Daniel Defoe?(/d??fo?/; c. 1660 – 24 April 1731),[1]?born?Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist,?pamphleteer?and spy. He is most famous for his novel?Robinson Crusoe, which is second only to the Bible in its number of translations.[2]?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.[3]Defoe wrote many political tracts and often was in trouble with the authorities, including a spell in prison. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted with him.
Defoe was a prolific and versatile writer, producing more than three hundred works[4]—books, pamphlets, and journals—on diverse topics, including politics, crime, religion, marriage, psychology, and the supernatural. He was also a pioneer of?business journalism[5]?and economic journalism.[6]
