The Real Robinson Crusoe, The True Story of Alexander Selkirk
The Real Robinson Crusoe, The True Story of Alexander Selkirk
By Fred Watson
It was in the year 1719 that the author, Daniel Defoe, published the book that we know as Robinson Crusoe, The book was an immediate success. Many of those that read it thought that it was a true story and in a way it was, because Defoe used the real life story of Alexander Selkirk as his inspiration.
As a youth Sekirk dreamed of sailing off on an a journey of adventure, clashed with the church over his behavior and ran away to sea. On his return he clashed with the church again and the following year relised his dream by becoming a ship master on one of the ships in a privateering expedition to the New World. During the voyage he took part in sea battles and attacks on Spanish towns in the search for gold and riches. After falling out with his captain over the condition of the ship he was marooned on an uninhabited Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Alone on the Island he built a home, hunted food, tamed goats, made his own clothes and survived for over four years before being rescued by another English expedition. On a voyage that completed a circumnavigation of the world he had many adventures before returning home a rich man. Fame followed fortune when others wrote of his adventures and he was feted by the rich and those that were curious.
After a while he returned home, where he met a girl and they ran off and lived together lived as man and wife. After a while he landed up in Plymouth where he married a widow, later he joined one of the King's ships as a lieutenant and died of a fever while off the coast of Africa.
The whole story of Selkirk's life and adventures is available now from Amazon Books as a Kindle ebook
