Daniel Defoe

Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731) was an English writer, journalist, merchant, pamphleteer, and spy, best known for pioneering the English novel with works like Robinson Crusoe (1719), Moll Flanders (1722), and Roxana (1724).[1][2] Born Daniel Foe in London to a butcher's family, he began as a trader, faced bankruptcy in 1692, and turned to prolific political writing that often led to imprisonment before achieving literary fame at age 59.[4][6] He contributed to journalism, poetry, and political propaganda, including spying for figures like Robert Harley.[7]