Overview

A remarkable literary hybrid - part biography, part detective story - about the enduring figure of Robinson Crusoe. It is January 1719 and Daniel Defoe, almost sixty, sits at a table, writing. He is troubled with gout and debt, but for now is preoccupied with a younger man on a barren shore - Robinson Crusoe, for which he will principally be remembered. Several miles south, an old man, Robert Knox, is bent over a heavy volume. It is Historical Relation, his account of being held captive on Ceylon, published forty years ago after he escaped and returned to England. It has long been out of print, but a copy perhaps sits on the desk of Daniel Defoe as he writes. Where did Crusoe come from? And what is the secret of his endurance? Crusoe explores the intertwined lives of two real men - Daniel Defoe and Robert Knox - and the character and book that emerged from their peculiar conjunction. It is the biography of a book and its hero, the story of Defoe, the man who wrote Robinson Crusoe, and of Robert Knox, the man who was Crusoe.

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9781844135332

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Reviews

This is a beautifully constructed book and, ultimately, a moving one -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times * The book captures the vigour, toughness, cruelty, romance and excitement of late 17th century England and its early imperial adventures -- Andrew Robinson * Independent * Her unusual dual biography is not only a thrilling read but an eye opening account of life in the 17th Century, whether in the stocks in London or marooned somewhere in Paradise * Mail on Sunday * There have been other biographies of Defoe and other mariners have been proposed as his inspiration. Yet the enthralling Crusoe earns its keep as it weaves together the twin biographies of Knox and Defoe, two extraordinary lives which spiral round like the double helix to produce the DNA of the iconic character in goatskin garments -- Jonathan Sale * Daily Telegraph * It's remarkable how the Robinson Crusoe story still determines aspects of travel and tourism * Conde Nast Traveller *

It's remarkable how the Robinson Crusoe story still determines aspects of travel and tourism Conde Nast Traveller This is a beautifully constructed book and, ultimately, a moving one. Even if it doesn't explore Selkirk's rival claim to be the real Crusoe , it does convincingly demonstrate the debt that Defoe owed to Knox. But it is also more than fine literary sleuthwork: it finds profound echoes between its three protagonists' lives, echoes that make their characters seem all the more three-dimensional, and full of pathos. -- James McConnachie Sunday Times The book captures the vigour, toughness, cruelty, romance and excitement of late 17th century England and its early imperial adventures. -- Andrew Robinson Independent There have been other biographies of Defoe and other mariners have been proposed as his inspiration. Yet the enthralling Crusoe earns its keep as it weaves together the twin biographies of Knox and Defoe, two extraordinary lives which spiral round like the double helix to produce the DNA of the iconic character in goatskin garments. -- Jonathan Sale Daily Telegraph a fluent, well researched book Herald

This is a beautifully constructed book and, ultimately, a moving one -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times * The book captures the vigour, toughness, cruelty, romance and excitement of late 17th century England and its early imperial adventures -- Andrew Robinson * Independent * Her unusual dual biography is not only a thrilling read but an eye opening account of life in the 17th Century, whether in the stocks in London or marooned somewhere in Paradise * Mail on Sunday * There have been other biographies of Defoe and other mariners have been proposed as his inspiration. Yet the enthralling Crusoe earns its keep as it weaves together the twin biographies of Knox and Defoe, two extraordinary lives which spiral round like the double helix to produce the DNA of the iconic character in goatskin garments -- Jonathan Sale * Daily Telegraph * It's remarkable how the Robinson Crusoe story still determines aspects of travel and tourism * Conde Nast Traveller *

This is a beautifully constructed book and, ultimately, a moving one -- James McConnachie Sunday Times The book captures the vigour, toughness, cruelty, romance and excitement of late 17th century England and its early imperial adventures -- Andrew Robinson Independent Her unusual dual biography is not only a thrilling read but an eye opening account of life in the 17th Century, whether in the stocks in London or marooned somewhere in Paradise Mail on Sunday There have been other biographies of Defoe and other mariners have been proposed as his inspiration. Yet the enthralling Crusoe earns its keep as it weaves together the twin biographies of Knox and Defoe, two extraordinary lives which spiral round like the double helix to produce the DNA of the iconic character in goatskin garments -- Jonathan Sale Daily Telegraph It's remarkable how the Robinson Crusoe story still determines aspects of travel and tourism Conde Nast Traveller

Author Information

Born and educated in America, Katherine Frank is the author of several acclaimed biographies - of Lucie Duff Gordon, Emily Bronte, Mary Kingsley and Indira Gandhi. She lives in England.

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