A paradoxical genius, Daniel Defoe lived an eventful life. Actively involved in the early 18th century English politics, Defoe played a vital role in the unification of Scotland and England. A successful businessman turned pamphleteer, Defoe was quite a popular personality of his times. He is the only person pilloried, who was later cherished as a national hero.

Traveling extensively, he widened his knowledge. His novels were based on the experiences he had as a prisoner and as a journalist. The surprising feature of his life was that though he was destined to be a Presbyterian minister, he took up trade, faced many ups-and-downs and finally became a writer, and became famous with novels like Moll Flanders and Robinson Crusoe.