Alexander Selkirk: The Real-Life Robinson Crusoe with James Grant-Peterkin

When the story of the world’s most famous castaway was first published in 1719, many people believed that Robinson Crusoe was the real-life autobiography of a marooned sailor who had somehow survived to tell the tale. It was later revealed that the book was in fact a work of pure fiction by the celebrated English novelist, Daniel Defoe. But exactly how fictional was this particular story? 

Between 1704 and 1709 the Scottish privateer, Alexander Selkirk, spent more than four years by himself on a deserted island in the Pacific, after an argument with his ship’s captain had resulted in his being left behind by the rest of the crew. How did he manage to survive in such inhospitable surroundings, and did the story of his experiences ultimately find its way to Daniel Defoe? 

Led by an expert on Pacific cultures, James Grant-Peterkin, this Conversation will examine the true story behind Daniel Defoe’s world-famous fictional character. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of one of the most unusual stories set in the Pacific Ocean, and one that would inspire its own unique genre of literature.