Defoe, Daniel

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English writer. His Robinson Crusoe (1719), though claiming to be a factual account of shipwreck and solitary survival, was influential in the development of the novel. The fictional Moll Flanders (1722) and the partly factual A Journal of the Plague Year (1722) are still read for their concrete realism. A highly productive journalist and pamphleteer, he was imprisoned in 1703 for the ironic The Shortest Way with Dissenters (1702).

Defoe was born in London and educated for the Nonconformist ministry, but became a hosier. He took part in Monmouth's rebellion in 1685 (in which Monmouth attempted to claim the English throne), and joined William of Orange in 1688 (who successfully claimed the throne from James II). Defoe was bankrupted three times as a result of various business ventures, once for the then enormous amount of £17,000. After his business had failed, he held a civil-service post from 1695 to 1699. Since Defoe's death, an increasing number of works have been attributed to him, bringing the total to more than 600.

The ‘Solomon's Seal’ pentagram was added to distinguish the flag from other plain red Arab banners. Effective date: 17 November 1915. >>