30 years ago [they thought you were dead]; oh, and make some treacherous wintertime alpine journey over the Pyrenees and kill some bears and wolves and other things.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. I've read it at least four times. Could read it again. Great adventure story asking all the existential questions.

[Sumit Chatterjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an abridged version for kids. Hence, was a breezy read.