The hero of the adventure novel of the same name by Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, is not at all an invention of the writer - as it turned out, he had a living prototype. Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk lived on the island of Mas-a-Tierra all alone for five whole years - he survived a ship accident and managed to survive in the difficult conditions of uninhabited territory.
Live Robinson
The son of a poor shoemaker, Alexander Selkirk was born in 1678 in the Scottish village of Largo. At the age of 19, the guy got tired of a dull existence and he decided to go to serve as a sailor in the English navy. During his service, he sailed a lot on the oceans and seas, repeatedly took part in sea battles and as a result got into the command of the famous pirate, Captain Damper. Then the restless Alexander served in several more crews of ships, after which he stopped at the frigate of Captain Stredling, who made the capable young man his assistant.
A pirate ship with Selkirk on board suffered a slight wreck in May 1704 when a storm brought it to the island of Mas a Tierra, where the frigate was forced to anchor.
After the crash, Alexander remained on the shore with a weapon, an ax, a blanket, tobacco and a telescope. Alexander fell into despair: he had no food or fresh water, and the guy had no choice but to put a bullet in his head. However, the sailor overpowered himself and decided to explore the island. In its depths, he discovered an amazing variety of flora and fauna - Alexander began to hunt wild goats and sea turtles, fish and fire with friction. So he lived for five years, after which he was picked up by an English warship.
Books about Alexander Selkirka
The first book about the adventures of Alexander Selkirk, Industrial Voyages Around the World, was written by Woods Rogers in 1712. Then the former sailor himself wrote a book called "The Intervention of Providence, or the Unusual Description of the Adventures of Alexander Selkirk, Written by His Own Hand."
The autobiographical book of the future Robinson Crusoe never became popular - apparently because Selkirk was still a sailor, not a writer.
The Life and the Unusual Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Robinson of York, Who Lived 28 Years on a Deserted Island, was written by Daniel Defoe in 1719. Many readers recognized the main character of the book, which became world famous, Alexander Selkirk, a forced hermit from the island of Mas a Tierra. Daniel Defoe himself has repeatedly confirmed his acquaintance with Selkirk, the story of which was used by the writer in his book. Thanks to Defoe, a living prototype of Robinson Crusoe, a monument was erected in his homeland, the Scottish village of Largo.
