Daniel Defoe is one of the most versatile writers of his time, recognized as the founder of the European realistic novel. His pen produced a multitude of works of various genres, but the most concise description of Defoe's contribution to world literature is the epitaph on his gravestone: “Daniel Defoe, creator of 'Robinson Crusoe.'”
Despite its apparent simplicity, which has made “Robinson Crusoe” an inseparable companion of childhood, the work is surprisingly multifaceted: it is both a travel diary, an exemplary adventure novel, and a special type of island utopia, named after the main character - “robinsonade.” It is also a “treatise on natural education,” a poignant confession of the title character, and a philosophical parable about the meaning of human life.
If the first book about the adventures of Robinson is familiar to most readers from childhood, its continuation - “The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe” - is no longer so widely circulated. However, it is this part that not only continues the thrilling storyline of the sailor from York but also vividly recreates the image of the time and the worldview characteristic of the era, which exposes the roots of numerous questions and problems of the modern world.
This edition includes, in addition to the two novels about Robinson Crusoe, the novel “The Life and Pirate Adventures of the Glorious Captain Singleton” - a breathtaking story about wandering through Central Africa and the difficult, danger-filled fate of a born pirate.
Artists: Walter Paget, Pyotr Pinkisevich, Dmitry Kardovsky, Newell Convers Wyeth