The real Robinson Crusoe

 

Alexander Selkirk Statue at Lower Largo

This evening, I am posting information on Alexander Selkirk, a Scot who spent his early boyhood at Lower Largo on the Fife Coast in eastern Scotland. He had a fierce temper and following family disputes he went to sea. In 1704 he was sailing master of the vessel Cinque Ports. After elapse of 8 months Selkirk had a violent quarrel with the ship’s captain and was put ashore on the uninhabited Juan Fernandez island off the coast of Chile. Archaeologists have  located his camp on the island. After 4 years and 4 months he was rescued and later returned to Lower Largo with considerable wealth gained from piracy.

Daniel Defoe met Selkirk in a London coffee-house in 1715 and learned of his (Selkirk’s) exploits which he used a material for the fictional Robinson Crusoe.

The above image shows Selkirk’s statue in his boyhood home at Lower Largo.

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