Robinson Crusoe  is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. This first edition credited the work&#39;s fictional protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author. The story is widely perceived to have been influenced by the life of Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who lived for four years on the Pacific island called &#34;Más a Tierra&#34; (in 1966 its name was changed to Robinson Crusoe Island), Chile.